Toshiba Tecra M9-S5514

The Tecra M9 was mostly comfortable to use. At 5.4 pounds minimum weight, it was the lightest among our currently tested all-purpose laptops. The 14.1-inch screen was bright, and I liked the nicely designed on-screen equivalents of the function-key utilities (such as power settings and hard-disk protection). They appear three seconds after you place the cursor at the top of the screen. While it's not necessarily easier than using the function keys, it's a nice alternative. The keyboard layout had full-sized arrow keys and Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys in a line on the right; the keys felt stiff, as did the touchpad buttons. The M9 also comes with an eraserhead that I found comfortable to use.

The Tecra M9 feels durable. It comes with hard-drive shock protection, which can be enabled and disabled with a button to the left of the power button on the top of the keyboard. (Another button in the same area gives you quick access to network and other settings in our test unit's copy of Windows Vista Business.) The hard drive and memory are stored in separate compartments that are easily accessed by removing a few screws from the bottom of the case.

The Tecra M9-S5514 should be well-equipped to handle the rigors and demands of travel-heavy business use. I can't say anything more exciting than that, but then again, you may not need anything more exciting than that.

Narasu Rebbapragada