The Toshiba Libretto W100 - the New Dual Screen Touchpad on the Block

Toshiba, one of the seemingly quieter computer manufacturers, has been providing mobile computing solutions to both home and business users for a number of years. Thinking well ahead of the times, Toshiba introduced the very popular and ultra-portable Libretto series of subnotebooks in the early 90's. The devices which were all roughly the size of a small hardcover book sported a 6" or 7" screen, and ran on a fully functional Windows operating system. Ultimately, production of the original variation of Librettos stopped, making way for the device to make short lived returns in 2001 and once again in 2005. Now, five years after its last and short lived appearance on the mobile scene, Toshiba's Libretto returns.

The Libretto has traditionally been released with the form factor and style of typical notebooks; with a screen, keyboard, and built in mouse. Now celebrating 25 years of laptop innovation, Toshiba has recently, re-written the rules when it comes to its latest Libretto incarnation, the W100. The new cutting edge device loses the physical keyboard in lieu of a multi-mode on screen virtual keyboard. That means rather than one touch screen, the unit instead features dual 7" 1024×600 pixel resolution widescreen touch screens. Operating on Windows 7, the new Libretto is housed in a sleek and sexy hi-gloss black clamshell that sports a screen side 1 mega-pixel webcam for video conferencing and more.

Powered by a low consumption version of Intel's classic Pentium U5400 CPU processor, the new unit which will arrive on store shelves in August 2010 weighs only 1.5 lbs with a reported internal clock speed of 1.2 GHz. Information on the expected battery life was not readily published at Toshiba's official W100 website.

Because the W100 will run on Windows 7, any standard applications are supported as long as they meet the systems specs. Industry standard features also include the latest in wireless technologies built on-board, Wireless-N, and Bluetooth 2.1. 2GB of DDR3 memory gives the little unit some punch, and an internal 64 GB solid state drive along with a standard micro SD card slot provide ample out of the box storage capacity, and expandability for today's popular business applications, music downloads, and more.

The Libretto W100 looks to be a winner, and should be a solid win for those looking for a small travel device that features cutting edge technology. With slate and touch devices being the hot product for the year, the new innovative dual-screen Libretto is sure to stand its ground against anything that crosses its path.

Toshiba's new Libretto is scheduled for release in August 2010.

Sources/Resources:

Toshiba's Libretto W100 website.