Take Out a Loan and Buy The IBM T40 Think Pad
Written: Sep 23 '03 (Updated Sep 26 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast, clear, wireless, small, DVD capability.
Cons: Expensive
The Bottom Line: This is a super computer. They don't come much better in my opinion.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Lenovo ThinkPad® T40p (2373G1U) PC Notebook |
We were lucky enough to be able to trade in our IBM ThinkPad A22m. I was happy with a laptop but never imagined a laptop like the IBM ThinkPad T40 2373 They are very similar in many, many ways. There are two crucial differences which makes this computer truly amazing. It lists as one for a small business but I would just consider it for anyone who can afford it! I will be comparing the two products as much as makes sense. The price difference is close to $1,000!
About this Notebook:
Our laptop came with
~ 512 MB RAM (Random Access Memory) - that is a lot of memory. Compare it to our older one, which had 256 MB RAM.
~ 40 GB hard drive (This is the storage space.) versus 20.
~ CD—RW/DVE-ROM Drive (This is one of the crucial difference I will talk about later. Of course the size of the memory is as well.)
~ Pentium M 1.5 GHz processor with 1MB L2 Cach
~ Floppy Drive-3.5" Diskette Drive
~ 14-inch XGA screen – this is one inch smaller than the A22m
~ Built-in speakers
~ Integrated, Modem, Ethernet and Wireless (YES wireless- the second key feature)
~ Less than 5 pounds compared to 7 pounds.
~ 32MB integrated ATI Mobility Radeon video
~Touchpad and “Eraserhead” pointing devices
~Battery life of up to 5 hours.
~Heat emissions 72 W
~Sound emissions 36dB
The warranty is three years parts and labor (system battery: one year)
It comes with the following software: Microsoft Office XP Professional, Windows XP, Lotus Notes, Internet Explorer, WinZip, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft FrontPage, TeraTerm Pro, Norton AntiVirus, and Netscape. Of course, this is what is installed in ours. What you build might vary.
~Battery: 9 Cell Lithium-Ion
~Height: 1 inch; Depth: 10.9 inches
If you need more specs you can leave me a comment or go to the website at www.ibm.com although I have tried to give you enough information. I am a layperson and am assuming most reading this are not computer experts but need a computer either for a home business or want a super computer. You will also find specs (though some parts may be different depending on what has been "loaded" on mine) on the profile page.
What is it like?
Screen:
I was really happy with the 14" screen, the overall clarity and brightness made everything look great. It is really excellent. It is sharp and clear. I am typing on the same desktop right now that I was when I wrote the review of the A22 and the screen is clear but not as sharp as the ThinkPad.
Sound:
The sound is great. Whether I am listening to music or watching the DVD I am really impressed with the quality of the sound in this laptop.
This IBM is fast. It is as fast as our former laptop, if not faster.
The keyboard of course is much smaller than a desktop keyboard. My husband prefers to use a full sized keyboard but I don't. I love the keyboard and have no trouble typing on it. The built in mouse is easy to use as well.
As with the previous laptop the connections in the back are easy so when I take it back and forth from the living room to the office I can easily pull out the plugs and then put them back in when the laptop goes back on my husband’s desk. However one of the major features is that this is a wireless computer. What does that mean? In a nutshell, I compare it to a cell phone. I can take it in the living room and not plug it into anything. How does that work? To put it as simply as I can and in the terms I understand it communicates with your modem just as your cell phone communicates with the cell tower.
I learned a little tip because my daughter’s Dell is wireless as well. She and her two roommates do not subscribe to an Internet service. Since they have no modem, they wouldn’t be able to get on the Internet with or without wires. With permission from their next door neighbors they bought an $80 browser/gadget that allows them wireless Internet access. This doesn't interfere at all with their neighbors' use of their computers.
The wireless capacity is about 3 hours, after that it would have to be plugged in and recharged which; again if we were traveling we could do at an Internet café. It takes about 5+ hours to be recharged.
The second amazing feature is the DVD ability. We can watch movies in our trailer so easily. Although the screen is small (especially if you have a giant television at home) the quality of the picture is amazing. Truly amazing. It is clear with no fuzz or distortions. This “little” feature may be worth the price of the computer!
Tech service is at my husband’s place of employment, but there have been no problems at all with this Think Pad. For service, though, the contacts are:
www.IBM.com\PC\support
1800 772 2227
Fax 1800 426 3395
My final thoughts
If you can afford this IBM, I am highly recommending it. My daughter has a great Dell she loves but I am partial to IBMs. My desktop is an IBM. It will certainly meet the needs of any small business and be a real treat if you can just buy it for your personal use. This is a super fantastic computer.
If you have any questions or if this computer review, which is out of my safety zone, needs help, please let me know. I have written several at this point but they still feel new to me.
Dell Inspiron
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2500
Operating System: Windows
Processor speed: 501-600
Screen Size: 14 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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