In the seemingly never-ending search for the smallest, lightest equipment, Toshiba has announced the release of its newest laptop the Portege R500-S5007V. According to the company's website, the new "lightest model" is based on a 1.72 pound notebook and boasts a 12.1 inch screen, 64 GB solid state drive (SSD) and 3 cell battery.

If consumers opt for the "world's thinnest widescreen," at.77 inches, the notebook comes with an integrated DVD-SuperMulti drive. However, if you want the "world's lightest widescreen" you will have to live without the optical disk drive. (Source: toshibadirect.com)

The Portege's weight makes it far lighter than the competition. Apple's MacBook air clocks in at 3 pounds and Lenovo's Thinkpad X300 is still 1.21 pounds heavier than the Portege at 2.93 pounds. (Source: computerworld.com)

The new notebook is supposed to last up to eight hours on one battery charge and runs on a lithium-ion battery. Retailing for $2,999, it will come complete with Vista Business, with the option to downgrade to Windows XP Professional. (Source: computerworld.com)

The inclusion of Vista Business signals Toshiba's intention to market its product towards company executives and other high-level professionals. This makes sense, since to upgrade to the 128GB SSD adds an additional $900 to the cost of the product. SSDs add a certain something to the mix because they offer greater reliability, convenience and performance than regular disk drives. They have no moving parts, are "thinner and light use less power, and theoretically deliver better performance." They haven't caught on in the market quickly because they are pricey, but it seems that they will become the next best thing as companies become more comfortable with the new technology. (Source: zdnet.com)