Toshiba has announced a hybrid PC that’s not really a notebook but not exactly a tablet either.
Toshiba’s Libretto W100 has two 7-inch multi-touch displays, an Intel Pentium 1.2 GHz processor, a 62 GB solid state drive, a 1-megapixel camera and 2 GB of memory. It runs Windows 7 and weighs about 1.8 lbs — just a tad more than the Apple iPad’s 1.6 lbs.
The device is an “ultra-mobile concept PC,” says Toshiba, though it comes with a price tag of $1,100. That’s a lot of dough to spend for a concept.
Perhaps most interesting: Toshiba is promising to deliver e-reader software that will make the Libretto into an e-book reader, capable of showing full two-page spreads with one page on the left and one on the right — much like those paper books you might still have lying around.
Toshiba’s bet on a hybrid device comes at an unusual time, since the idea has so far failed to catch on with consumers. In March, Entourage released the eDGE, a quirky device with a 10-inch LCD screen on the right and a slightly smaller E Ink display on the left. The $500 machine didn’t bring out the best in either display. Earlier this month, California-based startup Kno promised a dual-screen tablet that would be designed for the optimal textbook reading experience. The Kno tablet is expected to launch later this year.
What the Libretto does have going for it is its extremely compact design and two gorgeous screens (1024 x 600 resolution on each one). The Libretto is among the smallest devices in its category. It measures 4.84 inches by 7.95 inches so you can slip it into a jacket pocket or a small purse.
The multitouch screens can work independently or together, so users can surf the Web on one screen while checking e-mail on the other, or view a web page across both screens. The lower screen can display a virtual keyboard (in any of several different layouts). There’s a single USB port. And the built-in accelerometer means the device automatically switches into portrait or landscape modes when rotated.
The Libretto W100 is expected to ship in August in Japan.
See more photos of the Libretto below:
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