IN BRIEF: Effortlessly blending power and mobility, the Portégé M300 is a convincing choice

Following its Portégé R100 and A200 ultraportables, Toshiba now adds to the range with the Portégé M300 (£1528 inc. VAT). A truly ultraportable system, the M300 is a laptop small and light enough to make the ideal travel companion. Measuring 286 x 230 x 35mm and weighing just 1.7kg, the M300 is portable enough to easily throw into small luggage. Where many similar systems shirk power to accommodate this level of portability, the M300 manages to incorporate both. Powered by an Intel Pentium M 753 processor with a 1.2GHz clock-speed, the CPU of the M300 is supported by 2MB of Level 2 cache. An Ultra-Low Voltage processor, the Pentium M 753, aids the mobility of the M300, and ensures that heat output is kept to a minimum. The M300 remained cool to the touch, even after a long period of use.

Memory support is provided by 512MB of DDR SDRAM. While this is a standard inclusion for most laptop systems, it is still notable for the small M300. By using 512MB, the system can enjoy higher performance, as the CPU has greater support when processing information.

POWER AND MOBILITY

The pedigree of these components was directly displayed in testing. Scoring 168 points under MobileMark 2002 benchmark tests, the M300 showed good mobile competence. While many systems exceed this level of performance, few are as portable as the M300. This combination of mobility and power is a key selling point.

Essential for an ultraportable is a long battery life. A small size alone would be irrelevant without the energy to enable mobility. It’s to the M300’s credit, that it ran on battery power for 282 minutes under test. Perfectly suited to such a mobile system, this gives almost five hours of mobile use – aided in no small part by the Ultra-Low Voltage Processor.

One area that ultraportables generally scrimp on is graphics capabilities. The M300 is no exception. Further sealing its business slant, the Portégé uses an Intel 855 integrated graphics adapter, displayed via a 12-inch TFT screen. Using up to 64MB of shared video memory, this chipset performed as expected. Only powerful enough to run one of the four game tests available in 3DMark 2003, the M300 scored just 117 points. This is fine for general use and business tasks, but won’t stretch to anything but the barest of multimedia abilities.

More unexpected for such a small system are the storage options available. A two-spindle machine, the M300 uses a 60GB Hitachi hard disk for internal storage and a Matshita DVD Multi-Recorder optical drive for DVD creation. Supporting all recordable DVD formats, including DVD-RAM, this adds broad compatibility to the laptop. For networking, 802.11g Wi-Fi is in place, along with a 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet adapter. The faster Gigabit standard would have been a nice touch, but this is really only a minor oversight.

The build quality of the M300 is another strong point. The chassis remains resilient in spite of its lightweight design. Additionally, the small keyboard feels larger than it’s diminutive dimensions. Strong responsive keys provide a comfortable, if a little condensed, user interface. However, the mouse buttons are recessed, which can hinder quick operation. With its blend of performance, compatibility and mobility, the M300 brings the best of many worlds to the mobile user. A buyer with one foot on the road won't be disappointed with the Portégé M300.

PRICE £1300/£1528 (ex/inc. VAT)
PROCESSOR Intel Pentium M 753 ULV
MEMORY 512MB DDR SDRAM
HARD DRIVE Hitachi 60GB
SCREEN SIZE AND TYPE 12-inch TFT
DISPLAY RESOLUTION 1024 x 768 pixels
GRAPHICS CARD Intel 855
DIMENSIONS 286 x 230 x 35mm
WEIGHT 1.7kg
PC CARDS (TYPE II/III) 1/0
WIRELESS LAN Intel 802.11g
ETHERNET 10/100
MODEM Yes
USB PORTS 3
FIREWIRE 1 (mini)
STANDARD WARRANTY 3 yrs International
WARRANTY UPGRADE 3 yrs On-Site NBD (£445)
CONTACT
www.toshiba.co.uk  

VALUE FOR MONEY 7
PERFORMANCE 7
FEATURES 8
MOBILITY 9
BUILD QUALITY 7
OVERALL 8

BATTERY LIFE 282 MINUTES
MOBILEMARK 2002 168
3DMARK 2003 117