Great Laptop
Written: Jun 27 '04 (Updated Jun 30 '04)
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Pros: Solid construction, great keyboard, wonderful display
Cons: Pricier than clone competitors
The Bottom Line: Pricier than clone laptops but worth it if it will be used to do a lot of writing or if it will be dragged around with you daily.
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| bwbaker's Full Review: Lenovo ThinkPad® T42 (2379DXU) PC Notebook |
Customer Service-
I initially tried to order a custom setup using the website but ran into problems - the T42's were brand-spanking new at the time and their website hadn't quite been sorted out yet. I eventually gave up and called IBM directly. The salesman was very helpful and was able to give me a few more bells and whistles than I had contemplated for a price lower than that quoted on the website. The laptop shipped a couple of days later and arrived with no problems.
Display-
The Flexview display is amazing. Much crisper than any of the desktop CRT's I work with on a day to day basis and viewable even from very shallow angles (this may be a con if you're used to the privacy the relatively narrow field of view many laptop LCD's afford). No "stuck" pixels. The refresh rate is lower than a CRT, so there are occasional ghosting problems playing some games (FPS's) but I've never noticed it in day-to-day applications or even in less action-oriented games. Not an issue unless you're a hardcore gamer.
Construction-
I bought this laptop for law school - an environment that will require it be carried in a backpack full of books daily for three years. IBM has a reputation for building durable notebooks and the T42 is certainly durable. There is no flex whatsoever in the keyboard and the case is rock-solid.
Battery Life-
With 802.11 wireless and Bluetooth turned on, it runs for two or two-and-a-half hours with the standard 6-cell battery.
Wireless-
I haven't had the opportunity to use it away from my home wireless network, but signal strength seems good in my condo even when I'm several rooms away from the router. I use a Logitech bluetooth wireless mouse - setup with the laptop's built-in Bluetooth was a snap and I've had no problems with it at all (the "red-dot" pointer is good, I don't care for the touchpad and disabled it).
Other sources for information-
I found the forums at www.thinkpads.com to be a valuable resource when I'd mostly settled on buying a thinkpad. The site is maintained by a thinkpad reseller (I didn't purchase from him so I can't comment on his service) but the forum is heavily trafficked by very knowledgable, indepent thinkpad owners who seem more than happy to answer questions.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2400
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
bwbaker
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Reviews written: 2
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