Toshiba’s Android tablet has been given a more definitive name and specs in a scoop that points to an Apple influence. Now labeled by Notebook Italia as the Folio 100, the device not only has a proprietary Apple-style dock connector but a similar cradle to match. Toshiba will also try ot take a cue by running its own store, Toshiba Marketplace, as a supplement to Android Market.
The slate will be competitive in most respects and will have the previously hinted dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 250, which should help output 1080p over HDMI as well as downscaled content to the 10-inch, 1024×600 screen. It should have an iPad-matching 16GB of internal storage and the expected 3G, Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi for wireless. Toshiba will claim an edge in expansion with both full-size and mini USB ports as well as an SD card slot and a 1.3-megapixel front camera. Battery life would be a significant drawback, however, as it would have just seven hours of web or video use versus Apple’s 10 hours.
Android 2.2 should be standard, though Toshiba appears to be modifying it with a more tablet-ready home screen and notification bar. It would veer from the default for the browser by including Opera Mobile and Flash 10.1.
The Folio 100 is likely to get a formal debut at the IFA show next week and could ship as soon as October, but most of the release details are still unknowns. Toshiba was one of the first major electronics makers to reveal plans for a tablet but is widely believed to have involved itself as a reaction to the iPad. Its tablet will be only its second Android device after the AC100 smartbook and will come after years of being one of Microsoft’s most loyal partners and selling modest-selling Windows Mobile phones.
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