Great Value Can Be Found In The IBM T21!
Written: Aug 29 '02 (Updated Oct 21 '02)
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Pros: IBM Reputation, Large Viewable Screen, Long Battery Life, Plenty Of Horsepower, Light Weight
Cons: Bottom Gets Fairly Warm
The Bottom Line: Great Combination Of Performance, Ergonomics, And Durability That Can Be Had At A Great Price These Days!
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| jonwes's Full Review: IBM Thinkpad T21 Notebook Computer |
I am writing this review after having been issued an IBM T21 laptop from my employer about a year and a half ago. I have used this unit extensively during that time period for everything from checking e-mail to watching DVD's. Unfortunately, I am not going to be a good resource regarding the accessories that came with the initial purchase, as the IT department in our corporate office distributed them to us. I do know, however, that they come packaged with both a removable DVD drive and a 3.5" floppy removable drive. I received both with my new laptop.
Initial Impression
I should mention that I've been using computers dating back to the early 1980's. I've seen any number of models come and go over the years, which has been interesting to say the least. When I received this most recent IBM, I had used a couple of laptops prior, but never with this much horsepower. I was excited to start using it and see what it could do in comparison to the high powered desktop pc's I had built over the last ten years. I must say, I have been very impressed. The screen has a large viewable area, 14.1", to be exact. The display is crisp, sharp, and displays DVD's and multimedia very well. I have always preferred the look of a good quality conventional monitor, but I am very happy with the look of the LCD on this unit. I immediately noticed how light weight this unit is at 5.3 lbs. It feels very light in your hands and from a technical standpoint, it's rather amazing how much horsepower they fit into such a compact area these days. Truly amazing. The keyboard is nice and large, which makes an easy transition coming over from a conventional, desktop design. Keys are placed well and connections are firm.
Technical Specifications
Inside this unit, we're looking at a Pentium III processor running at a speed of 850 Mhz. More than adequate for anything but the most demanding applications and/or games. The standard issue is 128 Mb of RAM, but our company upgraded to 258 Mb, which is a big advantage when running an OS like Windows. More memory means less caching to the hardrive, which translates into a much improved performance. Included is a 32GB hardrive, which is relatively small by today's standards, but was better than average when this laptop initially was released. Estimated battery life is approx. 3.2 hours. Haven't tested this spec to see if it's realistic, but I have had no complaints about the longevity of the battery. It's a lithium ion pack and has performed adequately in my opinion. Additionally, the graphics run at a two times AGP speed, which facilitates good speed for multimedia applications. Sound coming from the internal speakers is somewhat flat, but sound good with no noticeable distortion.
Connections
I'm very impressed with the user friendliness of today's laptops. Older models requried a specialty cable to be run from the modem to the phone jack, while current models, like this one, have an RJ11 jack right on the back of the unit, so an ordinary phone cord plugs right into the laptop. Great design. The ethernet connection performs identically. On the back of the unit, you'll also find connectors for an external monitor, serial port, PS2 port, USB port, parallel port, A/C connection, and S Video output. Easy setup here.
Performance
This unit runs well and has given me virtually no problems over the course of a year and a half. We're running Windows 2000 Professional, which is a fairly stable OS and provides few headaches. The unit is nearly silent while operating, even when the internal fan kicks on. The bottom of the T21 does get warm on the verge of hot sometimes, which could effect those using it as a "lap" top. Boot up time seems somewhat impaired to me, but I am going to reserve judgment, given the fact that it could easily be attributed to the proprietory software my employer has installed. Once in windows, the speed is impressive and for every day applications, leaves one with no complaints. The viewing area extends almost to the very edge of the casing. Good use of space here. A nice feature I haven't seen on many other laptops is the "ThinkLight", which is accessed by hitting the "Fn" key and the "PG UP" key simultaneously. It casts a dim light over the keyboard, making it easier to use in dim or no light situations. Given the brightness of the light, it does not use any appreciable amount of battery power, thereby not detracting from the usable time of the unit. I've read that the benchmark performace of this unit is average for its class, but I haven't performed any testing of my own.
I have used this laptop in combination with the new Sierra Wireless Air Card 555 from Verizon Wireless, and the performance is incredible. I can access the internet at 56k speeds or better directly from my laptop with no line connections. The speed is impressive as is the mobility it provides. I've been laying out at the beach, while shooting e-mails to people at work and placing orders for my customers. Truly amazing technology.
Ergonomics
The feel of this laptop is solid and durable, conveying a sense of sturdiness. It has virtually no "flex" to it. The mouse is accessed via the standard "thumb tab" located between the "G" and "H" keys. There are three buttons below the space bar in a triangle formation. The top two function as the standard left and right mouse buttons, while the third, located below the top two, can be depressed in apps such as Internet Explorer and then used in conjunction with the thumb tab to scroll up and down without the use of application specific scroll bars. I prefer this design to the "touch pad" screen that other manufacturers use. The weight of the unit is light enough to carry virtually anywhere. Amazingly light in my opinion. The keyboard is one of the more comfortable laptop setups I have used. Extending from edge to edge, good use of space was implemented in the design. All keys are readily accessible and logic is applied in the layout (i.e. the "Fn" key is blue and the keys that can be used in conjunction with it have blue on them). The brightness of the screen, the ThinkLight, etc. would be examples of features accessed via the "Fn" key. There is roughly a three and a half inch area beneath the keyboard that acts as a palm rest while typing and is a very welcome addition if you've ever tried to type on anything different. These types of ergonomic considerations are becoming more prevalent on today's laptops.
Conclusion
This is, without a doubt, the best laptop I've used to date. My experience is somewhat narrow and limited, which should be taken into account though. My expertise lies within the desktop arena. I consider myself to be relatively critical when it comes to computers and the components within them, but I would definitely give this unit two thumbs up for its performance, weight, ergonomics, and durability. Given the fact that the T21's can be had at a significantly lower price than when they were first introduced into the marketplace, I would consider them to be a great buy these days and definitely worth considering!
Recommended:
Yes
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 801-900
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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jonwes
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