Toshiba Tecra
A purely business laptop, the Toshiba Tecra was designed with the corporate and small business sectors in mind. They are high-performance, reliable computers that are also lightweight as well. And, the Tecra’s dockable system is a bonus for workers who use the laptop in an office or cubicle all day.

Toshiba Tecras all incorporate Intel’s Centrino Mobile technology to increase the lifespan of the battery, while still providing enough computing power to handle all of the business applications that are necessary in the corporate world, as well as high speed wireless networking that uses a reduced amount of battery power.

The Tecra comes in five different models; however, they are all mostly the same when you compare the components of each. The A6 model is the Toshiba’s entry-level Tecra, and it runs on an Intel Celeron processor running at 1.73 gigahertz, with 512 megabytes of RAM. It also has a 14.1 inch screen, measured diagonally, and an Intel 950 graphics processing unit, with between 8 and 128 megabytes of video memory. The one thing it doesn’t have, however, is a wireless network adapter, making this a truly entry level laptop. Why Toshiba doesn’t see fit to outfit all of its laptops with wireless network adapters is anybody’s guess, since 99% of the laptop using free world requires some sort of high-speed internet access. And with all of the free access points popping up, it would be a shame to spend a thousand dollars on a computer and not be able to take advantage of them.

The Tecra A7 is largely similar to the A6, except for two differences. It contains an Intel Core2 Duo processor running at 1.66 gigahertz, rather than the Centrino that’s in the A6, and its screen is 1.3 inches bigger at 15.4. This is a pretty decent screen for this price range, especially given how bright Toshiba’s LCD displays are. But again, no wireless network adapter. The A8 is when you finally see a wireless network adapter, and in fact, that is the only difference between this model and the A7.

The Tecra M5 is Toshiba’s version of a more mobile and portable laptop, with a smaller 14.1 inch display, and a lighter case. But at 5.2 pounds, the M5 is still a lot heavier than many of the competing models that are designed for mobility. These are the only differences between the M5 and the A8, as the internal components are virtually identical.

And rounding out the Tecra models is the M7, which is basically an M5 with a touchscreen display that swivels around to form a tablet PC. The internal components are the same.

The Toshiba Tecra has long been a solid business laptop even back when they were running 486 processors, so it’s no surprise that these models are no different. With the basic components needed for mobile corporate computing, this model would be a good choice for small businesses and large corporations alike.