Toshiba Portege R100

It's a sad fact at PC Pro that manufacturers collect everything we review. Most of the time, that's fine. But as I sit here, knowing that Toshiba is going to reclaim its R100 in a few days, I realise how attached I've become to this slim, gorgeous laptop.

What's most amazing is how much Toshiba has packed into something weighing just 1.1kg. For example, the 12.1in, 1,024 x 768 screen is large enough to read without squinting, and the keyboard's surprisingly usable too. True, there isn't a huge amount of travel, an area where IBM's ThinkPad X31 undoubtedly beats it, but even after long stints I didn't tire of typing.

Naturally, there's no space for an optical drive, but a 30GB hard disk, 256MB of RAM and a 900MHz processor will meet everyday demands. The CPU is particularly noteworthy, as it's an Ultra Low Voltage Pentium-M.

Not only does this draw less power, but it also needs less cooling, hence the Portege's tiny dimensions. More importantly, it means the R100's 1,500mAH battery lasted for more than two hours under light use. What's more, if you can carry an extra 320g, you'll get even more life (six hours, 56 minutes) with the bundled high-capacity battery.

The ThinkPad X31 still rules for battery life, though, lasting for almost five hours in our light-use test, extending to nine hours with the optional extra battery. Mind you, the X31 weighs 1.65kg and measures 31mm thick.

The X31 also outscored the R100 in our 2D benchmarks, with its extra 500MHz helping it to 1.11 compared with the Toshiba's 0.72. But I still found the Portege more than fast enough generally; it's only when manipulating large files and doing serious number crunching that it shows its 2D limitations.

The R100 can even cope with after-hours entertainment. It scored a respectable 4,991 in 3DMark2001 SE, outshining the X31's 1,539 and showing it can cope with most games.

Like the X31, though, there isn't much in the box except the notebook. There's no outstanding software, no optical drive and no port replicator. Fortunately, you get a decent port selection already, with two USB 2 ports, and SD and PC Card slots. Plus, as the Centrino badge suggests, it has 802.11b WLAN too.

It adds up to a phenomenal machine, but whether you should choose it over the X31 is a different matter. The X31's battery keeps on going and it costs over £200 less. But if style, size and weight are your priority, you won't find a better ultra portable than the R100.

Author: Tim Danton