Toshiba Satellite U845W goes ultra-wide with first Ultrabook with 21:9 display
Among the many permutations of Ultrabook introduced recently at Computex, one of the most unusual was Toshiba's U845W, the first to feature a 21:9 screen. There have been a couple attempts at introducing 21:9 displays to the HDTV world, and the U845W is a similar gamble that some people will want a different aspect ratio than the more common 16:9.
Why would you want a 21:9 screen? One reason is to watch some movies without black bars above and below (a.k.a. letterboxing), as many are filmed in an aspect ratio closer to 21:9 than 16:9 (2.35:1, to be precise). It also comes in handy using Windows 8's snap features to lock down certain program windows to portions of the screen -- Toshiba's Split Screen Utility helps divide the extra screen real-estate most effectively to show multiple windows at once.
Other than its 1,792x768-pixel screen, the U845W comes with Intel Ivy Bridge processors options, up to 8GB of memory, 500GB hard drive, optional 32GB or 256GB solid state drive, and Harman/Kardon speakers. It's clad in aluminum, is 0.82 inches thin, and weighs as little as 3.5 pounds, depending on your configuration. Our sister site CNET has a hands-on overview, which shows that the system is longer than the conventional U845 laptop, but also shorter in depth.
The Satellite U845W will go on sale on July 15 starting at $999.99, not a bad price for an unusual design. Would you have any interest in buying a 21:9 laptop? Let us know in the Comments section below.
More ZDNet Ultrabook Coverage:
- Computex 2012: Intel strikes back with a new wave of Ultrabooks
- Computex 2012: AMD announces new E-Series processors, says it can do ultrathin laptops too
- Dell refreshes Inspiron laptops with Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs, Ultrabook model
- Apple granted MacBook Air design patent; problems ahead for Ultrabook makers?
- And the slow death of the Ultrabook begins
- Toshiba announces business-ready Portege Z930 Ultrabook