Toshiba to debut iPad-style tablets
Friday, April 16, 2010 11:20Toshiba, the world’s fifth-largest personal computer maker says it will launch slate devices later in 2010, including models that run either the Microsoft Windows 7 or Google Android operating systems.
Jeff Barney, general manager of digital products for Toshiba America, tells Reuters that his company is exploring several tablet form factors, including a dual-screen tablet that runs Windows, and another slate with a 10-inch display. He predicts that these new tablets won’t cannibalize netbook sales, despite the overlap in functionality. The Android-based device would cost less than the Windows tablet, Reuters reports. Both tablets, like the Apple iPad, would be used primarily for media consumption, including online video, music, e-books, and other digitized content.
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Toshiba was a key partner in Microsoft’s tablet (convertible notebook) iniative a few years ago, and it’s clear the Japanese company has been thinking about a dedicated slate device for a while. Late last year it unveiled the 7-inch Journ.E Internet and Multimedia tablet (pictured left) at the IFA electronics fair in Berlin. Read our hands-on impressions.
