Thinkpad T42 - Blissful Performance and Mobility. Review on IBM Thinkpad T41p

Ever since I got into the web business, I've felt the need for a Notebook. With reasonable prices, and desktop perfomance, it's a great device to move with your work. After much delibration I decided upion the T42. IBM Thinkpads have always been acclaimed for good performance, foolproof security and stellar durability, factors that make the T42, ideal as a moderate road warrior. For those looking primarily at portability, IBM's answer is the X series. The T series has the same specs of the R series with the exception that it has a titanium composite casing and is a hell lot thinner. Lets discuss some of the T42 features here :

1. Body & Build Quality - As usual the build quality is first rate, though it might not be the prettiest one around. The T42 comes in an industrial black design and is certainly no notebook equivalent of a Bang & Olufsen. Unlike the new VIAOs, theres no fancy glossy displays, flash card readers, and beautiful contours here. It however has one of the best keyboards available on a notebook. I actually prefer it's feel to some of the cheap desktop keyboards around.True to some of IBM's quirky traditions, there’s no Windows and Menu Keys. The lid rests on two stainless steel hinges, and has a very sturdy construction. It has a modular design with swappable hotbays. The screen 14.1'' screen is very crisp and bright. The LCD does not distort when the rear end of the screen is pressed. It has this nice addon called a thinklight. On the top of the screen, theres a tiny but powerful white LED light. In pitch darkness, the black keyboard lights up, , with the all the characters clearly visible.

   
   




2. Performance : The T42 is powered by a Centrino 1.6 processor (options for 1.7 and 1.8 are also available) which delivers zippy business performance. My unit was souped to 768Mb DDR RAM (256 + 512), and hence I really can’t say how the stock config performs. Application such as Photoshop CS and Flash MX had small startup times, which is really commendable. The unit came with an ATI Radeon Mobility 7500 graphics, which is fine for usual computing work and video but grossly inadequate for gaming. It also features an Intel Pro wireless 2200 BG card built in and I configured my Netgear 4 port wireless router to work with the unit. The signal strength was excellent at a 10 m radius.

   
   




3. I/O : The T42 features 2 distinct and independent pointing devices. Theres a synaptics touchpad and the IBM trackpoint, a little red rubber stump between the G and the H keys. A nifty scroll key, which when used in conjunction with the trackpoint, makes scrolling through large documents very convenient. What’s more, the “nipples” or the stumps can be interchanged with 3 variants. The click buttons on both devices are top notch and has a great feel. For this reason I don’t think an external mouse is ever required when working with IBM’s T or R series Laptops. It features 2 USB 2.0 ports, which in my opinion is a little inadequate unless one is using a port splitter. It has the usual audio in/out, 1Gb LAN port, 9 pin video and SVHS output (for attaching to regular TVs). For legacy support a 24 pin parallel port is also included, which I don’t think I will ever get to use. There’s an IrDA port but no Bluetooth. The system also lacks a firewire port which is very popular these days for attaching DV cams and iPODs

   
   




4. Security : This is one aspect in which IBM (or should I say Lenovo) surpasses the competition. My unit came with a biometric fingerprint reader which is absolutely foolproof. It can be used for the windows login or during system boot. Users are requested to enlist at least 2 pairs of digits on both hands, and the system never lets the wrong person login or refuses entry to the right person. By the way in the event that a severed finger (chopped off for more than 10 mins) is used on the laptop, the system will refuse entry as it will not detect any electrostatic activity. Hmmm let us hope it will not come to that.

   
   




5. Software : On the software front. The T42 features a licensed copy of Win XP Pro with Service Pack 2. Other stuff include IBM record Now and PC Doctor. There is a comprehensive software suite which can be accessed by a separate button (Access IBM) on the unit. It lets you manage connections, troubleshoot, restore data and recover software and make periodical backups. I accidentally wiped out the Intel Sebring API, which caused the wireless card to stop functioning. However after restoring my system to an earlier checkpoint, the damage was undone.

   
   

I have to admit, the IBM's entire suit is a bit heavy and takes up neary 8 Gb of the notebook's valuabe disk space, especially when you consider that the HDD capacity is a modest 40 Gb. Another of IBM's quirkies which is rather annoying is that there is no system CD included. The entire gamut of the OS and tools resides solely in the HDD. They probably assume that there is no virus or a threat capable of totally disabling the file system, which can be a little far fetched,

1. Battery Life – My real life using experience indicate this baby can do about 3.5 odd hours on a full charge. Not bad, but frequent fliers would probably like to swap the DVD/CDRW drive with a second powerpack on long transatlantic flights. There’s also an effective power management system which can optimize battery usage for different operating modes (presentation, super saver, desktop use etc)

Final Words :

Thats about it on the tech side. Lets now discuss what kind of folks should consider the T42, given it's features and steep price. Yep, thats the sad part, In India they are outrageously priced at nearly a lakh. It's also not on the cutting edge, and is definitely not a gaming machine. For College students there are far cheaper alternatives, with Celeron and Sempron processors. Gamers should look at an high-end Alienware, Compaq, Acer and Dell. Mktg executives, who travel a lot should consider the X series. For general family or pure desktop use, the R series (R50, R51) is the way to go if looks are not a factor. It's an uglier and a fatter version of the T series with a magnesium alloy chasis, and lacks a few features such as the fingerprint reader. It however costs an affordable 53K or so. The T42 however would be ideal for Corporate Managers and businessmen who dont give a damn about new fangled features but want a notebook that is easy and comfortable to use, offering solid data protection, good connectivity and great durability. Few laptops have the prized distinction of being totally stress proof and the T42 is one of them.