Toshiba AC100 review may explain why we haven't seen many (or any!) smartbooks
By Joanna Stern 
posted July 26th 2010 7:41AM
posted July 26th 2010 7:41AM
To be honest, when Toshiba's 10.1-inch AC100 smartbook was revealed last month it looked like one nice clamshell, but we're not really all that surprised that Hi-tech.mail.ru found it to be rather lacking after putting it through the paces. The good news is that the Russian site found the 1.9-pound smartbook to be incredibly thin and light, and had no ergonomic issues with its keyboard and touchpad. The bad? The 1GHz Tegra 250-powered lappie runs Android 2.1, but like most other Android netbooks or tablets it doesn't have access to the Market, so you've got to sideload your own apps. They also described the browser as "archaic," presumably because of its inability to run flash content. And on top of all that, the reviewers weren't all that impressed with the 4.5 hours of video playback. To its credit, the AC100 was able to play 1080p video, which those typical Intel Atom N450-powered netbooks absolutely choke on. Basically, Toshiba's smartbook -- like most -- seem to be a mixed bag, but if you're still lusting for some more details you'll want to hit the source link for the full translated review.
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@pintolulz
I'll wait for the AC130 to be announced.
@Slice105
:D i got that refence! yay im cool XD
@Slice105 I'll take the AC130U Spooky II, its just not the same without a gatling gun.
@KAL326
I'm a Spectre man myself.
Missing the marketplace could be a biggie
@yeoldgreat1 wrong choice, definitely. else it would be a very interesting android device imho.
@yeoldgreat1 they just CANT get android market because the screen has higher resolution than google allows (and its not a phone). Its not wrong choice its just reality of android tablets/smartbooks, i dont understand why so any people want them.
@Formul
At least have a smartbook version of the market place, a la iphone/ipad.
You could always run android apps in a windowed mode.
@yeoldgreat1
Unfortunately -- it doesn't work like that.
Android is not mature enough to be used on tablets or smartphones, no matter _what_ the OEMs try to do with it. Apps don't run correctly on high res screens, among a slew of other problems. The thing is, all these OEMs are seeing Apple blow away the tablet \ portable market, and they have no OS to combat them with...so what else are they going to do? Their only option is to try to make android in it's current state compatible with a higher res screen and hope that people accept it.
@yeoldgreat1
Also missing android 2.2.
It's *6* times faster people! Why would someone hamper an already performance struggling device like this with an old version of android when the new one has been massively improved?
I know it takes time to get hardware up and running and all, but come on manufacturers! It's worth it!
-Taylor
It has a Windows key...
@bob e
Nope.
http://hi-tech.mail.ru/static/img/review/2326/3bf429fd95797e47b7dad3dd950336bc_real.jpg
but the review, is of a point in time, today, obviously. I hope to read an updated review if/when it can get marketplace access and flash. Just like I want to read new takes on scorecards here when froyo comes on android phones. Like smartbooks, this approach hasn't sounded like something engadget cares about.
@pple is poo
Preferably in the trash.
i think people will hacking these things soon and maybe when there bring out gingerbread this resolution problem will be resolved and they might start letting them have the market. i like the look of it pity the screen does not come off like some would brought it then
Why do android tablets and notebooks not have access to the android market?
@pple is poo
iPad is for those who don't want a netbook and prefer a keyboard-less touchscreen for travel/bed/couch etc..
Everything that runs Android is archaic and one heck of a mess. And most certainly NOT open. Here it’s no use to tell the delusional fanboiis the truth but you gotta keep tryin!
@magadget You're so sad. So misinformed. I'm sorry, but you truly do not know what you are talking about. If Android was such a mess, as you claim it to be, these multi-million dollar companies would not be using on their products. If it was as closed as you claim it to be, you would not be able to side-load applications to it without any need to root.
If you are simply posting to get a reaction out of people, then you need to take a long hard look at yourself and your life. If you are posting such things because you truly believe them, then you need to get yourself educated.
The iPad is more closed down than this Smartbook. Why? You can only use applications managed through an Apple mandated store. With this smartbook, you can load any application you want.
