Double Take The Toshiba Libretto multiplies the cool factor in ultraportable tablet computing.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
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.
