JVC's MP-XP731 follows hard on the heels of the first two second-generation Mobile Mini Note PCs (the MP-XP7230 and the MP-XP5230) and is once more designed to be an essential accessory for the professional on the move who demands a mixture of light weight and fast performance. Still little more than A5 in size, this latest mini-PC incarnation is the proud wearer of JVC's 'smallest PC in the world' crown; a debatable claim.

There are some obvious changes and improvements over its predecessors but also a few nagging problems that have been inherited as well. The first positive enhancement is the CPU, which is now the Ultra Low Voltage 1GHz Intel Pentium M Processor, replacing the former Pentium III M Processor that ran at 933MHz.

JVC's new laptop remains the same weight as the MP-XP7230 (905g), excluding the additional external battery that comes with the package. Depending on how full-on your usage is and how bright your screen setting, you can expect a minimum battery life of one hour and thirty-seven minutes (with just the internal battery) and up to four and a half hours with the external battery fitted.

This is the first time the Mini Note series has thrown its weight behind Intel Centrino mobile technology so the wireless connectivity to the Internet or office LAN is spot on. As before, Windows XP Professional comes as standard but the hard drive has been boosted from 30GB to 40GB - not a huge amount if you have loads of presentations or anything that is seriously graphics-hungry, yet certainly sufficient for most needs.

Much is made in the publicity material about the multimedia options (it has i.LINK, two USB 2.0 ports and loads of bundled software like Pinnacle Studio 8 SE - we've reviewed version 9 here - plus ImageMixer and Windows Movie Maker 2) but a word of warning if you want to play games. Because of the letterbox-like appearance of the 8.9-inch screen, the demo version of Unreal Tournament 2003 which is provided could only operate in portrait mode (i.e. we had to turn the notebook sideways) which makes operating the direction keys a peculiar challenge!

It is of course highly unlikely that you'd want to use this ultra-portable as a desktop substitute in this way, but the above average sound quality of the CC Converter remains a strong attraction during any kind of video/audio playback.

One gremlin that still hasn't been fixed, though, is the stick mouse pointer which still barely rises above the surrounding keys and makes the chances of accidental striking it high. The necessarily cut-down size of the keyboard is also likely to prove a steep learning curve if you're used to something more manageable.

Additional hardware is supplied in the form of a combined DVD and CD-RW drive, a USB port replicator and a USB SD card reader/writer. The combo drive is especially slim and elegant but because both this and the USB port replicator need separate power supplies, you're going to need a much bigger carrier to transport your notebook than you'd expect, as well as some form of multi-plug adapter. Rather defeats the point of being super portable, that.

If you already have the MP-XP7230 then you may not need to upgrade, but if you are new to the game, need a lightweight mobile computer with some reasonable power under the bonnet and are willing to pay the rather steep asking price, this could be a sleek and effective business tool.