Toshiba libretto UMPC Sports Dual Touch Screens

June 21, 2010 By Geoff Duncan

Toshiba's libretto W110 revives the ultra-mobile PC with a dual touch screen design that runs Windows 7.

Toshiba’s Digital Products Division has proven it can hide a few surprises up its sleeves: today the company took a stab at reviving the not-very-successful ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) category with the libretto W100, a compact book-folding PC running Windows 7 with two seven-inch touch screen displays that open folio-style—and both of them can be used to display and interact with content. The libretto W100 runs an Intel Pentium processor, features 2G of RAM, and a 62 GB SSD for storage; it will be available later this summer as a limited edition product.

Toshiba has been in the notebook business for 25 years; the W100 is part of the firms’ celebration.

“The libretto W100 continues the libretto brand’s heritage of defying convention by packaging a full Windows computing experience into highly compact ultra-mobile form factor,” said Toshiba America Information Systems VP of product development Carl Pinto, in a statement. “This concept PC sets the pace for Toshiba’s continued commitment to innovation, demonstrating what’s possible in the next generation of ultra-mobile PCs.

Users enter data using one of six virtual keyboards plus a virtual touchpad: the keyboards use haptic feedback to help users with typing. The libretto W100 runs Windows 7 Home Premium (really!) and packs both 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless networking. The entire unit weighs just 1.8 pounds. Unlike previous UMPCs, Toshiba says the dual displays enable user to easily multitask; suck as having email on one display and a Web browser on the other, or view two document at the same time. The unit sports an accelerometer so users can transparently flip between portrait and landscape modes. The entire unit measure less than 8 inches long and 4.85 inches across.

Under the hood, the unit sports an Intel Pentium U5400 processor running at 1.2 GHz, 2 GB of DDR3 RAM, a 62 GB solid-state hard drive, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR wireless networking, a 1 megapixel webcam with face recognition, a microSD slot for removable storage, along with a USB 2.0 port for peripherals and storage. The system also sports Toshiba’s Bulletin Board, Reel Time, and PC Health Monitor software for making daily activities more accessible and easing PC maintenance.

Toshiba says the W100 concept PC will be available later this summer at selected retailers and from Toshiba’s Web site; no word on pricing.

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Toshiba libretto W100 Dual-screen UMPC Available for Pre-order at 9:13am 17th August 2010 [...] 7 computer is now available for pre-order in the United States, with prices starting at $1,099.99. Back in June, Toshiba unveiled a new take on the ultra-mobile PC in the libretto w100, a book-folding, [...]
max at 10:59pm 21st June 2010 i noticed 2 spelling errors in this document. though you should know.
Drew at 5:00pm 21st June 2010 I like. For an 'around the house' device, this really looks like it foots the bill in lieu of a bulkier laptop when you are simply accessing the net for various daily tasks. A 1 MP webcam is a bit on the low side, but I can deal with that. Load it up with Skype, add a bluetooth headset or similar receiver, voila, a second phone and much much more. I wonder how it works as an eReader. Only down side for a device like this is what is likely, though not mentioned in this article, a typically agonizingly slow boot-up speed for any Windows OS....oh, that and the price point.
1. ianbell330 at 5:30pm 21st June 2010 Would you take this over an iPad you think? Battery life can't be that good.
  1. max at 11:00pm 21st June 2010 i would. it runs windows.
ianbell330 at 4:50pm 21st June 2010 A little too thick for my taste, but I like where Toshiba is going with this. The bezel is also too thick, they need to thin it out and add more screen real-estate.
1. william at 8:18pm 21st June 2010 Too thin and it would probably be easier to crack the screen by accident. They fit what they can with the cost and technology available. Thinner is not necessarily better for the user. Weight is more of a factor than thickness. Actually, I'd want more bezel with real buttons so I don't have to futz around with the touch screen. I don't know why people prefer messing up their screens with fingerprints. I like my screen to be clean and visible.
  1. ianbell330 at 8:35pm 21st June 2010 "Too thin and it would probably be easier to crack the screen by accident. " Try playing with an iPad, it's thin and there is little chance that it would be cracked due to flexing the display. Having buttons on the bezel isn't a bad idea. Since this has two screens you would likely be using two hands to hold it, and thus it would be difficult for a touch screen to make sense. Buttons on the side for your thumb sounds more reasonable.