Toshiba Building World's Lightest 13-inch Laptop

By Kevin Parrish
published

Not only will this laptop be super light, but will feature a Super Charged ion Battery.

Engadget reports that Toshiba is working on the world's lightest 13-inch laptop that will supposedly be powered with a Super Charged ion Battery (SCiB). Although pricing and release dates were not provided, reports indicate that the laptop will be available in Core i3, i5, and i7-620 configurations. The device will also feature 4 GB of memory, a 500 GB HDD or an optional (and pricier) 512 GB SSD.

"After talking to vozExpress, we have every reason to believe that Toshiba will be making this official in short order," Engadget said. The report also lists an LCD display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, a USB 3.0 dock, and Blaze Mountain cooling, all of which will somehow be crammed into a thin, light chassis weighing just over 2 pounds.

The SCiB should make things interesting for the laptop, especially if it doesn't come with other unique features that will make it stand out on the market. The SCiB was first introduced back in 2008, and at the time if could charge up to 90-percent in just ten minutes. For consumers who are constantly on the go with their data, documents, and multimedia, the short recharge span is definitely a good thing.

As Engadget points out, stay tuned for something more official to come across the line soon. 

Kevin Parrish
25 Comments Comment from the forums
  • sliem
    Soon in near future: Laptop blown away by mild wind gust, broke; Owner sues maker
    Reply
  • mianmian
    I heard that SCiB battery has only 1/3 of the power density of regular lithium battery. Toshiba had made some magic?
    Reply
  • cadder
    i3 and up, 2 pounds, and new battery technology all sound very exciting.

    I have a fairly new Toshiba T135 that is closer to 3 pounds, less processor power, but it is a great laptop for travel because it is relatively small and feels real light. I think lots of people that look at netbooks should buy one of these instead. (Toshiba, Lenovo and HP all make similar models.)
    Reply
  • nforce4max
    Soon in near future: Laptop stolen by urban hawk in NY.
    Reply
  • thebigt42
    sliemSoon in near future: Laptop blown away by mild wind gust, broke; Owner sues makerUser making funny comment on Tom's hardware causes reader to LOL too long gets sued
    Reply
  • miloo
    Toshiba Air
    Reply
  • tipoo
    mianmianI heard that SCiB battery has only 1/3 of the power density of regular lithium battery. Toshiba had made some magic?
    They aren't doing away with Lithium altogether, they are using a hybrid of both. One for quick charging, one for long life.
    Reply
  • anamaniac
    That's pretty cool. Weight of a netbook, but some real power in it.
    I'm hoping it means a ultra lite OLED screen. :)
    I could wish...
    Reply
  • tayb
    cadderi3 and up, 2 pounds, and new battery technology all sound very exciting.I have a fairly new Toshiba T135 that is closer to 3 pounds, less processor power, but it is a great laptop for travel because it is relatively small and feels real light. I think lots of people that look at netbooks should buy one of these instead. (Toshiba, Lenovo and HP all make similar models.)
    People buy netbooks because they are cheap, not because they are small. This won't won't be anywhere near the "netbook" market and won't appeal to the same crowd.
    Reply
  • cadder
    Yes I realize that some of the appeal to a netbook is its low price, and some people may actually like the tiny size. The T135 that I mentioned is not that much more money than a good netbook. This new Toshiba, with its better technology, will likely be pretty expensive.

    There are a good number of 12" and 13" machines around that are very light and have good power. They are made for business travelers and are relatively expensive. This sounds like the market the new Toshiba is aiming at.
    Reply