Toshiba Tecra R10-112 in Laptops

The trackpad is just as disappointing. It lacks useful features, such as horizontal or vertical scrollbars, and it isn't as smooth and responsive as the VAIO's pad - and, unlike Lenovo's business laptops, there's no trackpoint included should you wish to use that instead. The pair of buttons, which have a fingerprint reader sandwiched in between, are set slightly too far apart to be comfortable, even if the clicking action is reasonably good.

Battery life is another basic area where the Tecra R10 falls behind. In our light use test the Toshiba lasted almost four and a half hours, already lagging behind the six hour of the VAIO and five and a half of the Lenovo in its energy saving mode. The heavy use score of 1hr 24m isn't particularly notable, either - if you require long sessions away from the mains a second 4,000mAh battery costs £110 exc VAT.

If it wasn't for these ergonomic issues, the Tecra R10 could have been a contender. The lightweight design and solid specification are backed up with a host of business-friendly features - the TPM chip, draft-n wireless, encryption tools, three-year warranty and proprietary software. But when held up against the other leading lights of the business world it has a few too many flaws to wholeheartedly recommend.

Author: Mike Jennings