Toshiba's Dynabook SS RX2: 12.5-hour battery and still world's lightest 12.1-incher

Back in March it was the world's first laptop with a 128GB SSD. Now the Dynabook SS RX1 makes the bump to the RX2 while grabbing the title to the world's lightest 12.1-inch laptop. Or so says Toshiba. Fortunately, Tosh didn't skimp on battery life (up to 12.5-hours when configured with an SSD) to achieve that 858-grams (1.89-pounds) weight. Shipping in late September, the SS RX2 features a semi-rugged frame, a 1.2GHz SU9300 ULV Core 2 Duo processor; up to 160GB of hard disk (or 128GB SSD); an LED backlit 12.1-inch 1,280 x 800 pixel display; up to 3GB of memory; Intel GS45 Express graphics chipset; 3x USB and 1x eSATA; 802.11a/b/g/n draft 2.0; integrated DVD super-multi drive; and built-in 3G data -- a road warrior's weapon of paradise.

[Via Impress]

[jpxdude @ Sep 9th 2008 4:15AM]

Damn! This thing isn't just the lightest 12.1 incher, its lighter than all the current netbooks out at the moment! An impressive feat for all the things this laptop is packing.

[nak @ Sep 9th 2008 4:24AM]

and at 12.1 it has the res of most 13.3s. yum yum!

[LondonConsultant @ Sep 9th 2008 5:01AM]

It's odd that a laptop as good as this has stayed under everyone's radar this year. Toshiba's marketing must have been pretty crap...

[kev @ Sep 9th 2008 7:19AM]

It's because you can't get it outside of Japan...

[wickedpheonix @ Sep 9th 2008 10:47AM]

@kev: dynamism.com. It's not up there yet but it will be for sure sometime soon.

[nak @ Sep 9th 2008 4:16AM]

i might be in love

[tanporakuda @ Sep 9th 2008 4:17AM]

holly macaroni!

[ssrat_ @ Sep 9th 2008 4:19AM]

Interesting to see the price on this, this might be the biggest netbook out there, the battery life is impressive as is the weight, UNDER 2lb?

It's not using the atom but going a regular route, 12.1 might be TOO big to be considered a netbook, but it looks like it slots right in between Netbook/Laptop.

If it can possibly beat or equal the $600 wanted for the 10" that are out there I get yet ANOTHER system to drool at for a while (Of course Vista HAS to go (though a total of 3G??)

[David @ Sep 9th 2008 4:29AM]

This is not a netbook, it'll probably cost about thrice that

and before you scream unreasonable price, this is not trying to be a netbook, it is a ultra-lite laptop designed for mobile professionals - 'Road warriors'

and if that is too expensive for somebody who doesn't need it to buy it for fun, who cares? IT IS NOT NETBOOK.

[substance90 @ Sep 9th 2008 4:29AM]

Wow pretty impressive! Too bad it doesn`t come with a GeForce 9300.

[jak0b @ Sep 9th 2008 5:08AM]

*sigh* if only it had an integrated webcam and bluetooth... but this one seems like a good replacement for the Portege r500...

[pizzicato @ Sep 9th 2008 5:17AM]

This thing ist great and i love it. Just to get the facts straight: The 12.5h version has slightly more weight than the article states: RX2GG 1053 gramm, RX2G 978 gramm

Here’s a chart: http://dynabook.com/pc/catalog/ss_c/080909rx/index_j.htm

[thefiendster @ Sep 9th 2008 5:21AM]

that 12.5 hour battery better be flush with the bottom of the laptop

[ynohtna @ Sep 9th 2008 5:52AM]

tabletize it!!

[wickedpheonix @ Sep 9th 2008 10:48AM]

seconded - 4 lb tablets with the extended batteries can use a little liposuction IMHO.

[Murray @ Sep 10th 2008 2:50AM]

Yes, please. Make a tablet this weight, with the Hp tc1100 hybrid form factor!

[dark star @ Sep 9th 2008 7:50AM]

why cant apple makes anything like this??

[deslock @ Sep 9th 2008 7:37AM]

According to the linked webpage, the 12.5 hour battery life is with a battery pack accessory. This lappy is very impressive, but obviously it's not going to be that lightweight with the heftier battery. And it'll be pricey.

On that note, lightweight laptops with decent battery life and >10" screens have been available for years in Japan and through sites like dynamism.com. It's just that they've always cost big bucks.

This is just another reminder that Netbooks don't offer anything technologically innovative or new other than being small, lightweight, *and* cheap (and in some cases coming with Linux out of the box). They're hyped up because they're a good deal for people who don't mind the smaller screens, slower CPUs, and worse battery life (in the 3-4 cell models).

BTW, I'm writing this on my AA1.

[Mik @ Sep 9th 2008 9:41AM]

Unfortunately the cheapest version is 250000 yen (or about US$2300), according to Impress Watch.

[elbow @ Sep 9th 2008 9:45AM]

"weapon of paradise" - Thomas, are you coining a new phrase, or has this one been lurking somewhere that I've been missing? I thought paradises tended to be more on the weapon-free side??

[Craig @ Sep 9th 2008 11:20AM]

watch it, or someone will call you an Obama-lovin' hippie with that kind of talk.

[Craig @ Sep 9th 2008 11:16AM]

I hope they fixed the keyboard flex in the previous model...it was so bad that the touchpad was affected and the cursor jumped around the screen when you typed. Hard to make something so light and still be ultra-rigid.

Damned impressive specs, though, for sure.

[Dan Fruzzetti @ Sep 9th 2008 4:02PM]

comments system seems broken again.

My Toshiba Portege R500 is lighter by 0.19 lbs and is equivalent in terms of specs, performance. And I cut a piece of a balsa ruler to use as keyboard support on the inside and it eliminated the flex entirely! I'm very happy with the Portege and I would say anyone who is a professional in need of a strong, full-featured computer should look no further than these Portege R500s and the Dynabooks, each by Toshiba. They have features, power, and most importantly, you can lose them in a 1.5-inch zipper binder. As an educator, it's massively important to have a computer with tons of battery life in a binder with all my student work rather than carrying a large heavy bag separately for the computer. It's the only way to go.

[Peter @ Sep 14th 2008 9:46PM]

WHERE ARE THE PAGE UP& DOWN BUTTONS!!??
WHY CHANGE THE KEYPAD SETTING WHEN IT WAS LIKE PERFECT