Double Take The Toshiba Libretto multiplies the cool factor in ultraportable tablet computing.
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What's better than one iPad? If you ask Toshiba, it's two iPads hinged together.
Meet the limited-release Libretto W100, a dual-screen touch-enabled ultraportable Toshiba PC. The 1.5-pound clamshell takes a "more is better" approach to the fast-moving world of small-business tablet computers: It essentially marries two 7-inch touch-ready screens with a hinge so they open and close like a laptop.
Fully open, the Libretto presents a respectable 14-inch image, split across both screens. When closed, the unit really does fit in the palm of your hand. It is light, clever and big on the cool factor: With six virtual keyboard configurations, it can support all Windows-based image processing and presentation tools and even runs a not bad word processor. That's right: It's a Windows 7 PC. Google's red-hot Android OS is nowhere to be found.
But be warned: Small-business owners will need at least a brown belt in gadget jujitsu to get the best out of the Libretto. iPhone familiars, like anything close to real apps, are not supported. And the Libretto, with a $1,099 price tag at its August release, can be flat-out clumsy.
Still, the Libretto is a legit and flashy presentation tool. And it gives the rare style points smackdown to Apple hipsters waving their iPads around. That alone may be worth the price.
