Photograph by John B. Carnett: THE CHAMELEON

With the keyboard in place (inset), the Toshiba Satellite 1955 is ready for the road. Remove it and the notebook transforms into a desktop with a wireless keyboard and mouse. Photo by Photograph by John B. Carnett

The size of a briefcase and weighing in at more than 10 pounds, Toshiba's Satellite 1955 didn't engender much interest at first glance. But then Masa Okumura, Toshiba's director of product marketing, casually removed the keyboard from the base-and explained that it'll work as far as 3 feet away. There have been laptop prototypes over the years that turn into full-feature desktops, but this is the first that actually delivers. It's not the most elegant solution, but with its 16-inch display-and a wireless mouse-the Satellite 1955 is perfect for sitting back to browse the Web or read e-mail.

Price: $2,499
www.toshiba.com