WHAT'S HOT: The Tecra 9000 is one of the first laptops we've seen with built-in antennas for both Bluetooth (short-range wireless data transmission between small devices) and 802.11b (longer-range wireless surfing and e-mail retrieval). Pressing the F8 key toggles between the two types of wireless transmissions, and a switch on the front lets you turn scanning on and off to save power. The Tecra 9000 is completely clad in silver, with pint-size black speakers sprouting from the back corners of the keyboard. One modular bay on the left holds an optical drive (a combination DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive in our test unit), the included weight-saving module, or an optional second hard drive or battery. Not counting the stylish black USB floppy drive that Toshiba bundles with this notebook, the Tecra 9000 weighs in at 5.5 pounds.

WHAT'S NOT: The high $3154 price doesn't include business applications.

WHAT ELSE: The Tecra 9000 is pleasingly designed, from its sloping front to the long port cover protecting the rear connections. Some command keys are subsize, but they didn't hinder our typing. The eraserhead pointing device works well with the mouse buttons, which are two vertically stacked, rubberized crescents flanked by two shortcut buttons. In addition to all the standard connections, you get a high-speed IEEE 1394 port and a video-out port. The headphones port and a volume wheel sit conveniently on the front. The Tecra 9000's speakers are loud but not very rich sounding, despite their prominent placement. Parts are easy to get to, including the hard drive, which sits behind two small screws and a loose panel. Toshiba covers all the important information in a thick, thorough user guide.

The Tecra 9000 performed well, racking up an impressive score of 101 in our PC WorldBench 4 speed tests. That puts this 1.13-GHz/733-MHz Pentium III-M machine on a par with the other similarly configured laptop that we've tested. The Tecra 9000 turned in an average battery life of a little over 3 hours.

UPSHOT: Businesses that use 802.11b networks and expect to invest heavily in Bluetooth devices as they become available will want to look closely at the Tecra 9000 for their corporate travelers. It performs well, travels light, and looks good.

SUMMARY

Toshiba Tecra 9000 PC WorldBench 4 score of 101, 1.13-GHz/733-MHz Pentium III-M CPU, 256MB of SDRAM, 512KB L2 cache, Windows 2000, 14.1-inch active-matrix screen, S3 SuperSavage IX graphics chip with 16MB of SDRAM, 30GB hard drive, 8X DVD-ROM and 8X/4X/24X CD-RW combination drive, built-in V.90 modem and network adapter, eraserhead pointing device, 7.1 pounds (including USB floppy drive, AC adapter, and phone cord). Three-year parts and labor warranty, free 24-hour unlimited toll-free technical support. $3154 800/867-4422 www.csd.toshiba.com