Toshiba To Intro Tablet PCs: Possible Dual-Screen, Android Versions
Slates, slates, tablets and more slates. That pretty much sums up the PC industry thus far in 2010, and if you thought the craze would die down some after the iPad's launch, you would be wrong. With Dell, Asus, NVIDIA and just about everyone else committed to dabbling in the Tablet PC/Slate world in some way, it was only a matter of time for a big name like Toshiba to step up and admit that they too would be throwing in an option or two.
In a Reuters report that mainly focused on the fact that Toshiba's PC sales have risen 50% in the U.S. during Q1 2010, something a bit more important to us was mentioned: new tablet PCs. Jeff Barney, general manager of digital products for Toshiba America, said his company "plans to launch so-called slate PCs this year," with options running on Windows 7 and Google's Android.
Currently, the company is evaluating a number of form factors, though if it's just a tablet, there are only so many directions they can take. There's even talk of a dual-screen model (similar to the Entourage Edge, we assume) with a 10" panel capable of handling the more complex aspects of Win7. Mr. Barney stated: We definitely see a place for the slate, we see there's a market there. It'll be expansive like netbooks, it
won't be cannibalistic. Media consumption on these slates will be the main user activity."
No further details were given on pricing, nor was a shipping estimate made public. But one thing is for sure: the tablet PC battle is just now heating up, and with all of this competition, we're bound to see prices fall lower and lower as the months drag on.
In a Reuters report that mainly focused on the fact that Toshiba's PC sales have risen 50% in the U.S. during Q1 2010, something a bit more important to us was mentioned: new tablet PCs. Jeff Barney, general manager of digital products for Toshiba America, said his company "plans to launch so-called slate PCs this year," with options running on Windows 7 and Google's Android.
Currently, the company is evaluating a number of form factors, though if it's just a tablet, there are only so many directions they can take. There's even talk of a dual-screen model (similar to the Entourage Edge, we assume) with a 10" panel capable of handling the more complex aspects of Win7. Mr. Barney stated: We definitely see a place for the slate, we see there's a market there. It'll be expansive like netbooks, it
won't be cannibalistic. Media consumption on these slates will be the main user activity."No further details were given on pricing, nor was a shipping estimate made public. But one thing is for sure: the tablet PC battle is just now heating up, and with all of this competition, we're bound to see prices fall lower and lower as the months drag on.
