It's definitely not a Dell
Written: Jul 02 '05
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Quality of Tech Support: |
|
|
|
Pros: Durability, keyboard, driver support
Cons: Price, numlock, connection placement
The Bottom Line: Know what you're getting into before you buy, but this is an enterprise class laptop with very few flaws.
|
|
|
| ohknaks's Full Review: Lenovo ThinkPad® T42 (2379DXU) PC Notebook |
I've been using thinkpads since the orginal T-series came out, the T20. Since then, IBM has gone through many revisions; first getting larger with the T30 and then getting much smaller with the T40 series. The T42 is IBM's latest revision of the T40 series and not a whole lot has changed, but that's not to say it's a bad machine. On the contrary, it's an excellent machine that does exactly what it was designed for; business computing.
When you buy a Dell laptop you expect a lot of features you would find in a desktop for a low price that will probably last you for a year or two before falling apart. IBM laptops on the other hand are made to be VERY sturdy, with fewer features than a Dell but a higher price point. My T42 is just as sturdy as my t20 and t21 that I've had for 5+ years and still use occasionally.
When it comes to usability, IBM has it nailed with the t42. The keyboard is far better than any other brand of laptop keyboard I've used. It has a good solid feel to it with a fairly tactile feel when you press a key, and it even comes with a nifty built in keyboard light for when you can't see the keys. Key placement is the same as all other IBM laptops with a function button in the lower left so you can do most functions with a single hand. Windows keys (as always) are thankfully missing. IBM has gone with its usual ultranav for a mouse replacement. A combination of touchpad and joystick control for the mouse.
My only real annoyance with the keyboard is the numlock. Since the laptop doesn't use a full size keyboard IBM has to remap some of the numpad keys onto the main keyboard. So as a result, if you use a port replicator and undock your machine, the numlock will stay on. Thus, it may take a while to realize this as you type some numbers instead of letters.
The t42 comes standard with integrated wireless and there are models with bluetooth too. I have hte cisco wireless in my laptop and I have yet to have any problems with range. If there is one thing I'll give IBM, they know how to put wireless networking into a laptop. The antennas are built into the side of the screen so unlike the PCMCIA wireless cards, you actually get decent signal strength.
My main complaint with the t42 is that since IBM went with two sizes of battery (a normal 5 hour and the extended life one that I get about 9 hours from) they had to move the battery to the back of the machine. As a result, all of the plugs (save for the power) got moved to the side of the machine which makes for some akward routing of cables. So, buy the port replicator (~$150) if you frequently move your machine from your desk to elsewhere.
IBM support is second to none as usual. If your laptop breaks they will either send someone to your house within a day or they will mail you a box overnight with prepaid overnight shipping and you will have your laptop back within a week. I've had nothing but excellent service from IBM in the past.
Overall, the T42 is an extremely well built machine that will last you for years to come. It doesn't have some of the features of your average dell laptop nor the low price, but it makes up for it in spades in build quality and driver support.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1500
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 14 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
ohknaks
|
|
Reviews written: 31
Trusted by: 8 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.