Finally the bevy of colourful stickers on the palm rest donвЂ™t help matters much (though theyвЂ™re fairly easy to remove). The Z830вЂ™s extensive connectivity also spoils the tapering edges somewhat, even if Toshiba has located most of it on the laptopвЂ™s rear.

And while weвЂ™re talking about the padвЂ™s visual impact, the multicoloured indicator LEDs donвЂ™t do it any favours either. These touches jar rather than adding class. Even its lid isnвЂ™t a cohesive whole, with two hinges to either side finished in chrome вЂ“ as is the touchpad area. Unfortunately, thanks to all that magnesium it feels deceptively flimsy in the hand, and even though this is a somewhat false impression, the amount of flex will undoubtedly put off many who might be looking for the kind of solid rigidity you get from the Air or Zenbook.ДЄlso, the Satellite Z830 isnвЂ™t exactly the prettiest Ultrabook weвЂ™ve seen, perhaps because of its shared DNA with the business-oriented Portege. So far then, ToshibaвЂ™s Ultrabook is shaping up pretty well. It almost lives up to ToshibaвЂ™s вЂњfeatherweightвЂќ marketing. And while this might only be a few hundred grams difference, itвЂ™s really noticeable when you pick the Z830 up. Thanks to a chassis constructed entirely from magnesium alloy, Toshiba has kept it below 1.11kg, where most rivals weigh closer to 1.5kg (for example the S3, which uses magnesium-alloy for its interior, still comes in at 1.4kg). Weight вЂ“ or rather, lack thereof вЂ“ is where this Satellite really shines though. It measures only 16mm at its thickest point, beating the S3вЂ™s 17.5mm and the 17mm of the UX31 and MacBook Air. As mentioned the Z830 is one of the thinnest and lightest Ultrabooks on the market, which is quite an achievement in a sector where thin & light are already the norm. Just donвЂ™t confuse it with ToshibaвЂ™s Portege Z830, which is the business version of the companyвЂ™s Ultrabook range and costs more. In fact, if it hadnвЂ™t been for its poor screen and keyboard, the R830 would have been one of our top laptops of last year, so this latest Satellite is starting off with some impressive DNA. The Satellite Z830вЂ™s name recalls the Satellite R830, which was as close to an Ultrabook as many laptops got before the standard was introduced.

However, back to the here and now, ToshibaвЂ™s current offering is the Satellite Z830-10U, and itвЂ™s one of the lightest, thinnest and best-connected Ultrabooks going. WeвЂ™ve already extensively tested the Asus Zenbook UX31 and Acer Aspire S3, as well as checking out awesome future models like the Lenovo Yoga. The important part is that this is achieved without compromising internals, which at a minimum include an Intel Core i CPU, 4GB of RAM and SSD (or hybrid SSD) storage for snappy performance and fast boot-up. All the major laptop manufacturers either already have contenders in the field or are training them up, ensuring they take slimming pills to keep them below 22mm thick and weighing less than 1.5kg.

Toshiba r830 core i7