TOKYO -- Toshiba Corp. today announced a new notebook PC based on Transmeta Corp.'s x86-compatible Crusoe processor. The introduction is seen by industry observers as the biggest design win yet for Santa Clara, Calif.-based Transmeta, which is attempting to compete with giant Intel Corp. and carve out a position in portable PCs.
Toshiba said it will make its Crusoe-based notebook available in Japan on May 18. The 2.4-pound computer--called Libretto L1/060TNMM--will offer 14 hours of battery life using a 600-MHz central processor from Transmeta.
"It is a major milestone that Toshiba, the world's leading shipper of notebooks, has chosen Crusoe for this innovative new system," declared Jim Chapman, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Transmeta in Santa Clara.
To date, Sony, Fujitsu, NEC, Casio, and Hitachi have said they will use the Transmeta processor in laptop computers or consumer electronics products.
