Laptop giants Toshiba have just announced the AC100, their first mobile computer that uses Google’s Android operating system. With a 10 inch backlit LED screen and a standard QWERTY keyboard, the AC100 is a netbook which fits somewhere between a smartphone and a laptop in terms of concept and execution. The AC100 is an extremely portable model, designed for people on the move who want to use the web with more power and features than the average smartphone allows.
The AC100 will include a mixture of technology which Toshiba hopes will appeal to notebook and smartphone users alike. Some of the features that have been announced include 3G connectivity, 8GB NAND memory, Bluetooth 2.1, and an SD card reader. Multiple USB connectivity and an included HDMI port are two of the features that make this model stand out from the average smartphone or netbook design. There are some notable limitations however, with the lack of touchscreen ability and a rather limited screen resolution of 1024 x 600.
The two most notable features of the AC100 are extended battery life and Toshiba’s choice to use the Google Android operating system for the first time. Toshiba are promising a lot in terms of battery life with this model, with up to eight hours in use and up to seven days of standby life with instant-on capability. This feature alone makes the AC100 worthy of consideration, and is great news for everyone who currently struggles with the battery life of their mobile computers.
With a weight of just 870 grams and a thickness of 14mm at its thinnest point, the WC100 is a small but fully capable laptop. The Android platform allows users to customise the AC100 according to need, and multiple prefigured screens, widgets, and ‘live-files’ can all be manually switched by users. The AC100 is an interesting device because of where it fits in the mobile computing market, and is likely to appeal to the growing number of users who want to use media online and access cloud based applications when they are on the move. The Toshiba AC100 will be available in August 2010.
Specifications
- Android 2.1 NVIDIA
- Tegra 250 Mobile Processor (1GH, ARM)
- 512 MB DDR2 RAM
- 8GB Flash Storage
- 10.1″ TruBrite display
- WLAN
- Mobile Broadband
- 1 x USB
- 1 x miniUSB
- SD and MMC card reader
- 1.3 MP webcam and microphone
- Size: 262mm x 190mm x 14/21mm
- Weight: 870 grams
