A pricey but stylish and practical ultraportable that turns into a practical tablet PC as well, the Toshiba Portégé R400 has plenty of unusual and useful utilities but also a few rough edges.

Most ultraportables have a hefty price tag because miniaturising things (and selling to a smaller audience) doesn’t come cheap; but few of them match the price with design that looks as if it ought to cost that much. The R400 looks the part, with the gleaming Toshiba brand inset into the glossy white widescreen lid - although it vanishes once you swivel the lid round into tablet mode. The story is the same for almost everything else about the R400; superb design, but with the odd place where it doesn’t quite follow through.

The 12.1" widescreen means plenty of room for the keyboard - this is one of the biggest keyboards you’ll find on an ultraportable, with full size keys, a deep wrist rest and a responsive trackpad. The LED backlit screen is bright, clear and vivid and although the anti-scratch coating makes finger marks more visible, you only see them from an angle, not when you’re looking at it straight on. It’s not an outdoor screen but it’s readable in all but the brightest sunlight.

Full Review: ITPro