**The Toshiba Portege R400 was picked by our editors as the best Back to School 2007 Tablet PC. Please visit our BTS section for the rest of our best picks and articles about hitting the school halls this fall.**
The Toshiba Portege R400 12.1” tablet is not only good looking, but it’s surprisingly functional. As a lightweight tablet PC, it pushes design and mobility limits, but it’s also not for the faint of pocketbook – the R400 starts at around $2500. Even though it’s got the looks, it can leave some things to be desired for the ultramobile crowd in terms of power and functionality.
There are a couple of distinct features of this laptop. First, it uses Microsoft’s Active Notifications technology to let you monitor your email and calendar when the laptop is closed and inactive (but turned on). This was one of the first laptops to use this technology. What this means is that you can watch for new emails and your next appointments without opening up your laptop thanks to a small external screen on the front of the laptop.
The second unique feature is that you will be able to connect without wires to your peripherals by using their soon-to-be available wireless USB hub This would be great for college students who are constantly on the go to and from class that would find it annoying to connect and disconnect wires each time they want to hook up to the goodies on their dorm room desk.
The components in this system are not high performance by any means – in fact they might seem disappointing to some. But don’t worry – under normal daily usage this laptop will do just fine.
Specs:
1.2 GHz Core Duo
Graphics Media Accelerator
12.1"
1GB RAM
External DVD RW
Who This Laptop Might be Right For:
The real negative of this laptop for college students is price, but let’s face it – not everyone is on a tight budget and some people are very interested in making a bold first impression at school. Not only is this laptop functional with its tablet features, but it’s also a stunning piece of design work and sure to get looks when you hit the school halls this fall.
Design:
This is where the Toshiba Portege R400 tablet really stands out. Its stark black and white contrast is a love or hate thing. The keyboard and palm rest are a stark white compared to the black LCD bezel. Interestingly, when you flip the lid around into table mode, the laptop looks to be a clean, solid black. The thumbprint reader is actually on the lower right part of the screen, which means its accessible while in tablet mode.
This laptop is missing a couple of ports that you might expect given the hefty price. While there are two (only two?) USB jacks, headphones and mic jacks, a PC Card slot, and a VGA out, there is no FireWire, media card reader (gasp!), or ExpressCard slot.
The hinge on the is nice - very nice. It feels extremely secure and when you have it in place it's very solid. If you haven't worked with a tablet before, make sure that you have a chance to compare this hinge with other, less expensive tablets. It's quite an improvement. It's also worth noting that there is little to no wobbling of the screen, so you can feel confident about turning the screen around for presentations.
At 12.0 x 9.4 x 1.2 inches, this laptop isn’t exactly petite, but weighing in at just under 4 pounds without its power supply or external DVD drive makes this a crossover ultraportable tablet.
Screen:
The R400 screen is beautiful. With the help of LED backlighting, the screen is incredibly bright. It has a high gloss, scratch-resistant finish, but the gloss can make it difficult to see well when in tablet mode. If you intend to use your tablet outside a lot, I would consider a different system because of the glare factor. All in all, this screen should perform well in a school environment.
Keyboard:
The keyboard is a striking contrast of white keys and black lettering, making it easy to read, yet it doesn't feel Mac-esque thanks to the striking black accents. Typing feels good, though it can feel a bit spongy at times. The size is reasonable, but it would be impossible to replicate a full-size keyboard in a 12" chassis, so if you find yourself cramped on small laptops, this one will be no exception.
Touchpad and Stylus:
The touchpad is fairly small, but then again we are talking about a 12.1" laptop - there isn't much space to work with. I personally feel like they could have made it a big bigger. Also note that because it's white (and the keys also, for that matter), you may want to be aware that they can easily show dirt.
The stylus for this tablet is a basic plastic. They certainly didn't go overboard, but it does the trick.
Buttons:
There are three buttons to use the 'Active Notifications" display, a wireless on/off switch on the front, and a volume control on the side. ecause the DVD drive is external, you don't have the usual mutlimedia buttons (eject, play, etc.).
Noise:
There is no good reason for this tablet to be noisy, and it delivers on that promise. The lack of powerful components and internal media drive makes for a very quiet system. Noise should not be an issue with usage of this laptop.
Battery Life:
[b]The R400 is not taking home any awards on sound quality.
PROS:
- Integrated EV-DO for mobile Internet connectivity (through Verizon and only select models)
- Bright LED backlit display
- Up to 2GB of RAM available
- Microsoft’s Active Notifications technology which allows you to monitor your emai and calendar while the laptop lid is closed via an external display
- Forthcoming wireless USB hub for connecting peripherals without wires
- Two batteries included to extend battery life
CONS:
- No internal multimedia drive. While this reduces weight, it can be a major hindrance to portability because you have to carry more parts
- Somewhat sluggish Core Duo processor – we would rather see a Core 2 Duo
- Limited hard drive space
- Poor battery performance
- Fewer ports than we expected
Conclusion:
Are you interested in turning heads as well as getting your school work done? If so, this could be the laptop for you. Not created with the high-processing user in mind, the Toshiba does its job well even though it’s been outfitted with some very basic internal components. If your budget allows for a $3,000+ spend and you want a tablet that can do its job while looking good, look no further than the 12.1" Toshiba R400.
