Toshiba revives Libretto mini-laptop

Toshiba has reintroduced its Libretto line of notebook computers with the launch of the Libretto U100.

The brand was retired three years ago but has been revived following customer demand, according to Taro Hiyama, a vice president of marketing at Toshiba.

"As today's professionals continue to be always on the go, the return of the mini-notebook will allow users to travel with a fully-featured compact design," he said.

The Libretto U100 weighs 0.98 kg, measures 21cm by 16.5cm and is about 3cm thick. It has a 7.2in widescreen LCD display that is the first in the industry to use an LED backlight, making it brighter and easier to read.

It features an Intel Pentium M processor, a mini-PCI card for wireless networking and 1.8in 60Gb hard disk. An optical drive is available with an optional docking station.

The hard drive is equipped with a 3D accelerometer to protect against data loss. All major desktop vendors including IBM/Lenovo, HP and Apple incorporate similar technologies into their laptops.

For enhanced security the Libretto U100 is equipped with a fingerprint reader that allows the user to log-in to Windows and can be used with an encryption utility.

The device has a suggested retail price of $1,999 and is available today.