New Toshiba notebook takes a beating

Toshiba on Tuesday unveiled a new notebook that protects itself from falls and spills.

The Portege S100 notebook's built-in three-dimension accelerometer detects 'acceleration' caused either by an accidental dropping or sudden vibration. Once alerted, the hard drive switches into a protected mode till it is safe to resume normal operation. The notebook also has a spill-resistant keyboard that Toshiba says is capable of fighting off moisture for a few minutes, to give the user adequate notice to power down the system.

The S100 weighs 4.38 pounds, is less than 1 inch thick and has an Intel Centrino 740 processor inside. A Portege S100 with 14.1-inch display and 6-cell lithium-ion battery is available online from ToshibaDirect.com for a suggested retail price of $1,599.