Toshiba has introduced a concept of what it claims will be the future of mobile computing: the Toshiba Libretto W100 dual screen netbook, featuring two 7 inch multi-touch screens. One is the standard display screen, the other replaces the keyboard. Both screens function independently, allowing the user to perform two different tasks on both screens.
So is the Libretto W100 the future of mobile computing, as Toshiba as claimed? Or will it be just one of those concept netbooks that disappears into oblivion? This article lists the various uses one could make of the netbook.
Toshiba Libretto W100
eBook reader
The most obvious use that pops into mind when looking at anything that’s dual screen is ebook reading. With the built in accelerometer, the Libretto W100 will automatically split the eBook over its two screens, giving you the benefit of reading the book like a real one. How long you will be able to stare at an LED backlit screen is a subject of debate, but there is no doubting that it just be the best eBook reader ever.
Custom input interfaces
Toshiba already has 6 designs for the Libretto W100’s virtual keyboard, all of which you can switch through by clicking on a single icon. Applications can perform even better by designing their own custom interfaces. Think about playing a game. You only need four direction keys and a few other keys, not the entire QWERTY keyboard. Having a custom layout for the required keys will make the game playing experience a lot more fun. Or think about an application such as Photoshop. You won’t even need the keyboard at all! Instead, you can drag all the toolbars into the lower screen, leaving your upper screen free for the image you are working on.
Two player games
This is a use that Toshiba itself cleverly mentioned for the Libretto W100 netbook. You can spread it out, sit across your friend and play a two player game. It is unlikely you will be able to play anything of the standard of Counter Strike, since the netbook is unlikely to be able to render the content on two screens. But 2D fighter games could be fun. Anyone thinking Pocket Tanks? Or maybe Chess? If this netbook sells well, game producers might even design games specifically for this platform.
Better efficiency
Think of an accountant that regularly has to switch between an information sheet and a calculator. With this he/she could have the sheet displayed in one screen and have the calculator open in the other. Or, say, you are watching a movie, and want to look up certain information about it. You no longer need to pause it and switch windows. It can continue playing in the top screen and you can make your search in the bottom screen.
These are just the ideas that immediately popped into my head when I heard of the Toshiba Libretto W100. By all means, it might as well be the future of mobile computing. If you have another idea about the netbook’s usage, feel free to mention it in the comments below.
Toshiba’s Libretto line goes back to the late 90s and was a small clamshell mini laptop that preceeded netbooks by a decade. I never ended up buying one because I found it too cramped and limited in functionality in relation to the relatively high price tag. This new Libretto, the W100, looks like it takes a lot of cues from the old Libretto line, and I’m afraid it will end up having the same market reaction of not many people being convinced it is actually useful. I’m also afraid it will have the old Libretto’s price tag of being over $1000. I suspect only the entrenched Apple haters will be lured to buying such a thing.
“…there is no doubting that it just be the best eBook reader ever”
Why? Just because paper books have two pages open at a time does not mean that an eBook reader needs to. My Kindle would not benefit from having two screens - you can only read one at a time….so why the need for a redundant second screen?
Nice article. I am looking forward to seeing how this develops. I currently use an hp touchsmart with windows 7 and between tablet input panel and the efficient handwriting recognition of windows 7, I now rarely use the keyboard. This might be a new direction for me. I still want to have PC functionality, so features are important to me.
Thanks for the review.
@Spinoza: you might be right about the price. but with devices such as the 5-inch Dell Streak coming out, a 7 inch dual screen netbook should barely feel “cramped”
@John: you make a good point! but it still feels good to have two pages visible. and it will be more useful when u are reading some kind of report, where you can have the report open on one screen and take notes on the other.
@Muchenjeri: you are welcome
Thanks for reading
2 screens makes it alot easier to handle this netbook than a single screen tablet. I hate to scratch any screens when I put any tablets into a bag in a hurry…
If I’m using something along the lines of a tablet book cover… might as well get a dual screen.