Toshiba will launch its first tablet computer in late June in Japan and at around the same time in global markets, the company said Wednesday.
With the tablet, Toshiba will kick off an attempt to gain a 10% share of the global tablet market by 2013, said Masaaki Oosumi, president of Toshiba's digital products and services unit, at a Tokyo press conference. The company is one of the oldest and most well-known names in laptop computers, so its entry is likely to further raise competition in an increasingly active market.
The tablet PC, which is based on the Android 3.0 operating system, was first previewed at January's International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, but the company did not announce a launch date or price at that time.
It will cost around ¥60,000 ($730) in Japan. Overseas pricing was not disclosed.
The tablet has a 10-inch screen, but the company didn't detail any other specifications on Wednesday. In January, Toshiba said the screen would have 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, and the tablet will be equipped with two webcams -- a front-facing 2-megapixel camera and a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera -- and connectors for USB, Mini USB, HDMI and an SD Card slot.
In Japan, it will be marketed under the "Regza" brand name that Toshiba uses for its flat-screen televisions.
A month after the tablet PC launches, Toshiba will begin selling a laptop PC with a screen that can produce the illusion of three dimensions without requiring the user to wear special glasses.
The computer, which will form part of its Qosmio range, has a thin lens in front of the display that can aim a slightly different version of the computer's image towards the user's right and left eyes. Such lens systems sometimes require the user to sit in a certain place to get the 3D effect, but the Toshiba laptop uses a camera to track the user's eyes so it can dynamically adjust the 3D image.
Toshiba didn't announce a price for the laptop or launch details outside of Japan.
Martyn Williams covers Japan and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Martyn on Twitter at @martyn_williams. Martyn's e-mail address is martyn_williams@idg.com