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Toshiba will have its own family of slates by this time next year
Before the iPad and before the Slate, the most exciting touchy tablety thing in our lives was Toshiba's JournE multimedia tablet. Now that the Japanese compu-maker has seen what the competition has on offer, it's proudly proclaimed itself back in the running with an entire family of slate devices it's planning to introduce near the end of 2010 or in early 2011. "It has proved to be a mistake to underestimate these new categories" is the word from Toshiba's Jeff Barney, which indicates that not even he sees that much potential in the form factor, but his company is pushing ahead with its plans for fear of being left behind. Also quoted in the Fortune piece is ASUS' inimitable Jonney Shih, who makes sure to remind us that without multitasking, Flash support, or a webcam for videoconferencing, the iPad leaves plenty of room for devices richer in features to grab market share. All we know for certain is that the major players are falling in line to make 2010 truly the year of tablet -- whether or not consumers will place their stamp of approval on this vendor-driven craze, though, remains to be seen.
Toshiba's JournE touch to get VoIP and ebook functionality, dedicated e-reader planned for 2010
We've been trolling the Toshiba booth, and just got word on a couple upcoming JournE touch apps, a brief look at the app store, and word of an all-new ebook reader in the works at the company. Toshiba's planning to add VoIP and ebook apps to the JournE, along with a "fridge" app to allow home users to jot notes for each other on the device. The app store seems simple enough, peddling its wares alongside the video and music downloads the JournE can access -- though specific content distribution deals aren't hammered out just yet. Under the hood there's an ARM4 processor, but while the device seems pretty responsive in its basic interface, it was really brought to its knees by web browsing, and we'd say Toshiba has a looong way to go on its software before it makes Windows CE into something usable for touch at this size and resolution. Check out video of the device interfacing with the dock, along with a quick look at the app store, after the break.Perhaps more intriguing is confirmation that Toshiba is planning a new ebook device with similar inspiration as the JournE (Toshiba already makes the much different Biblio reader for Japan), but is holding off until a standard book format and distribution model is nailed down by the industry. Details on the device itself are slim, with e-ink only "one of the options" for screen technology. A touchscreen interface of some sort is likely, but even that's not locked down. For now Toshiba would prefer us to concentrate on the JournE, which is no surprise.
Toshiba's JournE touch multimedia tablet (updated with hands-on video!)
Hey Apple, check this thing out! Toshiba just blazed into IFA on a 7-inch multimedia tablet, the JournE touch. It's dominated by the touchscreen display, but underneath there's support for a wide range of codecs (H.264, DivX, WMV), 802.11b/g WiFi, some online multimedia services like YouTube and Flickr, and some light internet duties thanks to Internet Explorer running on Windows CE 6.0 Pro. Despite the size and multimedia prowess (it can output sub-1080p video over an HDMI plug in the dock), the device measures a mere 14mm thick and weighs just under a pound. There's only 1GB of built-in storage, but that can be expanded via the SD slot, and the device can access external storage over USB. Word is it'll retail for 250 Euro in Q4 this year.The device feels pretty nice in hand, but there's still a bit of a prototype vibe about it -- maybe because it's still a prototype. It's clearly a resistive screen, and the device will include a stylus for non touch-optimized apps. Toshiba seemed to be having fun with the multitude of Apple comparisons, namely since there isn't an Apple device to compare it to yet. They also call the video output the tablet's killer app, and promise to show more once they can track down a WiFi signal. Sure, it's just a MID at the end of the day, but we'll be happy to humor them -- it's a pretty hot MID.Update: We've got some video hands-on of the JournE right after the break -- gaze upon its G-Force displaying prowess!Update 2: Added one more video after the break, just in case you didn't get enough the first go 'round.
