Ultraportable laptops are thin, light and stylish – objects of executive desire for their looks as much as their practicality, especially for people who are often on the move. But they usually have an “ultra” price tag to match, which puts them out of reach of all but a lucky few.

Toshiba, the Japanese electronics group, helped first define the ultra-portable market with its Portégé line of machines. The Portégé R200, laun-ched in 2005, was the lightest ultra-portable with a 12.1in screen. It weigh-ed just 2.84lb (1.3kg) but cost an eye-watering $2,000.

The Portégé machines paved the way for other devices that currently lead the ultraportables pack, including Lenovo's ThinkPad X300 series, Apple's MacBook Air and Dell's classy Adamo machines. Toshiba continued to up-date the Portégé line but left the basic design and high prices intact – until now.