Toshiba Satellite R15-s822

The Toshiba Satellite R15-S822 ($1,549 direct) is not your typical tablet PC. Convertible tablets usually have 12-inch screens and small, lightweight frames. Not so with the R15-S822. This convertible has a 14-inch screen and weighs 6.1 pounds. It's meant to be someone's primary notebook first, and a tablet second—and there's nothing wrong with that.

The Satellite R15 looks a lot like the Toshiba Portégé M205-S809 convertible tablet—only bigger. The swivel screen has a 1,024-by-768 resolution and is large enough to handle spreadsheets comfortably. The screen is bright, making for an enjoyable movie-watching experience. The IBM ThinkPad X41 Tablet ($1,899), our Editors' Choice for tablets, is 3.5 pounds and a pleasure to carry. The R15-S822, at 6.1 pounds, is more likely to be on your lap or on your desk than in your arms.

Screen, Graphcs and Sound

The R15-S822 features the Intel Extreme Graphics 2 video card with 16 to 64 MB of shared video memory. The 14.1-inch screen can be rotated while attached to the keyboard for presentations, or twisted 180 degrees and folded flat against the keyboard for full tablet mode. It also includes an integrated audio card and built-in stereo speakers

Connectivity and Expansion Slots

The R15-S822 has an integrated 54g wireless LAN that's compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g networks. You get a good offering of connectivity options, including both USB 2.0 and Firewire:

* 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
* 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
* 1 VGA monitor port
* 1 S-Video out
* 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II, 32-bit)
* 1 Secure Digital memory card slot
* 1 headphone jack
* 1 external microphone jack and built-in microphone

Like other convertible tablets, the Toshiba Satellite R15 is two computers in one: it looks like a standard keyboard-based laptop, but its screen rotates 180 degrees and folds over the keyboard to allow for pen input. Unfortunately, the R15's single swivel hinge allows the screen to wobble and rock at the slightest touch when it's in laptop mode. The 14.1-inch XGA display is more than adequate, but it lacks the automatic brightness adjustments of the TravelMate C301XCi, and our test system had an annoying piece of dust below the surface of the display. Below the screen are three buttons for rotating the display orientation, calling up the Windows Task Manager, and scrolling horizontally or vertically.

Oddly, sound is central to the R15, with an integrated Analog Devices audio chip and SRS TruSurround XT technology that make the tablet's tiny speakers sound larger and more powerful. Though the speakers are partially covered when the display is folded flat, the sound is surprisingly good once you get the hang of the SRS adjustments. In addition, the machine features an array microphone with echo cancellation technology that makes it almost as good as a dedicated mike, letting you record meetings, dictate to a speech recognition program, and navigate menus by speaking simple commands such as "cut," "paste," and "undo" to the system. If there's a lot of background noise, however, you'll still need to use a headset microphone.

The R15-S822 has three USB ports and a FireWire port as well as an S-Video-out port, which is not typically seen on tablets. This is more proof that the R15-S822 is a notebook first. The system boasts good speakers and a control knob, so you can easily turn the volume up or down. It has a built-in DVD/RW combo drive, though we'd prefer a DVD burner. The R15-S822 also includes a hard drive sensor. The motion sensor parks the heads of the drive to the side once it senses any sudden movement, providing a nice sense of protection.