Toshiba has take wraps off of a new laptop with a unique feature I’ve not seen before in a portable computer. The new Satellite U840W is the first ever laptop to feature an 21:9 proportion “cinema” display. This makes it the ideal laptop for watching certain blockbuster movies in their original cinematic proportions. While not all movies are shot in 21:9 “Cinemascope” ratio these days, there are definitely enough out there that it’s cool to see them in their original proportion without black bars.
The U845W has a 1792×768 resolution 14.4″ LED backlit display, which can also be split into a 16:9 display with a small 5:9 secondary window for things like widgets and control palettes. Under the hood, the laptop offers a 3rd-gen Intel Core CPU, a 500GB hard drive or 256GB SSD (optional), and up to 8GB of DDR3 memory. It’s also got 3 USB 3.0 ports, and can charge or play music from gadgets while asleep. Sound is provided by harmon/kardon speakers and SRS Premium Sound 3D to complement the on-screen visuals.
Prices for the U845W will start at $999(USD) and the laptop will ship starting July 15, 2012.
While I think it’s cool that somebody has decided to make a 21:9 laptop display, I find it odd that this isn’t a feature of a larger 17-inch display with at least 1080p resolution. I’m not sure how cinematic a movie will really be at this size and resolution.
