Toshiba is one of the few manufacturers that has had an ultrabook on the market since 2011. The Z835 is targeted toward the home users while the Z830 is built for business users. If you are into ultrabooks for their lightweight portability, the Z series should definitely tickle your fancy. Weighing less than 2.5 pounds, Toshiba Protege Z830 and Z835 has been dubbed the lightest ultrabook in the world.
The Protege Z series is very competitively price. The Z835-P330 retails for only $899 with Intel's Core i3 processor. For Core i7 processor you are looking at around $1200 to $1400. Other than being extremely light weight, there's really nothing really special about the design. The chassis is made of magnesium alloy and has a black on grey color scheme. But hey, I am willing to sacrifice looks for functionality and price.
The Protege ultrabooks has plenty of I/O ports including: USB3.0, SD card reader, headphone and mic port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, HDMI, VGA, and power port. One of those USB 2.0 ports is a sleep and charge port so you can charge your gadgets while your ultrabook is in sleep mode.
The keyboard is backlit and spill resistant. I guess if you do a lot of typing in the dark, you are more likely to spill drinks on your laptop. As an accident prone person, I am certainly glad to see a spill resistant keyboard so kudos to Toshiba for thinking of us. The trackpad for the Z series has the same offset placement as other Toshiba laptops. It's over the spacebar rather than being directly in the center. This make the keyboard and trackpad more ergonomical and more comfortable to use.
I want to go over some unique features that Toshiba Z series offer.
1. Active Management Technology on Intel vPro: using remote management software, administrators can configure, diagnose, isolate, and repair infected PCs—even if they're off.
2. EasyGuard Technology: EasyGuard Protect & Fix, EasyGuard Secure, EasyGuard, Connect, and EasyGuard Optimize.
3. Fingerprint Reader: Get added security and convenience by replacing passwords with the simple swipe of a finger.
4. Resolution+: Convert your standard definition DVD content to hi-def.
5: Intel Wireless Display Capable: Display multimedia wirelessly to your HDTV.
6. Face Recognition: Experience a more convenient way to communicate, log on or share your laptop among the family.
All models for Z series comes standard with a 13.3 inch screen and 1366 x 768. There's no option to upgrade to 1600 x 900 which is a bummer.
Overall, I would rate Toshiba Protege Z series as one of the best ultrabooks on the market based on price, performance, and portability. For around 800 bucks, you get the lightest ultrabook, longest lasting battery life, and most input/output ports. The Z series may lack a high resolution display, but it makes up for it in other unique features. I hope to see more Toshiba ultrabooks in the future.
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