Having waited since January for Lenovo’s stunning, if troubled Skylight, it looks as if the smartbook sector may well have a new poster boy courtesy of Toshiba…
Leaked last week, the ‘AC100‘ is now official, and it packs a mouth-watering combination of all the technologies which had us so excited about this sector in the first place.
Packed in there are long battery life (up to 10 hours, or seven days on standby), an instant-on mobile OS (Android 2.1 – fingers crossed for Android 2.2 before launch), ultraportable form factor (262 x 190 x 14/21mm and 870g), 3G (optional) and powerful performance (ARM-based 1GHz Nvidia Tegra with support for Full HD video playback).
Furthermore, you’ll find HDMI connectivity, 8GB of solid state memory augmented by an SDHC card slot and a 10-in LED backlit 1024 x 600 display giving as much desktop space as a typical netbook. Throw in a 1.3MP webcam, 802.11n Wi-Fi, USB and mini USB ports, native support for viewing and editing Microsoft Office files and *big cheer* formal August release date, and we’re almost sold.
That said, there are two major caveats: the first is cost, since Toshiba needs to keep this below typical netbook pricing, while the second is branding. Much in the same way we have seen tablets like the Samsung Tape adopt mobile OSes and integrate 3G yet ignore any form of reference to their smartbook origins, so Toshiba has chosen to market the AC100 as a MID, not a smartbook.
Quite why it has chosen this approach is unknown – the MID sector has an equally, if not more flawed reputation than smartbooks – but as long as the mantra of smartbooks is finally being followed through to a successful conclusion they can call them pink elephants for all we care…
Gordon
