Toshiba to launch its first touch-screen tablet
The JournE Touch will be available in Europe first by the end of the year, with other regions to follow.
(Credit: Erica Ogg/CNET)BERLIN--We saw Toshiba's first Blu-ray product announcement coming, but the touch-screen home media tablet that the company introduced here at IFA was a bit of a surprise.
The JournE Touch, is--as you might gather from the name--a touch-screen mobile device. It's Toshiba's first, and they're clearly racing to beat everyone else, including Apple's long-awaited entry into the category, expected sometime early next year.
It's intended to be a third device for consumers at home. The application for the JournE is "when you want to access the Internet without booting your PC," said Toshiba executive Marco Perino. And it's an alternative to a smartphone, which Perino says "is not so practical because the keyboard is not the right size."
The JournE Touch has a 7-inch screen and is a half-inch thick, weighing in at less than a pound. Inside is an ARM processor, integrated Wi-Fi, and Windows CE.
It's purely for accessing the Internet or sharing content to other devices around the home. For instance, it can be hooked up to a TV to stream Web-based content like video and photos. It's not really designed for data input, but there will be applications that allow typing.
Toshiba says to expect the JournE to go on sale in Europe first, by the end of 2009, with other regions following early next year. The price is set at 249 euros, which would be roughly $360. While that is more expensive than some Netbooks with far less functionality, at that price it's a sure bet it would be cheaper than an Apple tablet.
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica. 
anyway i wonder what's the point?
Perhaps, they have some Linux options in their back pocket, if CE doesn't work out.
Even if I wasn't an Apple guy, knowing that Apple was releasing their own tablet would be enough to make me hold on a little longer until I saw all my buying options.
I mean, you don't want to have to hold it up to see/use 24/7 right?
- by scologic September 22, 2009 5:24 AM PDT
- We've been developing a similar device and we're in the design stage for the casing and final application list. Android looks interesting but is clearly a mobile phone app and not that good for a 7" screen.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(14 Comments)We've currently got the system using Linux and icewm.
Heres the point where we ask you what you really want out of a device like this.
We already have a better run time battery design but currently havent got full audio or wifi(yet next weeks project) this device has been designed for industry currently.
As a small bespoke house what do the community feel they need.
We also have an option to go 10" but this currently adds around £90 to the unit cost. Current target cost is going to be £230 - £275 per unit. Sorry it's not as cheap as tosh but we're only a 5 man company.