Toshiba’s R100 redefined what it meant to be an ultra-portable laptop. Since then other manufacturers have caught up and even amazed us further in the case of the Sony X505. But there comes a point where you can now become impractically small. Many felt that the X505 certainly was and at first glance the new R200 skates pretty close to the edge.

But first impressions of this laptop were universally, ‘wow’. The magnesium alloy chassis is one of the toughest we’ve seen, yet when closed the entire machine is just two centimetres deep and weighs a feather-rivalling 1.29kg. Typically when a chassis is this small a great deal of features are lost. Yet this isn’t immediately apparent from the specs sheet: Toshiba has squeezed in a 60GB and 512MB RAM. But, the processor is a 1.2GHz Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) Pentium M 753 and graphics are from the lowly Intel 915GMS chipset.

Not surprisingly performance isn’t a strong point – only scoring 2181 PC Marks in PC Mark 04 – but it isn’t supposed to be. This is designed for road warriors or travellers in general who need office applications on tap above all else.

But this isn’t all the 200 offers.

Toshiba has effectively copied many of the best ThinkPad features and added its own. On board is a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) – a chip with unique model encryption capabilities. This, when partnered with the new finger print reader and a password makes the R200’s security airtight. Also onboard is a hard disk monitor which clamps the heads shut to avoid hard disk damage in the event of a drop.

On the software front are the excellent ConfigFree and Summit apps making onboard 802.11b/g WLAN, BlueTooth 2 and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity a breeze. We particularly like the graphical radar-like representations of WLAN networks. The apps also mean that you don’t have to keep entering different IP addresses every time you connect to a different network. The password-saving Omnipass means that entering web forms and frequent website passwords can be done automatically just by swiping your fingerprint. All that’s missing is the ThinkPad’s ‘blue button’ support features which allow you to backup and retrieve work under disastrous conditions.

Toshiba’s excellent power saving features are still the best on the market and really help to squeeze every last ounce of battery out of the laptop. We recommend also purchasing the extended life battery ($182) which clips onto the bottom. In our intensive use test the standard six-cell pack lasted two hours whereas for light use it lasted four. With the 12-cell option attached it ran our tests at full brightness for just over four hours and our light use tests for a staggering nine hours.

In terms of wired connectivity there’s not much. On the right is a PC Card slot and the WLAN power switch. On the left is a headphone jack, volume dial and SD card slot. While at the back are two USB 2 ports, Ethernet, modem and D-Sub connectors. Above the keyboard is a microphone.

The external DVD writer isn’t included and will set you back a whopping $540 though it’s very small, well designed a takes its power from the USB port. We’re also fans of the standard three-year international parts and labour warranty.

So far it’s slightly ahead of the ThinkPad but it doesn’t quite finish in front. Indeed, while the 12.1in screen is perfectly adequate for most indoor conditions it’s not as bright or as uniformly lit as the ThinkPad. The viewing angles are also poor and different parts of the screen will appear differently unless you’re looking straight at it. The keyboard is also inferior. The ThinkPad’s is the best in the business and while Toshiba’s sports full size letter keys even with practice you’ll be accidentally pressing the smaller keys surrounding it. Still, at least there’s a Windows key. The trackpad also lets it down somewhat. It and its buttons are just too small and fiddly to use comfortably for a long time. While practice and an external mouse can improve things, the ThinkPad is undeniably more comfortable to use over extended periods.

It’s a close run thing, and while the R200 will appeal to those who like the idea of throwing a super-light fully-featured PC into a travel bag and heading off, we feel the ThinkPad is more practical.