Don’t think of the Toshiba Libretto U100-S213 ($2,099) as a notebook. Think of it as a really expensive portable DVD player, which happens to run Windows XP. Actually, that’s not being entirely fair; the included dock burns DVDs, too. Toshiba deserves kudos for cramming a Pentium M processor, 60GB hard drive, fingerprint reader, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth into such a compact 2.2-pound design, but a microscopic keyboard detracts immensely from this system’s appeal, even for the most frequent travelers.
The Libretto U100 is indeed a marvel of miniaturization. Measuring 8.3 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches, this notebook is about the size of a hardbound book and tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand or stuff in a coat pocket. The DVD Dock, which attaches to the bottom of the system, brings the weight up to 3.2 pounds.
The glossy 7.2-inch WXGA screen is more than two inches smaller than what you’ll find on the smallest ultraportables, and we found ourselves squinting to read the icons on the home screen. You’ll definitely need to use the included zoom utility and increase the page size to 200 percent when using Microsoft Works. On the plus side, the display is plenty bright, and it’s fine for watching movies and viewing Web pages.
On the right side of the system there’s a volume dial, two USB ports, headphone and mic jacks, as well as Ethernet and modem connections. The left side has the PC Card slot (a feature Dell’s 2.5-pound Latitude X1 doesn’t have), a Wi-Fi On/Off switch, and a proprietary VGA connector for hooking this mini notebook up to an LCD or projector. Everything else is up front, including the SD Card slot, FireWire port, and a little PC Card eject switch. The six-cell battery hogs the back of the system, which juts out nearly an inch.
The U100 is surprisingly well equipped given its size, with a 1.2-GHz Ultra Low Voltage Pentium M processor and 512MB of RAM. A fingerprint reader helps protect your data and eliminates the need to memorize multiple passwords. We like the shock-protected design and 3D fall detection for the hard drive.
Unfortunately, the U100 is an ergonomic nightmare. Typing is pretty much an exercise in futility. The keyboard is 73 percent the size of a normal notebook, and the layout is so cramped you simply can’t type without looking down. Even capitalizing a word was a challenge. You can get away with short e-mails, a few quick edits, or typing in Web addresses, but not much else.
Other design weaknesses mar an otherwise innovative machine. We found the pointing stick (there’s no room for a touchpad) beneath the keyboard to be too erratic. We especially dislike the fact that the two mouse buttons are positioned parallel with the pointing stick, instead of beneath it like every other notebook. This awkward orientation made it virtually impossible to select a block of text.
The U100 delivered halfway decent productivity performance and good battery life in our tests. The system turned in an okay MobileMark score of 163, but we found programs slow to load and even noticed delays when doing such mundane tasks as using the arrow keys to move the cursor. The U100 did better in the endurance department, lasting for 3 hours 46 minutes on a charge with the Wi-Fi radio turned off and 22 minutes less with it on.
In an attempt to sweeten the deal, Toshiba includes a copy of Microsoft Works, OneNote, and a 30-day trial of McAfee VirusScan. There’s a handful of helpful utilities, such as ConfigFree for setting your wireless connection, a password utility that works in conjunction with the fingerprint scanner, and Toshiba Assist, which brings these and other tools together in an easy-to-navigate control panel. Then again, you can get all of these perks on several other Toshiba notebooks that aren’t a pain to type on.
The bottom line is that the Toshiba U100 is designed to turn heads and does that. There are other notebooks that balance portability, ergonomics, and style far better than this micro machine. If you want a notebook that will boost your image without weighing down your briefcase, do yourself a favor and pick up the 2.7-pound Toshiba Portege R200 instead.
|
|
| Processor |
| Processor Type |
Intel Pentium M Processor |
| Data Bus Speed |
400 MHz |
Cache Memory |
| Installed Size |
2 MB |
RAM |
| Installed Size |
512 MB |
| Technology |
DDR-SDRAM (DDRRAM) |
Storage |
| Hard Drive |
60 GB |
| Drive Controllers |
IDE (ATA/EIDE/ATAPI) |
Optical Storage |
| Type |
Hard Drive |
Display |
| Type |
LCD Display w/ TruBrite Technology |
| Aspect Ratio |
15:9 (Widescreen) |
| Graphics Processor / Vendor |
Intel Extreme Graphics 2 |
| Max. Resolution |
1280 x 768 |
Networking |
| Data Link Protocol |
Ethernet (10/100 Mbps),
Wireless Ethernet - 11 Mbps IEEE802.11b,
Wireless Ethernet - 54 Mbps IEEE802.11g |
Expansion |
| Expansion |
SD Card,
Type II PC Card |
Miscellaneous |
| Chipset Type |
Intel 855GME |
| Input Devices |
Keyboard,
Touchpad |
| Included Devices |
Modem |
Operating System |
| Operating System |
Microsoft Windows XP Pro |
Battery |
| Average Run Time |
5 hour(s) |
Dimensions (W x D x H) |
| Unit |
8.27 in x 6.5 in x 1.31 in |
Weight |
| Unit |
2.16 lbs |
Warranty |
| Warranty |
3 Year Limited Warranty |
|
|
= Comment
= Outstanding
= Good
= Poor
= Bad
