The Portege R700-S1330 is the newest incarnation of the ultra portable business oriented notebook from Toshiba. The R700 has a number of iterations of which the S1330 is also one. All the iterations share some of the defining characteristics. The base can be doubled by upgrading to a Core i7 processor from Intel, 128 GB of hard drive and the integration of the wireless broadband. The R700-S1330 has a mature style, a serious muscle and a light heft. These aspects of the notebook obviously surprise us. Toshiba has even managed to somehow equip the notebook with an optical drive.
Specifications
| Dimension | 12.5 x 8.9 x 1.3 inches |
| Weight | 3 pounds minimum/3.7 pounds with accessories |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Professional |
| Processor | Intel Core i7 620M, 2670 MHz clock speed |
| Graphics | Integrated Intel high definition chipset |
| Memory | 4 GB DDR3 RAM, upgradeable up to 8 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB SSD |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Ethernet |
| Display | 13.3 inches, matte LCD, LED backlights, 1366 x 768 pixel resolution |
| Slots and Ports | Media card slot, Express Card slot, 3 x USB ports, 1 x HDMI port, 1 x VGA port, 1 x eSATA interface and 1 x Bluetooth interface |
| Features | Optical drive, in built webcam, finger print reader |
| Battery | 8 hours of life |
| Price | $1599 |
Design
The R700-S1330 is a light notebook measuring 12.5 x 8.9 x 1.3 inches in dimension and about 3 pounds in weight. If it is required to be carried for a long time, then it requires some investment for the protective sleeve as the device’s lid is quite flimsy. The black colored metal lid of the notebook is complemented by the black plastic interior. Everything on the laptop feels sturdy. The users with heavy hands may experience some flex on the keyboard while typing. The keys also have noticeable flex. The screen lid is highly flexible and thin.
Display
The display of the R700-S1330 measures 13.3 inches diagonally. It has a native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels but it can actually manage to drive up to a resolution of 1900 x 12000 pixels. The screen features a matte texture. It is equipped with LED backlights too. The screen is quite sharp and clear and it is a pleasure to watch on this screen. The colors appear good but the R700-S1330 struggles to cover the large areas of black in the videos. The horizontal angles of viewing are excellent while the vertical ones are not so.
Keyboard and Toucpad
The R700-S1330 uses a Chiclet styled keyboard. The design of this keyboard is visually quite appealing and it also helps in typing accurately. The keys are all widely spaced and they are mushy to feel. The touch pad of the R700-S1330 is gigantic. It is prone to accidental touches. The touch pad is highly responsive as it does not slow down the work that is carried out by the machine. However, the touch pad can be deactivated if necessary by tapping on the little button which is between the touch pad and the keyboard.
Ports
The R700-S1330 has limited range of connectors and ports. The right side of the laptop houses the optical drive, headphone connector, microphone connector, Ethernet port and a USB port. The wrist rest has embeds the media card reader. The left side of the R700-S1330 houses the VGA port, other 2 USB ports, eSATA port, HDMI port, heat vents and the power socket.
Performance
The R700-S1330 has a lot of right notes. The build of the device is slightly suspect and the keyboard may not be preferred by all the users. It has the rare combination of an optical drive along with a 13.3 inch screen and a competent battery life. Unfortunately, the R700-S1330 has three drawbacks. The first one is about the keyboard. The Chiclet styled keys are quite far apart and they are mushy to feel. Second is about the technology. The R700-S1330 packs a powerful technology that is packed in a small space. This generates heat along the left side and on the bottom of the device. The third is about the heat and the noise. The fan that dissipates the heat is too noisy. These drawbacks make the R700-S1330 uncomfortable to use. The R700-S1330 is quite fantastic machine for the users who require the combination of light weight with the power. It also very easy to change certain components of the device while ordering the notebook.
