Review: Toshiba Portégé Z30

By Jacob Grana

Introduction and design

Toshiba calls the $1,470 or £1,260 (about AU$1,935) Portégé Z30’s coloring Cosmo Silver, but Drab Gray is a more accurate description. This unfortunately gives the Z30 a rather utilitarian appearance better suited to being wedged under a wobbly chair, instead of delivering email or aiding in presentations. But appearances, it’s often said, can be deceiving.

Embedded in this gray slab is everything a business user might need: Ethernet and RGB ports, fingerprint scanner, backlit keyboard, two mouse options (trackpad and pointing stick), three different ways to mouse click, a docking connector and, for good measure, a pipe for the kitchen sink. I’m kidding – but I wouldn’t be surprised if a later iteration of the Portégé Z30 had such a connection.

Toshiba engineers fit all of this into a slim and light Ultrabook frame. The downside, of course, is Toshiba engineers had to fit all this into a slim and light Ultrabook frame.

Sacrifices had to be made. The keyboard is cramped. The screen washes out at every angle except when looking at it straight on. And the speakers are more akin to an 80’s portable radio than a 21st century sound bar. This …read more

Source:: techradar.com – PC and Mac