I recently came across an article describing a very intriguing product that is a combination of tablet computer and netbook. Its called the Touchbook and it is offered by a company called Always Innovating. This small device, about 3 lbs with the keyboard, brags a 10 hour battery life. What I find most intriguing is that the screen can undock from the keyboard and you have a large touch screen tablet. Imagine an iPod Touch or iPhone with almost a 9” screen! It even has an accelerometer. Check out their video showing an iPhone game being played on the touch screen. You can also get the device as a touch screen only, but personally, I prefer a keyboard.
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The Touchbook runs an open source LInux flavored operating system that runs on an 8GB SD drive. The company’s FAQ states that you can install other operating systems, including Windows CE. The device supports 8 USB 2.0 devices, 4 external and 4 internal. Yes, internal.
When you visit their site, be sure to look at the product videos. I’m would love to get my hand on a unit to test for awhile and if I do, I’ll be sure to write a more thorough review. You can buy a Touchbook from their online store, although they appear a bit backlogged with orders. But for under $399 for the complete unit and $299 for the tablet only, I’m not suprised.
What do you think? Does this look like a netbook you would like?
