1. Size Matters, But

• Portege M400-S4032...
• • LAPTOPSOFCOLUMBUS
  • $699.00

As a mobile computing enthusiast, I love small; the smaller the better. Ultra-portable is nice, but even smaller is even better. However, I do insist that tiny be tempered with functionality. If I can't get my work done on a mobile device, forget it! Micro, micro keyboards and dysfunctional styli input or a five minute boot process and slow application startup just aren't worth it, no matter how tiny a mobile computer is.

I recognize that not every mobile computing device is designed to act as a full-blown computer. Without standard keyboards and monitors, PDAs just don't cut it when it comes to writing more than a few lines, some would say a few words, in any MS Office application. Sure someone who ought to be in the Guinness Book of Records probably wrote a novel on a PDA, but that's for crazies. I know, you just finished the Great American Novel on an HP IPAQ.

Here Toshiba's Portege M400 is in transition between clamshell and Tablet PC mode. "Easy Guard" refers to a set of features designed to secure and protect Toshiba computers, as well as make it easier to connect to networks and to fix hardware problems.

When someone plunks down over $2,000 for a mobile computer, they have the right to expect to be able to easily complete almost any task they can do on a desktop computer. As you can see in the spec chart on the next page, Toshiba's Portege M400 Tablet PC has what it takes to run most non-graphics intensive applications: a 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo CPU, 512 MB of DDR2 memory running at 533 MHz, what appears to be a fairly fast hard drive, a serviceable Intel GMA 950 graphics processor and a battery with decent capacity.

As a stationary or battery operated notebook computer with its clamshell open so you can use its keyboard, the M400 works pretty well. However, I'm not as comfortable with the notebook as a Tablet PC. I'll tell you why in just a bit.

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