Toshiba shows off detachable notebook display

It almost looks a little bit disturbing, seeing the headless notebook with detached screen, as if you've just perpetrated your own worst nightmare and dropped your laptop to the floor, severing its hinge. Once we get past our separation anxiety, Toshiba's detachable display starts looking like a pretty sweet idea, enabling you to get the benefits of a Tablet PC with all the computing power of a traditional notebook. The prototype they pitched at CeBIT was a 12.1-inch TFT LCD screen, XGA resolution (1024 x 768 pixels), communicating with the mothership via 802.11b. However, there's some bad news (as usual) — the detachable displays won't be ready for market for at least another two to three years, and nobody's gonna get attached to the battery life on these units: currently an hour, with hopes to extend to two to three hours by the time they go into production.

[Connor @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

The practical jokes you could play with this one....

[christopher wanko @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

They've already played one on us by releasing this ridiculous product.

[Tim Marman @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

They already have a way you can "get the benefits of a Tablet PC with all the computing power of a traditional notebook" - it's called a convertible.

I guess what you meant to say was, the benefits of a SLATE Tablet PC - but then, the Electrovaya is already detachable (it is bigger, because it's basically a slate with a keyboard it plugs into).

Actually, this is more like a combination of the smart displays and tablet pcs.

[Josh McCormick @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

DIS-STUR-BING!!!

[bermuDa @ Dec 19th 2005 1:22AM]

Other than the shoddy battery life (an hour for a 12.1" screen? fabulous), the main thing that caught my attention as a major flaw is that you'd have to take the keyboard base with you and keep it within range; no detaching the screen and taking it with you when all you need is a digital notepad for a meeting or a lecture. It'd be a nice idea if it was more like two computers in one instead of one computer in two pieces, chained to each other by an invisible link instead of a hinge.