Toshiba Portege R500

Summary: 12.1″ Widescreen, Intel Core Duo - Ultra Low Voltage, Less than 2.5 pounds, LED Backlighting, internal optical drive currently active/produced.

Last Updated: April 14, 2008

Similar Laptops:
- Same as Toshiba Dynabook SS RX1
- Replaces Toshiba Portege R400
- Toshiba Satellite U300 / U305 - Slightly larger, cheaper
- Search Small-Laptops.com for Toshiba Portege R500 News

Official Page: Toshiba.com/R500
Product Name: Toshiba Portege R500
Manufacturer: Toshiba
Announced: June 2007
Available: June 2007
Price: Varies by market/options, see models below
Markets: USA/Canada, Europe, Asia

Models:
- PPR50T-03302W - No optical drive
- PPR50T-03R02W - Comes with an optical drive
- R500-S5001X: Windows XP Pro, $2,475 - 1GB Memory, 1.5GB Max (Check availability at Amazon)
- R500-S5002/R500-S5002X: Windows Vista Business, $2,149 - 1GB Memory, 2GB Max
- R500-S5003 : $2,699.00, Windows XP Pro, 1GB Memory, 64GB Solid State Drive (SSD), no optical drive
- R500-S5004 : $3,400 at Amazon, Windows Vista Business, 2GB Memory, 64GB SSD, Dual-Layer DVD Writer
- R500-S5006X : $2,090 at Amazon, Windows XP Professional, 2GB Memory, 160GB HDD, Core 2 Duo U7700 (1.33GHz ULV)
- R500-S5008X : $1,762 at Amazon, Windows XP Professional, 2GB Memory, 160GB HDD, Core 2 Duo U7700 (1.33GHz ULV)
- R500-12Q (PPR50E-06V00VG3) (European Model) - Intel Core 2 Duo U7700, 2GB Memory, 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD)
Note: These prices reflect Toshiba Direct. Retail prices may vary.

Features:
- LED backlighting
- Less than one inch think
- Internal optical drive
- Weighs less than 2.5 pounds
- Fingerprint reader
- With no optical drive, and 64GB Solid State Drive installed, weighs 1.72 pounds.

Manufacturer’s Description:
With its ultralight design and stunning silhouette, the feather light 1.72 pound* Portégé® R500 Series is the transcendent expression of executive mobility and style. Offering the world’s lightest* widescreen 12.1″ notebook PC in one configuration, and the world’s thinnest widescreen 12.1″ notebook PC with an integrated DVD-SuperMulti drive in another, the Portégé® R500 Series represents an uncompromising synthesis of portability and productivity that’s meticulously engineered for the demands of executive computing.

Specifications:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo U7600 1.2GHz, 2MB L2 Cache or Intel Core 2 Duo U7700 (1.33GHz, 2MB L2)
Chipset: Intel Mobile 945GMS Express
Front-side Bus: 533MHz
Memory: PC2-5300 DDR SDRAM (or PC2-4200)
Memory Capacity: 1 slot - 1GB - 1.5GB (R500-S5001X), 1GB - 2GB (R500-S5002X) (some memory installed on motherboard)

Graphics/Display:
Display: 12.1 inches “Transreflective” LED-backlit LCD.

Resolution: 1280×800 (WXGA)
Touchscreen: No
Widescreen: Yes
Graphics Chipset: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Graphics Memory: 64MB - 251MB (Dynamic)

Storage:
Hard Drive: 120GB 5400rpm Serial-ATA, 64GB Solid State Drive (SSD) , 128GB SSD in Europe (R500-12Q)
Optical: Internal 8x Single-Layer DVD Writer

Connectivity:
Wireless: Intel WiFi 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n)
Modem:
Ethernet: Yes - 10/100/1000 Gigabit
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

Input/Output:
Audio Chipset: Probably Intel
Speakers: Built-in monaural speaker
Audio I/O: Headphone/line-out port, Microphone-in port
USB: 2x USB 2.0
Firewire: 1x IEEE 1394 Firewire
PC Card: 1x Type II PC Card (Some sites are claiming 1x ExpressCard 54 so it’s possible)
Flash/Memory Card Reader: Secure Digital (SD) card reader
Other: VGA out, docking station

Security:
Biometric/Fingerprint:Fingerprint Reader
Other: Infineon TPM Software

Software & Warranty:
Operating System: Microsoft Genuine Windows Vista Business - 32-bit or Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Other Software: Microsoft Office Ready with 60 day Office Professional 2007 Edition Trial, InterVideo WinDVD 8, Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5, Toshiba Disc Creator
Warranty: 3 year standard limited warranty (1 year on battery and AC adapter)

Battery:
Options: 3-cell or 6-cell Li-Ion
Battery Life:

Dimensions:
Width: 11.1 inches / 281.94 mm
Depth: 8.5 inches / 215.9 mm
Height: 0.77 inches / 19.56 mm
Weight: 2.4 lbs / 1.09 kg (will drop to 1.77 lbs (0.8 kg) when 64GB Solid State Drive (SSD) is offered in place of current hard drive).

Reviews/Articles:
- Mobile01 News - Review, September, 2007
- PC Magazine - July 16, 2007 - Article: Laptops Reach the Holy Grail
- Wall Street Journal - July 12, 2007, review by Walt Mossberg
- Review at NotebookReview.com - June 2007