IBM Thinkpad T22 P3-1ghz 32gb 256mb W2k 14-sxga+

WHAT'S HOT: Like its T20 and T21 predecessors, the ThinkPad T22 boasts a 14.1-inch, high-resolution screen and weighs only about 5.5 pounds--a dynamite combination of generous screen size and light weight. When you swap the internal 8X DVD-ROM drive that is included with this configuration for a hollow travel bezel from CompuLock ($20), the T22 tips the scales at less than 5 pounds. The internal bay can hold any one of six other devices, including the bundled floppy drive, a second battery, or even a second hard drive.

The T series laptops include all legacy connections and great built-in sound with handy volume controls. IBM's ThinkLight, a small LED mounted on the screen frame, lets you see the keyboard more easily in dark rooms. The notebook's UltraPort, located atop the screen under a rubber plug, accepts any of four small, extra-cost devices sold by IBM: a basic digital camera, a compact memory card reader, an infrared port, or a digital microphone. The microphone is $199; the other three accessories are priced at less than $100 each.

WHAT'S NOT: At $3251 the T22 is expensive, even for a 1-GHz laptop. And some things that you might expect to get for that price cost extra: A parallel port cable for attaching the floppy drive externally costs an additional $49, and free technical support ends after three years. Printed documentation consists of one slim troubleshooting manual, but electronic documentation is available as well.

WHAT ELSE: Identical in appearance to the older T20 and T21 models, the T22 has the same beveled black case, solid keyboard, comfortable mouse buttons, and fire-engine-red eraserhead pointer that ThinkPad fans have come to know and love. One change is a slightly easier-to-remove hard drive. With earlier T series laptops, you had to remove the battery first; now you extract just one large screw and then tug the hard drive out the T22's right side. An S-Video port lets you watch DVD movies on a television set. The T22 turned in average speed for its processor class, with a PC WorldBench 2000 score of 183. Its battery life of 3.2 hours was also about average.

UPSHOT: ThinkPad T laptops are no longer the lightest portables with 14.1-inch screens. Several competing 5-pound Windows notebooks, including the Acer TravelMate 600 series, now offer screens just as big. And Apple's 5.3-pound PowerBook G4 beats them all with a whopping 15.2-inch screen. Overall, however, the T22 offers a more sophisticated design and a greater number of small luxuries than the others; for businesses and well-heeled individuals who prefer the eraserhead pointing device and can afford a top-of-the-line light laptop, it's the best of breed.

SUMMARY

IBM ThinkPad T22 PC WorldBench 2000 score of 183, Pentium III-1000/700 CPU, 256MB of SDRAM, 256KB L2 cache, Windows 2000 Professional, 14.1-inch active-matrix screen, S3 Savage/IX graphics chip with 8MB of SGRAM, 32GB hard drive, 8X DVD-ROM drive, built-in V.90 modem and network interface, eraserhead pointing device, 6.8 pounds (including AC adapter and phone cord), Lotus SmartSuite Millennium Edition. Three-year parts and labor warranty; free unlimited toll-free 24-hour tech support during warranty period. $3251 888/746-7426 www.ibm.com/thinkpad