Toshiba Portégé R400

When it's approved for the UK Toshiba will sell a wireless UWB port replicator for the R400, which will connect everything including the network, external keyboard and a monitor automatically when you get in range of your desk. It's impressive in action but there's no date - or price - yet.

The Toshiba utilities include configuration tools, onscreen versions of the function keys, fingerprint security software and shock protection to park the hard drive if you drop it; you can also use the accelerometer to launch applications, switch between windows, pull up the Start menu or move the cursor in specific applications by tilting the machine sideways or back and forth - again, handy in tablet mode if you don't want to pull out the pen. You can set up a handwritten access code instead of a Windows password, which uses your handwriting style as well as what you write. If you have a Toshiba phone you can automatically lock Windows via Bluetooth if you get beyond a certain range - handy if you nip of for a coffee and get delayed. You can set the ConfigFree tool to automatically switch between 3G, Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet for the fastest connection. It makes for a long list of installed utilities, but they're far more useful than the usual trials and freebies.

The R400 really comes into its own with all the extras; extended battery, 3G subscription, Exchange connection and the still-to-ship wireless dock. Some of the compromises are more acceptable than others; sacrificing a little horsepower and extra ports for running cool and staying slim versus the rather clunky extended battery, for example and we wish it could squeeze in an optical drive like the R500. But with or without the accessories, what you get is a tablet PC with some very thoughtful features for pen users that functions very well as a slate or a standard notebook, which is a powerful combination as well as a style statement.