Toshiba PORTEGE M200 Tablet PC (1.5 GHz Pentium M, 512MB, 40GB Hard Drive)

The unit is most at home when used to enter, store and share notes and concepts that might otherwise be entered in handwritten format. In fact, measuring just 11.6 by 9.8 by 1.3/1.5 (depending on configuration) and tipping the scales at a scant 4.5 pounds, the Portege M200 is just slightly more bulky than a conventional paper-based notepad. Users input data in one of two ways -- either by sketching directly on the swiveling, double-duty 12.1-inch poly-silicon SXGA+ TFT color LCD display screen (maximum resolution 1400x1050) or via the system's 84-key keyboard.

Though the Portege M200 is not as powerful as a comparably priced but substantially larger desktop replacement notebook, it is one of the fastest tablets currently on the market. Sporting an Intel "Centrino"-based processor (1 MB Level 2 cache) running at 1.5 GHz, a whopping 512 MB RAM memory and an nVidia GeForce FX Go5200 32M graphics processor with 32 MB of dedicated DDR video memory, the unit will easily handle most day-to-day mobile computing tasks and the vast majority of today's most popular 3-D apps too.

The Portege M200 features today's most desirable connectivity options, including an integrated 56K modem for low-speed e-communications, a 10 Base-T//100 Base-TX Ethernet connection for fast LAN and Internet access, and Wi-Fi compliant wireless LAN technology for those times when you can't plug in. The system also sports a surprisingly large 40 GB hard disk and facilities for an external CD and/or DVD drive, a pair of ultra-fast USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripherals, an integrated TouchPad, 13 function keys, a speaker and microphone and full 16-bit stereo sound. Battery life is estimated at a whopping 4.34 hours.