Archaic? I'm sorry, but iOS has been around a lot longer.
Please... If you do believe the things you say, get yourself educated and properly informed. If you are doing it to troll, take a look at your life and do something productive.
@pintolulz. .. Browsers that don't run Flash aren't archaic, they're magical.
Android fans finally get the device they want, and it's just as bad, if not worse, than some netbooks out there running Windows 7 Starter. Putting flash and Market on this bad boy won't make things better with that 4.5 hours of battery life. It is weird though when a device has such a larger battery, but worse battery life than the mobile devices it's meant to run. I guess bigger screens expoenentially drain battery.
@SDreamer Bigger screens drain more battery?
Would that be the same as bigger engines that waste more gas?
Bigger houses that need more foundation?
Bigger bullets that need more gunpowder?
And who said anything about Android fans? Why is it that there's always a fan of something or other on this site? Can't a device simply be released with something different just to see how it works?
Would you be interested in this device if it was running iOS or OS X? Would it be the same mess then? If Apple released this exact same device, would it be a mess? I think not. If you do not like something, then don't buy it or use it. But some people might find this useful. Just like some people that somehow, one way or another, justify buying an iPad. Because I truly, for the life of me, cannot see the usefulness or necessity of an iPad. I cannot see it in a business environment or to be used for something other than a big web browser and casual gaming device, and I saw casual gaming device very loosely.
And now we install Psx4Android on it and voila, we have buttons lol
I thought we hadn't seen many smartbooks because they are pointless.
the article mentions this will cost 15000 rubles which is about 380€
So...
it costs as much as a Windows netbook, its battery lasts as long as on a Windows netbook, it does not run Windows.
Why would anybody buy this then?
@GGG wanna be geeks and hipsters that feel like buying Android stuff is "sticking it to the man!"
Cody
@GGG That is not a Eurpean retail price, there are more factors to local pricing than just currency value.
I would get it with Meego
@pple is poo
@SuiXide
It puts the iPad in a different class of devices that complements normal PC's and does not try to replace them. Apparently you still don't get it but what's to be expected from a bunch of bitching whiners. By the way, the iPad does do all the stuff right that this smartbook doesn't do (battery life, marketplace, browser), and it does it without the complexity of a laptop. Again, if you still don't get it, you're either stupid or irrationally biased against anything Apple makes.
>And on top of all that, the reviewers weren't all that impressed with the 4.5 hours of video playback.
Bad automatic translation. The original text states that the battery life is good, putting it into long-lasting battery category. "Oldest old" is just a wrong translation of "long-living" ("долгожитель").
"They also described the browser as "archaic," presumably because of its inability to run flash content."
*snicker*
@Avenkay
If that would have been said about the iPad's browser, oh man I wouldn't wanna know what would happen.
@drange Did you miss the part about "presumably because of its inability to run flash content"?
I don't think Google is going to let the tablet or smartbook scene take off with Android until they have their GoogleTV apps strategy in place. That should solve resolution issues for current apps and allow development of new apps. The original phone apps should just run in windows with a slick way of pushing them to the back so as not to cause people to get in the habit of closing them.
@drange
That's not true, even Apple themselves admitted iPad sales were cutting into macbook sales. The lines between devices are getting blurred even moreso every day now...but a smartbook (in my opinion) is basically a netbook that's using an ARM CPU instead of x86. The iPad is just a smartbook without a keyboard that has a touch screen. But trust me, we will be seeing smartbooks that have both a touch screen and a keyboard, ones that have 2 touch screens (a la courier), ones thave have no keyboard (tablet like), and even all of these using an x86 processor (moorestown). Like I said, it's getting harder and harder to differentiate...but generally, smartbooks are _supposed_ to have better battery life than netbooks.
If they put a bigger battery in and a desktop Linux distro instead of Android, this would be a perfect netbook.
