The term mobile internet device is one of the clunkiest in the tech industry, in that it doesn't actually describe anything.
A smartphone is a mobile internet device; any laptop or netbook is a mobile internet device. Heck, even your web radio is a mobile internet device.
So when Toshiba decided to call the AC100 a MID our collective hearts sunk. And then we actually got a look of the device.
First impressions of the AC100 are that it is tiny. Not lose-it-in-your pocket tiny, but small in laptop terms. Measuring just 21mm at its thickest point, it has a slim-lined chassis which is backed by being very lightweight – being just 870g.
To make it stand out from the crowd, Toshiba has given the AC100 a yellow and black design, which actually suits the product. Screen-wise it's a very reasonable 10.1 inches.
So far so netbook, but what is intriguing about the AC100 is that this isn't a PC which runs a conventional OS like Windows 7 - but one which is powered by Android 2.1.
Yes, Android – the current luvvy of the smartphone market.
Although the likes of Acer have attempted to do this in the past, it is still interesting to see what is essentially an OS that works brilliantly for touchscreens ported on to a non-touchscreen device.
And when you play with the OS it is plain to see that some things need working on. Such as: you type using the real keyboard for inputting things like web addresses and a virtual keyboard pops up on the screen.
That said, Android with its wealth of widgets and apps is a joy to use regardless of what machine you are using it on.
The AC100 is powered by Nvidia's 1GHz Tegra processor, which means that most of what Android delivers works like a charm on the device.
Although you can download whatever apps you want from Android Market, Toshiba has pre-installed a number of them on to the AC100 already.
A quick look at them shows just what Tosh is wanting you to use its MID for. There's an app to view YouTube videos, Opera Mini web browser to view the internet at speed and Fring, a VoIP service.
Toshiba has also put its own layer over the Android interface, which doesn't look half as flashy as, say, what HTC is doing with Android but it is functional – offering a number of screens to choose from, including work and home.
When it comes to connectivity, there is the option to have 3G and Wi-Fi, plus Bluetooth comes as standard.
There are a few niggles with using Android – the most pertinent being that 2.1 doesn't use Flash natively, which hampers your web viewing somewhat. The OS will no doubt be updatable, however, so this shouldn't be too much of a problem in the long run.
Because of the low-powered OS, Toshiba is billing the AC100 as an 'instant-on' device which makes you think that the company would scrimp a bit on build quality but the AC100 is as well put together as any netbook we have seen.
It's sleek, smart and something you would be proud to whip out in public without fear that people will look at you in a funny way.
Couple this with an ultra-bright LED screen which pipes out 1024 x 600 resolution and what you have is a device which has similar functionality to a netbook with the added instant capabilities of a smartphone.
The Toshiba AC100 has a UK release date of this August, with pricing to be confirmed – although it is likely to cost similar to the netbooks it is rivalling.
Your comments (4) Click to add a new comment
jimwilkinsonandsons
August 17th 2010
4. My wife and I love the wide choice of apps and games on android market, but will the Toshiba ac100 download them and will they be playable. Also, my samsung i8910 mobile has never had its software updated, how do you do that?
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ericklamothe
August 6th 2010
3. Whilst Android, Win Mobile 7, Symbian ^3, Meego, Bada,Linux, Java and Apple OS are all moving in the direction towards efficient user experience for mobile users, the real breakthroughs will occur mid decade when voice-activaction software is of a sufficiently high standard to be incorporated into mobile modules for communication and interaction with the wider digital eco-system.
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eeossupport
June 21st 2010
2. In other words, the entire industry (e.g. google, apple) and open source community (e.g. linux, bsd) should just work so that MS sorts itself out?
I really hope Android, iOS4 and MeeGoo will succeed, because I think they deserve to succeed in their own right: they are good products, they are innovative, they are user centred. I would rather buy an Android device, rather than stick to a company that overprices its products and has to be pushed to produce anything decent.
P.S.: I do not really understand in what way is Windows 7 a great product, when you have been able to do the same things with Linux (e.g. Ubuntu) and MAC OS for quite a long time before Windows 7 came out. Windows 7 is a normal or average product, that is a product that does what every other product of the same type does. It is more stable and more performant of MS Vista and MS XP (which are both pretty poor). In that sense, it is great only for people who are still stuck with MS operative systems, and that should be more clearly acknowledged.
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duskrider
June 21st 2010
1. Feels to me like they are leveraging the popularity of Android more than revolutionizing anything. I like seeing Android everywhere because every time there is an alternate OS that is beginning to succeed MS improves. Windows 7 was bourne out of fear and is a great product. The netbook industry pretty much gave MS short notice that they weren't going to be relevant for long and MS responded spectacularly.
Maybe Moblin and Android on these types of devices will do the same and make MS smarten up their mobile division and bring a great small device OS to us. Not just for phones, for everything.
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