Has Toshiba's M400 Reached The Conceptual Limits Of Tablet PC?

Tablet PC is a great idea both as a hardware concept and an operating system. However it doesn't work well in any and all circumstances. Toshiba may have hit at least the conceptual limits of Tablet PC with its Portege M400.

Well, I for one liked the overly in-depth format of previous reviews. Still looking good, but reading the impressions of someone who's used the thing about every nook and cranny provided information that was hard to find elsewhere. The length and depth of examination is the primary reason I like the various THG articles.

I used to work with a Fujitsu P1120 at my job, pretty much the smallest windows XP laptop ever sold, so I very quickly had to get used to the small size of the keyboard and the joystick mouse.

Much to my surprise, however, after a few weeks my typing speed was as good on the little unit as on my regular desktop keyboard. My fingers got used to the size change and learned how to move around without having to move my hand around. It was kind of cool looking like I'm sitting still yet typing away.

The joystick mouse was also not hard to master, and I actually preferred it over touchpads. Learning to control the speed was easy, and I never ran into any breakages with it ever. Then again this Fujitsu model was 100% made in Japan, and supposedly of the highest quality.

Maybe it was just my bad experience, but the touchpads I've worked on before became very warm after long use, and the friction would cause discomfort in my index finger after a while. Another problem I had was lack of space for a mouse, since the optical drive (not with the above Fujitsu!) was mounted on the right side and would be a pain to open all the time.

I have since moved on to a new Fujitsu P1510, same size, same amazing small keyboard and joystick, but with a swivel screen and maximum show-off value.

My solution to the mouse-space/right-side-cd-drive issue? I got a Logitech Trackman Wheel Trackball. Takes up hardly any space, is fantastic to use and a MUST HAVE item for any serious laptop user. Believe me, once you start using one, you will never go back to a mouse ever again.