Review: Toshiba's Portege M700

The CMP Channel Test Center took a look at the $1799 Toshiba Portege M700 (-S7002) and loved it -- as much for its fit, finish, design and performance as for the ability it provides VARs to add layers of value in specific vertical market solutions.

The M700 is a sturdy notebook that easily converts to a tablet PC with a swivel of the display. Toshiba named the color of the magnesium alloy case Titanium Silver, but it looks more like a smoky grey to us.

At 4.6 pounds, its weight is comparable to other tablets in its class. It is not too heavy to cradle in your forearm and jot a quick note, but any considerable amount of time will most likely cause your arm to fatigue. Due to its convertible design, though, it's perfect for taking notes in meetings or collaborating across a desk without a monitor getting in between you and others.

For specific vertical markets, including health care, manufacturing, or many on-campus deployments, the M700 is designed to provide flexibility, mobility and performance. This is where VARs can tap opportunities to include the M700 as part of a total solution package that includes, for example, imaging software, ERP applications, WiFi, security and compliance consulting. Its design means the M700 can be deployed both within a firewall (for example, a campus setting), or as a road-warrior device.

In any event, this notebook/tablet was clearly designed with accessibility in mind. All the ports and status LEDs are positioned to be easily attainable even when using it as a tablet. On its left side are a cooling vent, security lock slot, two USB ports, and a PC card slot.

The front houses the on/off switch for the wireless antenna, the iLINK (IEEE 1394) port, microphone and headphone jacks, and a volume control. Additionally, all the indicator lights are on the rounded lip of the base's front. While this places them out of immediate view when used as a laptop, it allows them to be visible in tablet mode.

On its right side is a slot for the touchscreen's stylus, the Bridge Media Adapter Slot, a modem port, and the optical drive which can be swapped out of the Ultra Slim Bay and replaced by other, optional adapters or drives. The rear of the unit reveals a third USB port, an RGB monitor connection, the AC adaptor's jack, and an Ethernet network port.

Reviewers in the Test Center found the widescreen 12.1 inch touch display to be sharp and vivid; the stylus provides for the sort of ease of use for which Toshiba has made giant strides in recent years. Integration with Vista's enhanced tablet features is seamless and intuitive to use.

Case in point: When the pen hovers about an inch above the screen, a small dot appears as the cursor (instead of an arrow) and lets you see where you are pointing. The improved Windows handwriting recognition in the system proved mostly reliable. (Even easier is to use your finger as a pointing device. When you touch the screen with your finger, a transparent computer mouse materializes and follows your finger across desktop.)

The fingerprint-recognition sign-in adds an additional layer of security; the integrated Webcam is up to the challenge of day-to-day video conferencing, with a clear, bright image and the included Camera Assistant software allows a lot of customization, including zoom, refresh rate, and multiple profiles including six indoor and four outdoor settings.

The touchpad is proportionate to the widescreen ratio and is responsive to the lightest touch. The version of the M700 tested (-S7002) comes preconfigured with 2GB of memory which is upgradeable to a max of 4GB. For many applications, that's fine.

With a Geekbench score of 2455, the M700 is similar to other systems with the same processor (Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 at 2.2 GHz).

That provides enough performance, though, for solutions that rely on a range of imaging applications, data capture, and collaboration. In turn, that capability should make it a good fit in VAR conversations with customers in health care, insurance, warehousing and even education vertical markets. The design, combined with the performance, separates the M700 from the typical retail device -- an important factor for many solution providers.

About the only negative thing testers encountered was battery life. Although Toshiba's specification sheet claims a battery life of 4 hours, 43 minutes, our test consisting of a movie continuously playing in Windows Media Player, with all power saving settings turned off, only lasted 2 hours, 18 minutes. Recharging a depleted battery to 100 percent (while the laptop was in use) took approximately 3 and a half hours.

At least one spare battery would be a necessity for anyone who won't have access to AC power at least part of the day.

A few additional notes: the unit is whisper quiet, and surprisingly very cool. After being left on (and being used intermittently), the entire case - top and bottom - measured a pleasant 85 (except for the 2 inch x 3 inch cover of the memory card, which was 89 degrees).

Toshiba also has a fairly mature channel program, and provides low-interest financing, SPIFS, rebates, deal registration, demo units, tiered discounts, qualified leads, market development funds and additional incentives.

With the M700, Toshiba has pushed itself to deliver a vastly improved product that the channel can strongly consider when seeking to offer differentiation and ever-more value.