Toshiba Portege M400 - First Take
Though inexpensive, the Portege M400 convertible tablet's middle-of-the-road performance and battery life that may not be enough for the demanding business user. For basic tasks, however, it's a decent bargain.
The follow-up to Toshiba's prior-generation Portege M200, the new Portege M400 is the first convertible Core Duo tablet to market. It's available in one preconfigured and one customizable version via the Toshiba Web site. The system's spec list includes a mix of sweet and more mundane parts. Among its cutting-edge options are Intel Core Duo processors ranging from 1.66GHz to 2.16GHz; between 512MB and 2GB of blazing 667MHz memory; a big, fast, 100GB 7,200rpm hard drive; a double-layer DVD burner; and Bluetooth + EDR. The series also comes with less-impressive options such as a 1.66GHz Intel Core Solo processor; 533MHz memory; a 12.1-inch screen; 5,400rpm hard drives from 40GB to 120GB; and integrated Intel 950 graphics. Our Portege M400-S933 test unit, configured on the lower end of those specs, did not pull off superspeedy scores--or extralong battery life, for that matter--in CNET Labs' benchmarks. Find out more about this tablet's highs and lows in our full review.