Review: Portege M400 tablet

Electronic feature lets you write on the screen.

By Keith Shaw, Network World
July 17, 2006 12:07 AM ET

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Product name: Portege M400 tablet

Company: Toshiba

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Price: Starts at $1,619

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Description: The latest Portege tablets from Toshiba feature extended battery life, new connectivity options and the latest Intel Core Duo processors (T2400 version tested). The swivel-style tablet swings around to become a slate model, or you can use it like a regular notebook.

Other features of the 4.5-pound tablet include 512MB or 1GB of memory, Windows XP Tablet Edition 2005 operating system, a 12.1-inch XGA display, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, 80GB hard drive, and internal 802.11a/b/g wireless connectivity.

Why it's a Toy of Summer: First, the tablet and electronic handwriting feature lets you write on the screen as opposed to typing, for things such as "electronic postcards." Second, the lightweight of the notebook makes it easier to carry along on vacation, you don't have to feel like you're taking along a really bulky notebook, easing any guilt you may have about bringing a computer with you while you're supposed to be relaxing.

Quick Review: We were quite pleased with the Portege M400. It didn't feel like a big and bulky notebook or tablet, and we would have been happy to take this with us on a business trip or vacation. The added tablet features (swivel screen, electronic handwriting) were nice. In addition, the integrated fingerprint scanner allowed us to protect the notebook from prying eyes. The integrated SD media card slot made it easy to transfer digital photos from our camera to the PC without needing an extra media card reader.