The "other" dual screen computer- Just Released

Just in case anyone is interested, I would like to briefly review the other dual screen computer, the Toshiba W100 Libretto, which was released (in Japan only so far) on August 11th. It took me until August 14th to buy it.

This dual screen computer, two 7-inch screens, costs about US 1300. It has 2GB of RAM, and a 62GB SSD. It runs Windows 7,and comes loaded with the "Home Premium" version. The processor is an Intel U5400 running at 1.2GHz. It comes with 2 batteries, a thin short-term one, and a thicker one that lasts longer. The Japan version also has built-n WiMax, which I have not used yet. There is a single USB port, a micro SD slot, and a headphone jack, as well as WiFi, Bluetooth.

I immediately installed the "Windows Anytime Upgrade" to Windows 7 Ultimate which (very surprisingly) went quickly and without a hitch. I am very impressed by that alone! The last time I tried such an upgrade on another machine, it was a nightmare.

The dual screens are capacitive type, so a stylus doesnt work. The screens are hinged together, and can be used in many ways. Unlike the eDGe, they are essentially equal. You can use them together as one large screen, or run different apps on each screen.

The computer comes pre-loaded with a bunch of typical Windows "bloat-ware" as well as a nice Toshiba app called Bulletin Board that can easily be made to run on the lower screen while other stuff runs on the upper screen. The bulletin board functions just as its name suggests. Its a nice piece of graphical software. There are multiple touch-screen keyboards built in.

In general, its a nice computer. It weighs about 700g and is thus highly portable, fitting easily in a jacket pocket. It runs full-blown Windows. And compared to other netbooks and such (usually with Intel ATOM processors) its fairly speedy, subjectively at least. Boot time is great at about 45 seconds.

If you need a highly portable computer, you should consider it (price notwithstanding). However, due to the screen size, it doesnt come close to the eDGe as a device for reading.

if it is not pixel qi I am not interested. I like to work outside in my garden.

Originally Posted by alefor

The dual screens are capacitive type, so a stylus doesnt work.

For me, that's the reason not to buy one.
I use my eDGe for notetaking and find it a very good tool.

I agree. It is really no good for reading or note-taking, both of which the eDGe excels at. For me, it is an easy to carry computer that I can use to access my cloud files. It seems to complement the eDGE very nicely, and I have been carrying both together without breaking off my arm. Using a MyFi unit, they are both easily on line anywhere I go.

same here. If it had an active digitizer it would be more tempting.

By the way what is the battery life?

Originally Posted by pietg

For me, that's the reason not to buy one.
I use my eDGe for notetaking and find it a very good tool.

I haven't formally measured battery life but the bigger one lasts 2-3hr and the smaller one half that. I keep the screen brightness set high, so I'm not really trying to prolong battery life. Anyway, it's fair.

2-3 hours on a device with so little power is a bit unfortunate. Must be those dual LCDs eating all that juice. Sad day when the courier was canceled and this abortion was released. Hopefully a second generation device will be released that's actually worth that asking price. I mean, no wacom digitizer? No N-Trig duosense for that money? My Dell XT2 is by far the best multitouch tablet I've used so far. I had an opportunity to play with a W100 for about 30 or so minutes. Its definitely got appeal, but its quite simply incomplete.

I'll keep my eDGe until something better comes around...like eDGe 3.0!

Not impressed.