Toshiba Folio 100 goes official, lands in Q4

If Samsung's Galaxy Tab reads like a how-to for making a decent Android tablet, Toshiba's Folio 100 seems to serve an opposite purpose (starting with that unfortunate name), which is disappointing for a company like Toshiba. The tablet just got official here at IFA, after being spotted on the show floor earlier today, but there's nothing in the press release to change our initial impressions of the device. There's a 1024 x 600 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, Tegra 2 under the hood, 16GB of built-in storage, SD card expansion, HDMI out, 802.11n WiFi, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, and Android 2.2 with Flash 10.1 running on top of it all. Toshiba claims 7 hours of battery of "regular" use (65% web browsing, 10% video playback, 25% standby), and everything is packed into a 0.55-inch thick form factor that weighs 1.7 pounds. Software-wise Toshiba has baked in Opera, Toshiba Media Player, FBReader, Fring (for video calls), Documents To Go, and Evernote, with Toshiba offering its own app marketplace and developer platform for tablet-specific apps. Unfortunately, the tablet ends up in person as less than the sum of its parts, and while Toshiba might be able to redeem itself slightly with perhaps a surprisingly low pricepoint, we don't imagine ourselves yearning for this device to escape the bonds of its initial Europe, Middle East, and Africa launch markets. PR is after the break.

Update: Toshiba just said that the suggested retail price will be €399.

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Toshiba introduces its first Android based tablet computer

FOLIO 100 media tablet offers rich multimedia experience including Flash 10.1 support and features WLAN and Bluetooth
Neuss, Germany, 2nd September 2010 – Toshiba Europe GmbH today introduced its new media tablet FOLIO 100. The 25.7cm / 10.1'' personal media tablet is targeted at people looking for a 100% portable and versatile device that is always at hand for making the most of their digital life. The FOLIO 100 comes with a wide selection of apps and services dedicated to media consumption, web browsing and social networking, and offers a rich multimedia experience. Easy and enjoyable to use, the FOLIO 100 has a highly intuitive graphical interface developed by Toshiba to run on top of Android 2.2 (Froyo). The FOLIO 100 will be available during the fourth quarter of 2010 throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Enjoy your digital life with your personal media tablet
"Our FOLIO 100 media tablet offers a seamless, easy-to-use experience across entertainment, social networking and mobile internet – anytime and anywhere", said Marco Perino, General Manager Digital Life Products and Services. Offering a wide range of connectivity options, the FOLIO 100 is equipped with an SD card slot, an HDMI® connector, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth®, while a Mobile Broadband (3G) ready version will follow soon.

Versatile multi-talent with a selection of useful applications
The FOLIO 100 ships with a wide selection of applications pre- installed: amongst them Opera Mobile (web browser), FBReader (e- book reader), Document To Go® (office suite), Evernote® (notes), Adobe® Flash 10.1 and Fring®, an app that in combination with the embedded webcam allows video calls with friends and family.

Let the music play... - downloads from Toshiba Market Place
The media tablet also features Toshiba Market Place, a service that offers easy access to various download choices for multimedia content, services and apps. Music Place, powered by 7Digital offers easy access to one of the widest catalogues of music and allows easy syncing to a choice of devices. Radio Place gives access to a wide selection of IP radio services. Through the App Place, users are able to download applications compatible to the Folio 100.

A powerful personal device with endurance
Although it is only 14mm slim and weighs only 760g, the FOLIO 100 still packs a powerful Nvidia® TegraTM 2 processor that offers a perfect balance between high performance and low battery consumption. A battery life of up to seven hours1 lets the tablet work for almost a full working day without the need of a power outlet. The instant-on functionality lets the tablet be operational within less than 30 seconds. A 16GB on-board storage hosts music, videos, photos, e- mails and other data and is even expandable via SD card.

Developer portal provides support for app optimisation
"We encourage users and developers to join our Folio 100 eco system to create and offer apps, games and other content for FOLIO 100", said Marco Perino. Toshiba already established a one-stop destination (www.toshibatouch.eu) for developers where they can get support to optimise their apps for the FOLIO100. "We also invite users to participate in the FOLIO community by suggesting ideas to developers to pursue," said Marco Perino.

Facts & Figures*
CPU: Nvidia Tegra 2
25.7cm (10.1'') capacitive multitouch display with 1,024 x 600 pixels
Based on Android 2.2  On-board storage capacity: 16 GB
Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, WLAN (802.11 b/g/n), Mobile Broadband (soon available in certain models and countries)
DLNA® compatible
1xminiHDMI®,1xUSB 2.0 (client and hub), SD/MMC Card Reader
Supports Adobe® Flash 10.1
Rotation of displayed content on the screen by accelerometer
Webcam with 1.3 MPixel
Battery life: 7 hours (65% web browsing, 10% video playback, 25% standby)
Weight: 760g
Size: 281mm x 181mm x 14mm
Software (excerpt): Opera Mobile, Toshiba Media Player, FBReader, Fring, Document to Go, Evernote
* depending on configuration and local availability