Jason Dunn
01-20-2011, 12:00 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.digitaltrends.com/laptop-reviews/toshiba-portege-r705-review/' target='_blank'>http://www.digitaltrends.com/laptop...ge-r705-review/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Before there were netbooks, Adamos, Timelines or even a MacBook Air, there was the Portege. Toshiba's long-standing marquee for ultraportable notebooks never achieved the prominence of many of its more fashionable contemporaries, but the business-styled portable has always pressed the bounds of technology. Back in 2007, the Portege R500 actually took the title of the "world's thinnest notebook with an optical drive." The R705 continues the thin-and-light, business-centric traditions of its fore-bearers, but with a new emphasis on value; an exotic prepped for the mainstream market."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/lpt/auto/1295475927.usr1.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></p><p>Toshiba, a long-time stalwart of the Windows laptop realm, has been making thin and light laptops for a long time now - but the competition has left them behind when it comes to making thinner and lighter laptops. That's not to say that the Protégé R705 doesn't bring a lot to the table - decent CPU firepower in the form of a Core i5 clocked at 2.53 Ghz, decent battery life at around 5 hours, and a sturdy chassis for around $800. Where you lose out is GPU performance: by going with the Intel HD graphics chip, gaming on this laptop is restricted to Solitaire and Purple Place. But if gaming and 1080p Flash video playback aren't important to you, the R705 is worth a serious look.</p>