14 DAY TRIAL // Though there has still not been any official word on the SmartPad that Toshiba plans to launch this year, the media tablet seems to have been spied on, or at least some press shots of its have leaked to the net, if a report made by NotebookItalia is to be believed.
Since the iPad has so obviously been selling in droves, it is not surprising that PC makers would choose to unleash such a product, or several, of their own.
HP, ASUS and Acer, among others, have already had their devices pictured or detailed, at least partially, and Toshiba should also reveal its SmartPad soon.
It was NotebookItalia that got a hold of some press pictures of the device, and while its hardware specifications are still not officially confirmed, previous rumors have, more or less, provided an overall outline.
At the heart of the electronic will lie an NVIDIA Tegra 2 System-on-Chip (SoC), known for its performance both in terms of processing as well as multimedia support.
This chip will have full reign over the 10-inch touchscreen, and the product will also feature a HDMI output, so that videos may be streamed to larger displays.
The bottom I/O panel also features a mini-USB port, an USB connector, 3.5mm audio and, as a more unusual feature, a special connector for plugging the slate into a docking station.
Furthermore, there is a memory card reader on the side and the product should be pre-loaded with a version of the Android operating system.
Per the report, the company's managing director previously stated that October 2010 is the intended date of arrival to market for the SmartPad, though pricing is still undisclosed.
Finally, there are expectations that Toshiba's slate will also become available in a Windows 7 Version, though it is unclear when this model will show up.