IBM Thinkpad T42 Review

*IBM Thinkpad T42 Review*

There are so many laptop/notebook computer choices these days that it can be difficult choosing the right one.
As a technology enthusiast, I appreciate not only leading technology,
but also real-life usability. That is why I ended up choosing the IBM Thinkpad T42.
I wanted a reasonably fast computer with a good screen and keyboard.
IBM is known for its good laptop keyboards, and with its new FlexView LCD screen technology,
it seemed to be a natural choice for me. I purchased a T42, model 2387-DXU,
which comes with a 15" FlexView LCD screen (SXGA+ resolution 1400x1050, wide viewing angle),
a 1.7 Ghz. Pentium M 745, 1 GB of RAM, a 40GB 7200RPM hard drive, extended battery, and DVD Burner.

*Build Quality*

The T42 feels solidly built. The 15" LCD models are a bit heavier than the smaller 14" screen models,
5.7 pounds (compared to 4.8 pounds). But, that's the tradeoff you have to make if you want the larger screen.
It comes in any color you want as long as it's black, and has the classic IBM ThinkPad look.
One particularly useful feature they added is the new Active Protection System.
The laptop contains motion sensors that detect vibrations and parks the hard drive head
if it detects large movements in order to protect the hard drive from crashing.
It comes with a program that in real time shows you the amount of movement it detects, so you can see it is working.

*Ergonomics*

The T42 has a very good keyboard. For a laptop computer, it's quite spacious and is fairly easy to type on.
Though it doesn't equal a good desktop keyboard, it comes close. The keyboard has some nice extras,
such as a special Forward and Backward page key that simulates a web browser forward and backward button.
The T42 comes with IBM's UltraNav pointer system, which includes both a TrackPoint
(A small red pressure-sensitive stick in the middle of the keyboard for moving the cursor) and a touch pad.
I like the TrackPoint a lot, and now they include 3 variations of rubber tips to choose from.
Just below the spacebar, there are 3 buttons, the standard left and right buttons,
and an extra middle button which causes the TrackPoint to enter scroll mode- useful for scrolling in windows.
The T42 also has a night light, which sits at the top of the screen and can illuminate the keyboard if you're in the dark.
Overall, this is a very usable laptop that is comfortable enough for extended use,
and capable enough to replace a desktop computer.

*In Use*

I really like using the T42. It is a fantastic laptop for general-purpose use. In fact,
it has become my desktop replacement computer. In practice, I find that for my typical usage
(word processing as web browsing, with the screen at full brightness),
the T42 lasts about 2.5 hours on the standard battery. The extended battery does much better,
at about 4.6 hours. The screen has a nice, wide viewing angle and is comfortable to look at.
The anti-glare coating seems to work fairly well too. I find the brightness to be good enough,
though at times I wish I could turn the brightness up one notch higher. Despite my pickiness about the screen,
I should say that the T42 actually has one of the best laptop screens I have ever seen.
Don't expect miracles, however, as, in direct sunlight (like almost all laptops), it is still difficult to read.
In the shade, even in a bright room, it is quite usable.

The speakers sound fine, though they don't get very loud.
The built-in 802.11B/G wireless network card worked just fine with my Linksys wireless routers.
Thinkpad T42 Extended Battery


*Conclusion*

The T42 is a great all-around notebook computer. Its large, high resolution 15" FlexView screen is very nice.
It is fast enough and capable enough to be your primary computer, and light enough to carry around.
Combined with its great build quality, active protection system, and good ergonomics, it all adds up to a very nice system.
Links

• IBM Thinkpad T Series
• PC Magazine's T42 Review
• Thinkpad T42 Review from TrustedReviews
• PC World's Thinkpad T42 Review
• ZDNet/Cnet's T42 Review

*WHAT'S HOT:*
The new ThinkPad T40 is IBM's best one-bay notebook yet,
and not just because it takes all its predecessor's best features and adds a faster processor.
It boasts the T30's impressive combination of a big screen, multiple flavors of wireless readiness, and dual pointing devices in a slim notebook. Its modular bay can host a combination DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, a Zip drive, a second hard drive or battery, or a floppy drive. What's more, you can specify an 80GB hard drive and up to 2GB of system memory.

At 5.4 pounds (without add-ons like an adapter) and a thickness of one inch, it's even skinnier than the T30.
But the real news is that the T40 is ridiculously fast, thanks to Intel's latest generation of thin-laptop processors.
Faster yet cooler-running, the Pentium M lets vendors squeeze notebooks into smaller cases.
Our review unit used a 1.6-GHz Pentium M chip, equipped with a generous secondary cache of 1MB,to lock down a record-breaking PC WorldBench 4 score of 124.
That's about 25 percent higher than the average scored by full-size notebooks we've tested with the regular 1.6-GHz Pentium 4-M chip. In the battery life department, our review machine used a new 9-cell power pack to
run almost 6.4 hours.


Strengths:

• Quality built .
• fast and a lot of features including key board lite and screen magnifier.
• Dual pointing divices and blue tooth.
• 2gigs of memory upgrade,
• ultra slim slot,and svideointergrated wireless a/b ,
• Fast, Great Screen, Solid keyboard, Strong Wireless, Lightweight,
• Nice sharp display, small, great battery life, nice night lite and display magnifier. Boots up rapidly.

Weaknesses:

• only 2 usb ports,
• no video upgrade if your a gamer,
• no floppy drive.
• Video Card is great for business applications not games,
• Expensive,
• caps lock key easily engaged unintentionally,
• has a somewhat delicate feel to it,
• DVD drive has been ocassionally problematic,

Overall:
This laptop can win over some custom build laptop sand if you buy it at pricegrabber
you can get it less then 3 business days. The T40 ibm laptop will satisfied your needs as a personal and home desktop pc.Most every computer in the lap top series is manufactured in China ar another far east country.If your looking for a powerfull, lightweight, business lap top, this is the unit for you.However, the Rapid Restore program at this point won't setup for me due to my using a partition program to divide the remaining 73 GIGs of space. Tech support is great. I called in 3 times and got someone in less than a minute.
Unfortunately, we were unable to resolve the Rapid Restore issue. Once Rapid Restore is setup, this lap top is in a class of its own and is worth every penny.

Please !Go to Store for IBM



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