Do you get what they say ?. Review on IBM Thinkpad R40

I don't know whether anybody will benefit after reading my review of IBM R40e laptop because now there present offer is R50. But maybe my whole experience with IBM product will help others in deciding over the brand.

First let us congratulate IBM on there very impressive Television add. It really had an impact on me deciding over IBM from many other brands like....compaq, toshiba, millenium etc.,......but.

The trouble was from the very first day with my first Laptop. And I believe practically every body must have faced it if they instantly used internet on it. The Norton antivirus is not upgraded and so is the Windows XP.

So once you install the computer first time and without upgrading the antivirus connects to Internet.....loads of viruses attacks your laptop. If it is your first Laptop than this trauma is almost like a heart attack because the expensive beautiful black wonder machine made your feelings its slave from the moment you pressed the start button.

I panicked and called anybody to everybody I knew who had a Laptop to figure out what has gone wrong with my NEW laptop. The most common reply was ''Did you upgrade your antivirus and windows XP?''.

Now tell me who on the earth will tell the user that this has to be done before we start the internet (The major source of viruses today). They have just loaded an old virus definition of Norton and that also valid for three months. After that you have to pay for up gradation.

After going through all this I focused on getting the window XP upgraded. The safest today is XP service pack 2. Now guess what...if you have broadband connection than this whole excercise of up grading the loaded Windows XP to Service Pack2 takes around 5-6 days. And if you are working through mobile internet than GOD BLESS YOU....guess is all yours.

Also try to guess what could be an extra cost to IBM to inform the customer on their purchase to kindly upgrade these softwares before loading your important Datas. The Laptop today is average around Rs.60,000/-.

The desktop with much powerful features today is around Rs.30,000/-. I just wonder that whether this difference of Rs,30,000/- not enough for IBM to give to the customer the latest version of softwares. This whole excercise of upgrading the software is painful and disgusting.

I bought my Laptop in the month of September'2004. Till today the machine has been crashed more than once and eventually they had to replace the Hard Drive. The Keyboard brazzel mysteriously got cracked and they replace it also. The CD combo drive stopped working and they replaced it also.

Also please note that when I bought the machine it costed me Rs.64,000/-. It sounds O.K that atleast they replaced it. Try to look at it from a different angle. Out of our 8-9 major hardware TWO failed within the first 6 months of running of the machine.

When I showed my fear on whether I can trust by Black beauty they came up with extended warranty offer of Rs.12000/-. Another trap. And mind you, now the same machine is being offered at Rs.55,000/- but the extended warranty price is SAME.

Have you seen their print media add where they show a man carrying water bottle ? That is the true story of IBM product today. If you buy an IBM than you have to Drink lot of water to save yourself from the shocks it gives you in regular intervals.

Here an old proverb really sounds so true:

''Never believe your eyes.....always read between the lines''

In the end I'll say that Black is beautiful but very dangerous.