The Toshiba Portege R400 12.1” tablet is not only good looking, but it’s surprisingly functional. As a lightweight tablet PC, it pushes design and mobility limits, but it’s also not for the faint of pocketbook – the R400 starts at around $2500. Even though it’s got the looks, it can leave some things to be desired for the ultramobile crowd in terms of power and functionality.
There are a couple of distinct features of this laptop. First, it uses Microsoft’s Active Notifications technology to let you monitor your email and calendar when the laptop is closed and inactive (but turned on). This was one of the first laptops to use this technology. What this means is that you can watch for new emails and your next appointments without opening up your laptop thanks to a small external screen on the front of the laptop.
The second unique feature is that you will be able to connect without wires to your peripherals by using their soon-to-be available wireless USB hub This would be great for college students who are constantly on the go to and from class that would find it annoying to connect and disconnect wires each time they want to hook up to the goodies on their dorm room desk.
The components in this system are not high performance by any means – in fact they might seem disappointing to some. But don’t worry – under normal daily usage this laptop will do just fine.
Specs:
1.2 GHz Core Duo
Graphics Media Accelerator
12.1"
1GB RAM
External DVD RW
Who This Laptop Might be Right For:
The real negative of this laptop for college students is price, but let’s face it – not everyone is on a tight budget and some people are very interested in making a bold first impression at school. Not only is this laptop functional with its tablet features, but it’s also a stunning piece of design work and sure to get looks when you hit the school halls this fall.
Design:
This is where the Toshiba Portege R400 tablet really stands out. Its stark black and white contrast is a love or hate thing. The keyboard and palm rest are a stark white compared to the black LCD bezel. Interestingly, when you flip the lid around into table mode, the laptop looks to be a clean, solid black. The thumbprint reader is actually on the lower right part of the screen, which means its accessible while in tablet mode.
This laptop is missing a couple of ports that you might expect given the hefty price. While there are two (only two?) USB jacks, headphones and mic jacks, a PC Card slot, and a VGA out, there is no FireWire, media card reader (gasp!), or ExpressCard slot.
The hinge on the is nice - very nice. It feels extremely secure and when you have it in place it's very solid. If you haven't worked with a tablet before, make sure that you have a chance to compare this hinge with other, less expensive tablets. It's quite an improvement. It's also worth noting that there is little to no wobbling of the screen, so you can feel confident about turning the screen around for presentations.
At 12.0 x 9.4 x 1.2 inches, this laptop isn’t exactly petite, but weighing in at just under 4 pounds without its power supply or external DVD drive makes this a crossover ultraportable tablet.
Screen:
The R400 screen is beautiful. With the help of LED backlighting, the screen is incredibly bright. It has a high gloss, scratch-resistant finish, but the gloss can make it difficult to see well when in tablet mode. If you intend to use your tablet outside a lot, I would consider a different system because of the glare factor. All in all, this screen should perform well in a school environment.
Keyboard:
The keyboard is a striking contrast of white keys and black lettering, making it easy to read, yet it doesn't feel Mac-esque thanks to the striking black accents. Typing feels good, though it can feel a bit spongy at times. The size is reasonable, but it would be impossible to replicate a full-size keyboard in a 12" chassis, so if you find yourself cramped on small laptops, this one will be no exception.
Touchpad and Stylus:
The touchpad is fairly small, but then again we are talking about a 12.1" laptop - there isn't much space to work with. I personally feel like they could have made it a big bigger. Also note that because it's white (and the keys also, for that matter), you may want to be aware that they can easily show dirt.
The stylus for this tablet is a basic plastic. They certainly didn't go overboard, but it does the trick.
Buttons:
There are three buttons to use the 'Active Notifications" display, a wireless on/off switch on the front, and a volume control on the side. ecause the DVD drive is external, you don't have the usual mutlimedia buttons (eject, play, etc.).
Noise:
There is no good reason for this tablet to be noisy, and it delivers on that promise. The lack of powerful components and internal media drive makes for a very quiet system. Noise should not be an issue with usage of this laptop.
Battery Life:
[b]The R400 is not taking home any awards on sound quality.
PROS:
- Integrated EV-DO for mobile Internet connectivity (through Verizon and only select models)
- Bright LED backlit display
- Up to 2GB of RAM available
- Microsoft’s Active Notifications technology which allows you to monitor your emai and calendar while the laptop lid is closed via an external display
- Forthcoming wireless USB hub for connecting peripherals without wires
- Two batteries included to extend battery life
CONS:
- No internal multimedia drive. While this reduces weight, it can be a major hindrance to portability because you have to carry more parts
- Somewhat sluggish Core Duo processor – we would rather see a Core 2 Duo
- Limited hard drive space
- Poor battery performance
- Fewer ports than we expected
Conclusion:
Are you interested in turning heads as well as getting your school work done? If so, this could be the laptop for you. Not created with the high-processing user in mind, the Toshiba does its job well even though it’s been outfitted with some very basic internal components. If your budget allows for a $3,000+ spend and you want a tablet that can do its job while looking good, look no further than the 12.1" Toshiba R400.
