Toshiba’s Dynabook WT301/D Tablet Japan Bound

When computer scientist Alan Kay conceptualized the Dynabook back in 1968, he had a definite vision. It was a product that could be used by all, but one that was designed for a specific target audience. It was supposed to be function-oriented, easy-to-use, and above all, portable to the extreme. It had to be; his target audience was children. Skip forward a little more than three decades, and we come to a new device carrying that legendary Dynabook name. The modern-day device takes a somewhat similar approach. It is a device that can, in theory, be used by anyone, but it was designed for a specific target: Japanese enterprise customers.

Toshiba has announced the latest entry into the Windows 7 tablet market segment, a 10.1 inch slate powered by a yet unknown Atom processor. The slate packs in all the usual suspects. It comes with 2 gigabytes of RAM, a 64 gigabyte SSD, as well as front and rear cameras (the former, VGA, while the latter being of the 1.3 pixel variety). The device also sports USB and micro-HMDI ports and stereo speakers. It will support Wi-Fi b/g/n, and Toshiba expects to begin offering them to potential buyers by January 2012.

Cameras aside, the Dynabook offers decent specs, and Toshiba has wisely decided to target this somewhat chunky slate to its enterprise customers. However, running a standard build of Windows 7 on a target sporting less that 3 gigabyte has its problems—specifically, frame rate when moving between screens and when zooming and performing actions that have a lot of transitions. There was no word on whether there would be a customized skin running atop Windows 7, a move that would significantly improve visual performance. Depending on the processor used, general performance for enterprise-related tasks should be more than acceptable.

While the Windows tablet never really took off in the North American market, in Japan, they are very popular. Many manufacturers are coming out with new devices to supply demand for the Microsoft operating system. The device comes with Microsoft Office Home and Business pre-installed, and the processor is said to be an Atom that is “Next Generation.”

There was no mention of North American availability, and if other recent Windows 7s that have hit the Japanese market is any indication, it won’t be coming to Western shores anytime soon. With Windows 8 expected to be out in the not-too-distant future, there is a huge case to be made for the “wait and see” approach. If you simply cannot wait though and you live in or are planning to travel to the land of the rising sun soon, the Toshiba Dynabook WT301/D tablet may just be the one for you. Price unannounced, availability January 2012.