Toshiba offers up fast Portégé M700 tablet PC

Toshiba on Monday has capitalized on last-minute holiday sales by announcing the Portégé M700. While a tablet like some earlier models, the new 12.1-inch system is built for a level of speed not often found in the class: a base system starts with a 2GHz Core 2 Duo with an 800MHz bus and optionally scales up to the latest 2.6GHz model. The M700 also distinguishes itself by including both active and passive input, allowing users to press both with their fingers or with a stylus on an anti-glare LED screen the PC builder says is much more useful in outdoor light.

A base system starts at $1,449 with Windows XP, 1GB of memory, an 80GB hard disk, DVD burning, and 802.11n wireless. Running Microsoft's more recent Vista operating system adds $100 to the cost. Toshiba should be shipping the system before the end of the year along with options to upgrade memory as high as 4GB or to carry up to a 160GB hard drive.