Well it couldn’t have happened at a worse time i.e. a few days before the start of my new term, but recurring battery problems have finally caused me to lose faith in my trusty old Acer C300 and as a consequence I’ve sent her packing to the Tablet PC retirement home (well actually I’ve passed it on to my daughters who will still hopefully gain a limited ‘tethered to the mains’ benefit from her). I’m truly sad to let the ‘old girl’ go. She was my inking partner for well over 2 years and during that time she helped me greatly to get through some pretty intense bouts of academic workload. However when a machine becomes more and more prone to instantaneous bouts of ‘electronic narcolepsy’ you just have to do the right thing and let it go.

So given this unexpected setback I had to rush out in ‘panic fashion’ to get my hands on another Tablet PC and fast. Not being prepared for the sudden expense I definitely had to err on the side of finance and not wanton desirability. That meant instead of reaching for a more cutting edge solution such as a Lenovo X61 (like our glorious leader - pokes out tongue :o)), a HP 2710p or a Fujitsu T2010 etc. I had to set my Tablet PC buying sights a little bit lower (aahhhh….the wonderful, gritty world of the poor student eh? :o)). So in the end I ended up going for a Toshiba Portege M400, which following the arrival of its more powerful bigger brother - the R400, has made it a more cost effective, yet still reasonably powerful, solution than it was previously.

Considering the M400 only landed on my doorstep last Friday I’ve not really had a lot of time to get to know it. The fact that I’ve been more concerned with keeping to my pledge of being Vista flavoured on my Tablet PC this year, has meant that most of my time with the M400 so far, has been spent re-formatting for Vista (the M400 literature told me the machine was Vista capable) and uploading my ‘tool box’ applications. However being a curious kind of guy, I couldn’t, of course, resist having a bit of a fact finding exploration beforehand, so I thought I’d offer a ‘first impressions’ run-down on what I do and do not like about the Toshiba M400 so far:

What I Like

• The weight - coming in at just over a 1lb (0.45 kg) lighter than the C300, I’m welcoming the decrease in weight that the M400 offers. Ok so it isn’t a massive reduction, and the M400 still weighs a lot more than most of the more recent models, but it’s enough to make a difference to my cargo-bearing life.
• Flush screen - Although I haven’t really taken much notice of it before, the screen on the Travelmate c300 is slightly recessed into the housing. It’s only now after inking on the super-flush screen of the M400, that I realise what a difference it can make to the comfort factor.
• Smaller screen rotation hinge - I love the screen hinge on the M400. It’s small, discreet and easily maneuverable i.e. nothing like the hideous and bulbous protrusion that’s on the C300. I use a neoprene case to protect my Tablet PC in transit and it was always an annoyance to have the hinge on the C300 prodding out the side of the case. Now the same case, housing the M400 looks neat, tidy and in a perfect rectangular profile…nice! :o)
• Flip over locking latch - The M400 features a nifty little flip-over latch which locks the screen in position in exactly the same way whether in Tablet or closed ‘not in use’ mode when closed and not in use. As such when you’re in Tablet mode the screen just feels so secure.
• Spring loaded stylus silo - What can I say I’m a sucker for the neat little touches and I love the M400’s spring loaded stylus silo. A quick press and out pops the stylus. If that isn’t entertainment enough then Toshiba also give you a dinky little reserve stylus which lives in a trapdoor on the base of the Tablet PC - very handy.
• In-built SD card slot - I take a lot of pictures and having to previously carry around an external card reader (or a transfer cable) everywhere I went I very much welcome the presence of a handy little SD card slot built into the side of the M400 case.
• Toshiba’s free warranty extension - I’m not sure if this is an ‘always and forever’ offer but just for taking the time to register the Tablet PC, Toshiba upgraded my warranty from one up to three years. An amazingly generous token of appreciation considering how much some other manufacturers charge for a similar upgrade
• Toshiba’s Power Saver software - I’m really hoping I can run this, or an upgraded version, under Vista. It’s probably one of the easiest, yet most comprehensive power management utilities I’ve ever seen. I’m thinking a good tweak of this is going to make the advertised 4 hour battery last a whole lot longer (unless the ‘4 hour battery life’ claim is with all the tweaks applied).

What I don’t like

• The Fan - AARRGGHH!! the fan on this thing is NOISY and by noisy I mean like sitting next to a blender on full speed. Well Ok I’m exaggerating a bit, but there *is* a significant increase in fan noise in comparison to any other portable computer I’ve used. I can imagine just how annoying this is going to be for the colleagues who are unlucky enough to be sitting next to me in lectures/seminars *rolls eyes*. Thankfully I’ve read that there’s a whole lot of ‘fan noise reduction’ tweaks I can apply via the Power Saver software to cut down on this fan noise and there’s also talk of a bios patch that helps as well so hopefully I can cut this to a minimum.
• Small ENTER key - I appreciate there’s a lot of stuff to fit on a Tablet PC keyboard but I’m really not enjoying the M400’s teensy enter key. I’m sure I’ll get used to it but right now I missing it more than I’m hitting it and it’s driving me nuts…aarrgghh!!
• The M400’s housing - Aside from the housing surrounding the screen itself I just find the case to be a bit on the flimsy side. It’s not overly bad just a lot less substantial than I’m used to. I just hope it can hold up to my caveman-esque pounding of the keys :o)
• Exposed ports - I never really use a Tablet PC in an environment full of dust, dirt and grime but I’ve always appreciated the added protection that’s provided by the hinged covers on the C300’s bigger ports (such as external monitor, LAN and modem). Sadly all of the ports on the M400 are exposed and it just feels a lot more vulnerable to the environment.
• The smaller screen - Of course I can’t lay any fault with Toshiba on this but I’m so used to inking on a 14″ screen that it’s kind of hard downgrading to the M400’s 12.1″ screen. I know this is something I’ll get used to (and I will) but I’m really missing the extra screen ‘real estate’ on the C300.
• No indication light on adapter brick - Ok it’s a small niggle admitedly but I don’t like that the bundled AC adapter doesn’t have an indication light to tell you that it’s plugged in. When I’ve been in a rush in the past, on a few occasions I’ve forgotten to disconnect the adapter from the power mains, and it’s only been the little green glow of the light on the Acer adapter that’s reminded me I still have it connected to the mains.

So there we have it - a quick rundown of my ‘early day’ experiences with the Toshiba Portege M400. It may not be the newest Tablet PC on the market but initial impressions are giving me that special warm feeling and that’s a good thing :o). However only time will tell if the relationship with my new ink partner remains cordial, especially as time moves forward, and I get to road-test newer and more high-end models (hint hint Tablet PC vendors in the UK ;o)). However things turn out with the M400 you can be rest assured that you’ll be the first to know about it.

So M400 owners - What are your experiences of using this Tablet PC? What do you think are the machine’s good and bad points? Is there anything that I should or shouldn’t be looking out for?

Other posts that may interest you:

1. $500 Toshiba Tablet
2. Old VS New
3. Old Vs New
4. An Explanation of my UMPC Conversion
5. Gateway E-Series Convertibles - A ‘must have’ for students?