The R400 is a member of Toshiba’s Portege line, a brand aimed towards business professionals who are willing to spend top dollar to get exclusive features in an ultraportable package.
The first thing you’ll notice about the R400 is the stylish white and black chassis, which at 29mm thick is just a bit thicker than Apple’s MacBook Pro. While at first glance it takes the appearance of a standard ultraportable laptop, it’s also able to function as a tablet PC by rotating the screen 180 degrees and folding it back against the keyboard. The LED screen is bright and highly readable, and using the touchscreen with the included stylus is similarly a breeze. Thankfully, you’ll quickly come to trust the R400′s high build quality when transferring between tablet and laptop modes.
Although heavier and thicker than a dedicated tablet like the iPad, the R400 is much more capable. As it runs full-featured Windows Vista by default (and easily upgrades to Windows 7), you’re able to run all the programs you’re used to on your desktop computer. On the laptop side of things, the keyboard and trackpad are quite usable, if a little cramped. You’re also able as connect a host of peripherals via its two USB ports or Bluetooth. The R400 also counts a standard 802.11abg wireless card and a 3G modem amongst its connectivity options, although faster wireless 802.11n is notably lacking. Another no-show is an integrated optical drive, so you’ll have to transfer your media via USB or wireless.
The R400 also provides some unique features; probably the most interesting is the auxiliary EDGE display. Located on the outside of the case, this monochrome display can display useful information like incoming emails and battery levels, even when the laptop is turned off. Another business level feature is the integrated fingerprint reader located just underneath the display.
The small form factor unfortunately has led to compromises in performance; the R400′s Intel Core Duo 1.2GHz processor is faster than that of a typical netbooks, but pales in comparison to most contemporary laptops of much lower price. The integrated graphics are also weak, so few 3D games will run at tolerable framerates. Even with such low powered components, the battery life is merely adequate, with the six cell battery lasting just three hours under moderate usage. Although an secondary battery is available, this considerably increases the weight of the unit. All things considered, while office applications and your web browser will run just fine, you’re better off sticking with another computer for intensive tasks like media editing or games.
If you need a highly usable and stylish laptop for running your browser and office applications, the R400 is definitely worth a look.
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