Video: Toshiba Portege R700 Delivers Serious Power in 3-Pound Package

One-inch thick, three pounds light, durably-built, and starting at $999, the R700 is a compelling update to last year's R600. First off, Toshiba upped the screen real size from 12-inches to 13.3 diagonal inches. The company also nixed weak ULV processors in favor of full-power Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs. Don't worry about the R700 torching your lap. This ultraportable uses a custom-designed air flow system to help manage the heat output in such a thin frame.

Toshiba allowed us to preview the R700 last month, and we enjoyed its full-size multi-touch touchpad and chiclet style keyboard. We also appreciated the notebook's build quality: the all-magnesium chassis and ribbed structure of the palm rest lent a stable feel to the device, especially when we carried it in one hand with its display open.

Check out the specs and pricing for various models below, as well as our hands-on video.

The Portege R700 features a high-capacity six-cell battery with a battery life rating of up to 8.5 hours. An optional nine-cell battery that can remain on when docked boosts that runtime up to 12.5 hours. The notebook also features an ExpressCard slot, an eSATA/USB combo port that can charge devices while the notebook sleeps, a DVD drive, and a docking station that hosts two USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out audio, and HDMI output.

Typically, Toshiba's Protege line never hits retail because of its business bent, but you're in luck this time around. The R705, a consumer-version of the R700, will be sold exclusively at Best Buy. Priced at an attractive $889, this model will feature a Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and Intel's Wireless Display for streaming content to HDTVs sans wires, but it won't offer any docking capabilities.

Business editions of the R700 are available for order today in several configurations and price points (see examples below) from Toshiba retailers and ToshibaDirect.com.The R705 will be available at Best Buy on June 27.

Check out our hands-on video and gallery images below. And stay tuned for a full review.

Portege R700-S1310, $999