But even then, I think you guys are too hard on this. It did manage 7 hours of battery in a less draining test. In fact, it even beat the 2010 MacBook Pro, which you guys said only got 4:34 hours in regular use (http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/14/macbook-pro-core-i7-review/). And Windows doesn't have a marketplace, so you would have to "side-load" apps onto a Windows netbook anyway. As for Flash, since its Android there is nothing stopping you from loading 2.2 with Flash onto it. And I'm really digging the gold lettering.
If you want a review in English:
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2010/06/21/toshiba-ac100-mobile-internet-device-first-look-review/
@DoctarPeppar Mkrr macs were sold this quarter than ever before, with the iPad in the
mix. Show me where apple says this. Most are applauding their quarterly numbers,
Impressed that the iPad isn't cutting Mac sales.
Why would they? If you need a Mac, surely an iPad isn't going to suffice.
@pple is poo
It is essentially very similar hardware just in a Netbook body instead of a big heavy metal touch screen device.
@gophergun
Dude, you keep telling yourself that the lack of Flash really is an issue. Meanwhile, people who actually use an iPad happily browse the web without Flash. Many video sites already have HTML5 players, and I don't give a damn about flashing banners, 'cool animations' on websites or flash games that are not adapted to touch controls.
@DoctarPeppar
Apple says all kinds of things, and not all of them are necessarily true. If I'm not mistaken, Macbook sales went up again last quarter, so the iPad does not seem to cut into Macbook sales at all. I'd be really surprised if many people really decide to buy an iPad instead of a laptop/netbook/smartbook, unless they didn't like laptops/netbooks/smartbooks in the first place, but do want an easy to use internet/media consumption device.
Also I think you're still missing the point of a tablet like the iPad: it's not just the hardware and form factor, but also the way you are supposed to use it, which is nothing like a smartbook or netbook. There are intentionally no 'PC-isms' in the way you use it, and everything is built with a 100% focus on touch controls.
A laptop running something like iOS or Android is about as useless as a tablet running Windows. For productivity (=need keyboard, mouse, screen estate) you use a proper laptops. For media consumption (=hassle-free, instant-on, convenient form factor and input) use a tablet. Netbooks have 'filled the gap' between proper laptops and phones for a while, but I predict that they will pretty much dissappear almost completely evenetually. Sure there are use cases for underpowerd laptops with tiny screens and fiddly trackpads, but for the mainstream mass-market, tablets that work like a mobile phone will be much more enjoyable to use. If you need more power and control, there's 13" laptops with great specs now, to cater to the other end of the market.
@jiggpig
I agree.
Toshiba: Give me a 10hr browsing battery and Ubuntu and you have a buyer.
I am sure Android is good and all but such powerful hardware needs something equally powerful as an OS.
You forgot to mention they also were amazed by several other oh-so-wonderful bamboo-mirror-design laptops by Asus. I guess price doesn't matter for them.
I don't understand the point of this device. Android is designed for touch screen devices. Why use it on a mini-laptop? That's why Google has Chrome. (And I doubt Chrome is meant for slates, either.)
The concept is definitely doable. I'm sure the market could be there you just need to design it right. These things need Flash, they need Marketplace, and they need a stupid long battery life.
Why isn't this a touchscreen? A real keyboard plus a touchscreen would be an awesome form factor.
Jesse
Why not Ubuntu or Meego? Android is primarily for touchscreen devices. Why the hell would I want it on a non-touchscreen clamshell?
@musicalwds
All these smartbook manufacturers are using Android and its getting annoying. I see that they are using it because it is a recognized by consumers, but it is misleading if you can't get the same apps.
Personally, I think if they are bundled with a common mainstream Linux distro with a netbook interface, such as Ubuntu, these products will:
1. Become more successful in the long-run
2.Become more useful and productive, which would be able to easily handle an average Window's user's needs
3. Be much more open and have large community of supporters that readily available to provide helpful answers to any problems that may arise.
Without a full-fledged desktop OS, these products won't survive as long as they could.
@drange
He was referring to your comment that the browser on the iPad was better than the browser on the smartbook because you ignored this part of the article:
"They also described the browser as "archaic," presumably because of its inability to run flash content. "
@drange
+ 1