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BigGov · 04-11-2004, 10:41 PM

I'm posting this on an IBM T40 right now that is only four months old.

Basically everything people have said about IBM laptops I agree with 100% so I'll point out some things that I love about it during every day usage.

1) The keyboard is basically a full-sized keyboard scrunched down to a great fit. Everything is easy to control and very easy to memorize. Oh, and the feel is indescribable. I wish I could have a keyboard this good for every computer I use. I still can't get over how much I love it after 4 months.

2) The volume, brightness, and and other laptop specific functions. These are great because they work much like a TV does. You turn the volume up, a green bar pops up and shows where the volume level is. This is COMPLETELY separate from the actual computer sound settings, which makes the volume very, very easy to control and you don't have to worry about messing something up or one thing being any louder than another. The brightness and such are done in the exact same way.

3) UltraNav. This is the two mouse input system exclusive (I believe) to IBM T-series. I love it. I hate laptops that just have the touch pad, I can live with laptops that just have the joystick, but the combination just leads to even more greatness. The touch-pad can be customized so that four different programs can open if you tap one of the corners. Windows can scroll if you hold the middle button and tilt up or down on the joystick, or you can scroll by using the edges of the touch-pad. I never thought I would get used to not having a mouse. I was wrong. I don't miss it a bit.

4) Battery life. I have 3 batteries total. 2 of the larger size and the one standard battery. The larger batteries can last 4-8 hours, depending on usage. No, I'm not quoting IBM, those are my actual use. I have gone through about 6 hours of heavy usage tonight on a full charge of a larger battery and am down to about 15%.

5) Size. The size on this thing is just incredible. It is a little thicker than the width of my thumb. Closed. How they fit a computer with this kind of power in a space this small is still a mystery to me. (And no, I don't want to open up this piece of art and find out

)

Did I mention the keyboard? I still can't get over this thing.

6) 14.1"-1400x1050. vs 14.1"-1024x768. Need I say more? This is almost a must have. (Note: Resolution is absolutely key. Remember, a screen is only as big as it's resolution.)

As for your specific questions.

1) In case you haven't noticed, I love IBM's. My dad has a Gateway laptop from work. It's ok. Not great, not horrible, but certainly nothing to brag, write home about, etc. I've never heard a bad first hand thing about Apple, and their products certainly look cool as hell (except for their Powerbooks which I hear can sometimes run very, very hot. Something my IBM doesn't do, what's that I hear? Sounds like another selling point

)

2) For a laptop you definately want to go the route of a Pentium M type model. These are basically the best compromise of power and battery life. (Mine is a 1.6 Pentium M and I'm not having any problems)

3) My combo drive has not given me any problems. I've burned a couple music CD's no problem, played some DVD's off the disc no problem, and copied some DVD's to my hard-drive (for later viewing, because it doesn't need as much battery that way.)

4) Not all of these are periferals, but they should be taken into consideration:

Screen resolution - Like I said before, this is really the size of your screen and means a lot to a laptop because you can't upgrade to a better monitor. I would go so far as to say go TOO big now instead of regretting it later.
Try to Try Before You Buy - And by try I mean try the keyboard and mouse combination, because user input is...well, 50% of computing.
Batteries - I would strongly recommend buying at least a second battery so you are able to use a laptop for a very long session, then still having that second battery to continue whatever you were doing.
Headphones - If you listen to music. You don't need anything fancy, if you have a pair around your house you like, those will probably work fine (this only applies if you like listening to music, because most laptop speakers are utter crap)
I don't know if wireless capabilities are important to you, but if you could get integrated 802.11b via Centrino or via proprietary solution you would enjoy being able to post on TFP while in a recliner with the only cord belonging to your headphones
OpenOffice.org, why? Because if you can save spending $300 on Office than you can put it towards a better (and cooler) laptop (There was a great topic on here listing great free software, click here to see more suggestions)

