Toshiba fuses two iPads into Libretto W100

By Richi Jennings. June 21, 2010.

Toshiba has unveiled its sexy little Libretto W100: a twin-touchscreen netbook with haptic virtual keyboard. (Just don't call it an iPad killer.) In IT Blogwatch, bloggers don't quite know what to make of it.

Your humble blogwatcher selected these bloggy morsels for your enjoyment. Not to mention cynical Brits...
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Dean Takahashi talks to Toshiba:

The Japanese company is still unveiling some radical new designs. ... The company is unveiling its Libretto W100 ultra-mobile laptop with dual touchscreens and no physical keyboard. ... Opens like a clam shell and has two touchscreens that can respond to multiple finger touches.
...
It offers a full Windows 7 operating system. ... has built-in Bluetooth 5 and 802.11n ... weighs 1.8 pounds and uses a virtual keyboard on one of its two 7-inch screens. ... You can feel that you hit a key because the Libretto has force feedback. ... Also has an accelerometer so that you can view the screens in landscape or portrait.

Joanna Stern kisses up:

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the company's laptop business, Tosh gave its classic Libretto ultraportable brand some mouth-to-mouth. ... Powered by a 1.2GHz Intel Pentium U5400 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 64GB SSD and Windows 7 Home Premium ... it's all pretty zany.
...
Toshiba is ... Planning to bring it to market for $1,099 within the next few months on a limited basis. ... The 1.2-inch thick Libretto W100 is covered in a black brushed aluminum finish. ... We're not entirely sure how we feel about the design ... but it's still a darn cute little laptop.

Brian Barrett calls it, "one curious little gadget":

The Libretto has the specs of a halfway decent ultraportable. ... But that body isn't really like anything else, unfolding to reveal two 7-inch multitouch displays.
...
My first impression ... is that it feels more like a proof of concept than an actual product ... the fact that it's only going to be released in "limited number" indicates that Toshiba might feel the same way. ... [But it] might just hint at the future of mobile computing more than you'd expect.

Dan Nosowitz calls it, "completely bonkers":

Toshiba calls it an "ultra-mobile PC," which strikes me as a dangerous term ... it refers to a segment that steadfastly refused to take off here in the States.
...
When it comes out, though it'll be a limited run "for early adopters." Those are usually code phrases for "it may not work very well," but we'll reserve judgment.

Robert Scoble asks how other manufacturers can fight back against the iPad:

The Libretto W100 ... has two seven-inch touch screens that could make the netbook more interesting to potential iPad users. ... Windows 7, doesn’t feel as good on touch devices as Apple’s iOS does.
...
You can see that such hardware, if matched with Android, or with HP’s touch OS ... that there’s a future for Japanese manufacturers. ... [But] reported pricing is way too high to gain any mass-market share.

Trust Rob Coppinger to make the obvious comparison:

It seems more like a large Nintendo DS.

And Finally...
When advertising domestic appliances, beware of cynical British bloggers

Want more And Finally links? Check out my Friday Finally post:
Vuvuzela rap, ironic 'shop, iPad fanboi baiting, beatboxing and more...
 
 
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Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, you can follow him as @richi on Twitter, pretend to be richij's friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: itbw@richij.com.

You can also read Richi's full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.