Toshiba to introduce Crusoe-based Libretto

Toshiba Corp. and Transmeta Corp. said Monday that starting in mid-May Toshiba would offer Japanese customers a model of its Libretto mini-notebook based on Transmeta's Crusoe processor. The Toshiba Libretto L1/060TNMM will be built around a 600MHz Crusoe processor and will sport a 10-inch SXGA (super extended graphics array) TFT (thin film transistor) screen with a 1280 x 600 resolution.

The notebook will weigh only 2.4 pounds and has up to a 14-hour battery life, using an optional battery, Toshiba said. The Libretto also includes 128M bytes of RAM (expandable to 256M bytes), a 10G-byte hard drive, USB (universal serial bus) and i-link (a.k.a FireWire) ports, as well as a 56K-bps modem, Bluetooth wireless networking capabilities and Microsoft Windows ME. The mini-notebook will measure 10.5 inches (26.7 centimeters) wide by 6.6 inches (16.7 centimeters) deep by .81 inches (2 centimeters) thick.

Transmeta's Crusoe chip is a low-power consumption processor aimed at ultra-portables PCs and embedded devices. The chip allows for longer battery life, but is a bit slower than other processors running at the same clock speed.

The Libretto L1/060TNMM will be available starting May 18 in Japan. Toshiba does not comment on unreleased products, but is planning a product in a similar category for North America, according to Steve Andler, vice president of marketing for Toshiba Computer Systems Group, in a statement released by Toshiba.

Transmeta already supplies its portable chips to long-time Intel processor customers Sony and NEC.