Toshiba unveiled its first Android-powered laptop computer – AC100, which will be available from August 2010. The device looks beautiful and it’s easy to carry around, weighing just 870 grams and measuring 262 x 190 x 14/21 mm. Android 2.1 is running the show, whereas the rest of the specs include 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 250 processor, 512MB RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, 10.1-inch 1024×600 pixels display, WiFi b/g/n along with an optional 3G connectivity, 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth and an SD card reader.
Everything is cool except for the screen size. I really don’t understand why companies keep pushing 10.1-inch displays (except maybe for the price), when they could make a smaller device. I used to argue Sony Ericsson should make an ARM-based version of the Sony VAIO P laptop and I keep pushing that theory. If we’re going to have another laptop which doesn’t replaces our main computer it must be smaller and way easier to carry around. The new Toshiba AC100 is definitely lighter, but is it compact enough? I don’t think so, though I’ll try my best to give it a try.
The great news is that Toshiba is now supporting Android platform, hinting us we may see their first smartphone running Google’s mobile OS introduced at some point in the (near) future. For one thing, I’m looking forward to see Android-powered version of the K01 model. Hopefully, the Japanese company is thinking between the same lines…