Hope you found all that helpful

04-11-2004, 10:41 PM	#16 (permalink)
BigGov WoW or Class... Location: UWW	I'm posting this on an IBM T40 right now that is only four months old. Basically everything people have said about IBM laptops I agree with 100% so I'll point out some things that I love about it during every day usage. 1) The keyboard is basically a full-sized keyboard scrunched down to a great fit. Everything is easy to control and very easy to memorize. Oh, and the feel is indescribable. I wish I could have a keyboard this good for every computer I use. I still can't get over how much I love it after 4 months. 2) The volume, brightness, and and other laptop specific functions. These are great because they work much like a TV does. You turn the volume up, a green bar pops up and shows where the volume level is. This is COMPLETELY separate from the actual computer sound settings, which makes the volume very, very easy to control and you don't have to worry about messing something up or one thing being any louder than another. The brightness and such are done in the exact same way. 3) UltraNav. This is the two mouse input system exclusive (I believe) to IBM T-series. I love it. I hate laptops that just have the touch pad, I can live with laptops that just have the joystick, but the combination just leads to even more greatness. The touch-pad can be customized so that four different programs can open if you tap one of the corners. Windows can scroll if you hold the middle button and tilt up or down on the joystick, or you can scroll by using the edges of the touch-pad. I never thought I would get used to not having a mouse. I was wrong. I don't miss it a bit. 4) Battery life. I have 3 batteries total. 2 of the larger size and the one standard battery. The larger batteries can last 4-8 hours, depending on usage. No, I'm not quoting IBM, those are my actual use. I have gone through about 6 hours of heavy usage tonight on a full charge of a larger battery and am down to about 15%. 5) Size. The size on this thing is just incredible. It is a little thicker than the width of my thumb. Closed. How they fit a computer with this kind of power in a space this small is still a mystery to me. (And no, I don't want to open up this piece of art and find out ) Did I mention the keyboard? I still can't get over this thing. 6) 14.1"-1400x1050. vs 14.1"-1024x768. Need I say more? This is almost a must have. (Note: Resolution is absolutely key. Remember, a screen is only as big as it's resolution.) As for your specific questions. 1) In case you haven't noticed, I love IBM's. My dad has a Gateway laptop from work. It's ok. Not great, not horrible, but certainly nothing to brag, write home about, etc. I've never heard a bad first hand thing about Apple, and their products certainly look cool as hell (except for their Powerbooks which I hear can sometimes run very, very hot. Something my IBM doesn't do, what's that I hear? Sounds like another selling point ) 2) For a laptop you definately want to go the route of a Pentium M type model. These are basically the best compromise of power and battery life. (Mine is a 1.6 Pentium M and I'm not having any problems) 3) My combo drive has not given me any problems. I've burned a couple music CD's no problem, played some DVD's off the disc no problem, and copied some DVD's to my hard-drive (for later viewing, because it doesn't need as much battery that way.) 4) Not all of these are periferals, but they should be taken into consideration: Screen resolution - Like I said before, this is really the size of your screen and means a lot to a laptop because you can't upgrade to a better monitor. I would go so far as to say go TOO big now instead of regretting it later. Try to Try Before You Buy - And by try I mean try the keyboard and mouse combination, because user input is...well, 50% of computing. Batteries - I would strongly recommend buying at least a second battery so you are able to use a laptop for a very long session, then still having that second battery to continue whatever you were doing. Headphones - If you listen to music. You don't need anything fancy, if you have a pair around your house you like, those will probably work fine (this only applies if you like listening to music, because most laptop speakers are utter crap) I don't know if wireless capabilities are important to you, but if you could get integrated 802.11b via Centrino or via proprietary solution you would enjoy being able to post on TFP while in a recliner with the only cord belonging to your headphones OpenOffice.org, why? Because if you can save spending $300 on Office than you can put it towards a better (and cooler) laptop (There was a great topic on here listing great free software, click here to see more suggestions) Hope you found all that helpful __________________ One day an Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman walked into a pub together. They each bought a pint of Guinness. Just as they were about to enjoy their creamy beverage, three flies landed in each of their pints. The Englishman pushed his beer away in disgust. The Scotsman fished the fly out of his beer and continued drinking it, as if nothing had happened. The Irishman, too, picked the fly out of his drink but then held it out over the beer and yelled "SPIT IT OUT, SPIT IT OUT, YOU BASTARD!" Last edited by BigGov; 04-11-2004 at 10:43 PM..