Toshiba Feels Netbooks aren't Dead - Prepares World's Lightest

The iPad was supposed to be the death knell of the netbook computer. In case you don't know, a netbook is a stripped down laptop, usually small in size, with good battery life and is used mainly for connecting to the Internet. They've been popular for about 2 years now with road warriors, but have never really caught on with mainstream users.

A lot of pundits said the iPad was a much better solution and that soon netbooks would be dinosaurs. However, Toshiba must not have heard the news as they are preparing to release the lightest netbook the world has ever seen.

It's weight is rumored to be less than 2 pounds and it will sport a 13 inch screen. There will also be a 512GB SSD (Solid State Drive - no moving parts to drain the battery) and ports featuring the new standard USB 3.0

Those features all sound pretty cool, but what really intrigues me about this device is the rumor of the battery. Supposedly it will come with a SCIB (Super Charged ion Battery) which can really pull a fast charge. It's said that the battery can charge to 90% of its capacity by being plugged into an AC outlet for 10 minutes!

This device is intriguing due to all the current interest in the iPad. I'm anxious to see if this device sells because I'd love to then see more devices with the SCIB technology. Imagine being able to charge all your devices in 10 minutes!