Toshiba's Satellite U405 laptop computers aren't quite thin-and-light ultra-portables, but these notebooks are definitely easier to carry around than many of their mainstream brethren.

The U405s feature a 13.3-inch widescreen display, so their screens are definitely on the smaller side; they do, however, offer the same 1280X800 resolution that you'll find on larger 15.4-inch screens, so although images and text are smaller, they will appear just as crisp.

The best thing about the relatively small screen size is that it allows these computers to be smaller and lighter than many other notebooks that are available at this price point. These laptops weigh in at less than 5 pounds, which makes them decidedly easier to tote around or squeeze into a small carry-on bag. They also feature a sharp design that will turn heads when you pull them out.

Thankfully, Toshiba doesn't cut any corners in terms of components and performance in order to reach this small size. A 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5550 processor and 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 memory power these laptop computers; this gives you plenty of power to run all its multimedia bells and whistles found in the included Windows Vista Home Premium operating system.

Storage space is also larger than expected for this notebook's size. The 250GB 5,400rpm hard drive provides plenty of room for housing multimedia files and application installs.

And while some manufacturers of smaller laptop computers leave out an optical drive, Toshiba includes a SuperMulti DVD writer with the U405s. This drive allows you to burn to CDs, DVDs, and dual-layer DVDs.

Graphics are integrated and share video memory with the main system memory, but smaller laptop computers like this U405 aren't intended as gaming machines in the first place.

Toshiba includes a fingerprint reader on these laptop computers, which is a nice touch on a smaller laptop that might be misplaced. There's a built-in webcam and microphone, which allow you to effectively videoconference from the road and, in conjunction with the facial recognition software in the U405s' software suites, can be used as yet another layer of security.

Connectivity includes an integrated modem, a network interface, and 802.11b/g wireless; unfortunately, there's no support for Bluetooth or wireless n. These laptop computers offer three USB ports, a FireWire port and an ExpressCard slot for connecting peripherals. There's also a 5-in-1 media card reader that lets you easily transfer files and photos from your PDA or digital camera.

These laptop computers are available at a great price for a smaller notebook. If you're looking for a tiny yet powerful laptop to take on the road, a Toshiba Satellite U405 may be just what you seek.


Pros: Very portable, good core power
Cons: Integrated graphics

Warranty
1 year, limited