Toshiba Tegra 2 Smartbook Now Selling for $449

Though not exactly as rapidly growing as e-readers or tablets, the smartbook segment has been under the watchful eyes of IT players for a while, and Toshiba has just made its contribution by unleashing its AC100 MID upon the consumer base, a smartbook powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 2 SoC.

The NVIDIA Tegra 2 SoC (system-on-chip) is NVIDIA's latest mobile solution that possesses advanced multimedia playback capabilities. It is this product that has begun to be used in most of the new media slates and other consumer electronics.

Thus, it is not entirely surprising to hear that Toshiba's latest ultramobile electronic makes use of this platform, especially knowing that it runs Google's Android 2.1 operating system.

This release comes a short time after the company launched the Folio 100, its Tegra 2 tablet that also runs Android.

The smartbook in question goes by the name of AC100 MID and utilizes a special version of the OS with a custom UI made by the company itself.

It has 8GB of internal flash storage, as well as 512MB of RAM and a display size larger than one would expect for this product category, specifically 10.1 inches.

The screen has a resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels, other specifications of the smartbook being Bluetooth, WiFi and a HDMI output.

Finally, the device is said to be capable of lasting up to 8 hours on a single battery charge, or 180 hours in standby, thanks to so-called “ultra efficient power management”.

The AC100-10W is the sibling of the newcomer and, while it has not yet become available, will boast the 2100MHz UMTS/HSPA modem, plus quadband GSM/EDGE.

The AC100 MID is reportedly already shipping and has a price tag of £292.52, which is the equivalent of $449. As for the AC100-10U, it has not yet been given a price.