There are several things that help manufacturers set their business laptops apart from the consumer models: common accessories (AC adapters and batteries), docking solutions, and three-year warranties. All of these are available on Toshiba's latest business laptops—the Portege R830, Tecra R840, and Tecra R850. But these models add a little something extra: they are thinner and lighter than past iterations and future-proofed with components based on Intel's Sandy Bridge technology.

The Portege R830 is a 13-inch business laptop that looks almost identical to the Portege R835-P50X. It's one the lightest in its class with a built-in optical drive and a standard-voltage Intel "Sandy Bridge" processor. The main differences between this version and Toshiba's consumer laptop is that this particular version is equipped with a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), has an option for a docking station and 9-cell battery, and comes standard with a 3-year warranty. It also has an ExpressCard slot—a feature you won't find in the consumer version. Prices start at $1,049.

Toshiba basically took the same basic design from the Portege and applied it to the Tecra R840 and R850—a 14- and 15-inch business laptop. Instead of magnesium, the Tecra models use plastic that's reinforced with fiber glass. Yet, they're 25 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than their predecessors. They transition to the same tiled keyboard found in the Portege series, only the R850 includes a full size numeric keypad because it's a bigger laptop. The R850 will also have a 1,600-by-900 resolution option, whereas the R840 is capped at 1,366-by-768. Both laptops will have matte screens, as well as glossy options for media enthusiasts. The R840 starts at $849.99, while the R850 starts at $879.99.