Play It Again, Libretto

After hearing all the griping about small keyboards on subnotebooks, I decided to take a typing test on Toshiba's new, ultraportable Libretto 100CT. How long would it take me to type "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"?

I had to scrunch my average-size fingers together to fit them on the 8-inch keyboard--and the Chiclet-size keys responded to the slightest depression, inviting typos. After ten tries, however, I got it right. Though my typing speed might make Mavis Bacon cringe, typing on this mini-note is doable.

So are most other general business tasks. The Libretto 100CT contains a faster CPU, a larger hard drive, an additional PC Card slot, and a bigger screen, battery, and palm rest than its predecessor, the Libretto 70CT. Black letters stand out in sharp relief on the 100CT's 7.1-inch active-matrix screen. Carrying a PMMX-166 CPU, 32MB of RAM, and a 2GB hard drive, the ultraportable costs $2499--about a grand more than a similarly configured, standard-size notebook. But that's what you pay for weight loss: At 3.8 pounds (with AC adapter and external floppy), the Libretto has half the heft of a regular portable.

The Libretto's main rivals--the $1999 Hitachi VisionBook Traveler 3000 and the $1995 Mitsubishi Amity CN--offer more keyboard space for better typing accuracy. But the 100CT has a faster CPU and includes a port expander--a nice touch.

Unfortunately, Toshiba put the eraserhead mouse controller to the screen's right and set the buttons outside the lid, requiring a lot of fancy finger work. Factor in the tiny keyboard, and the Libretto is too awkward for intensive computing. But for e-mail and light work on the road, it's fine.

SUMMARY

Toshiba Libretto 100CT PRO: Nice screen, fast CPU for tiny size, includes port expander. CON: Awkward design for mousing. VALUE: Perfect for sending e-mail and light writing on the road. $2499 street Toshiba America 888/598-7802 computers.toshiba.com