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06-27-08
Duration of ownership: 2 Years
Strengths: Fairly rugged build (i.e. strong hinges, tough exterior, etc), good wireless range, hard drive airbag, IBM battery level indicator
Weaknesses:Dim screen brightness
Overall Evaluation: I use a T42 at work and that's how I discovered this wonderful laptop. The most important feature to me in a laptop is build quality. I'm not into plastic and flimsy construction--you will find no such thing in this machine. It feels solid. Secondly, the battery life is pretty decent. I've never gotten 4-5 hours out of the battery like other reviewers but I'd say I get at least 2-3 (wireless on and monitor at the highest brightness setting) which is good enough for home use. Now a few weaknesses. The screen is a lot dimmer than other laptops I've used and a lot dimmer than my flatpanel for my desktop. But here's the trick: I figured out that you can actually set the screen to be brighter by changing a setting in the BIOS. So if you do that and then raise the brightness all the way upon boot it looks better. It's not a large drawback when you get used to it. Finally, I bought mine as a refurb and lately I've noticed that a screw on the bottom of the case is loose. The threads must be stripped because I cannot get it to screw back and be snug. But not anything I can't fix or live with. Overall the T42 is a great machine. I use it primarily for internet browsing and email via wireless and it is fast enough for that. Like another reviewer I'll also add 512MB of RAM to speed it up a bit. It's definitely worth the money I paid for a refurb.
07-12-05
Duration of ownership: 90 Days
Strengths: Lightweight, great wireless internet access afforded by the Centrino chip, great mousepad
Weaknesses:The keyboard doesn't provide the full functionality for shortcuts that a PC keyboard has
Overall Evaluation: For three months, the T42 has enabled me to access wifi internet with extreme ease. The smaller size and long-life battery make this laptop extremely carryable for the average business traveler. The computer also processes numerous programs at a very fast speed and has never given me major problems.
04-05-05
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: 1.) Built in 802.11b/g has great range.2.) Absolutely wonderful battery life of 4-5 hours.3.) Great keyboard with full size feel.4.) Night light! Yes a night light to shine on keyboard in dark.
Weaknesses:None to speak of. Placement of the function key could be between the Ctrl and Alt keys. Only two USB ports.
Overall Evaluation: Research can get you a long way. I am an IT purchaser, software developer, and home user. For company use I purchase Dell only - usually. I am real happy I made an exception this time. This laptop has many features that put it over the top. The only modification I have made is to install an additional 512k memory (total now of 1MB). The memory install was pretty simple in the empty memory slot. The slot has metal tabs to separate that are a little more than tough on the fingers. Note to IBM, make the next model use plastic. Some of the features that have impressed me: 1.) It has built in 802.11b/g card that works real well. I get great reception due to the two antennas built in. They are those strange rubber tabs on the outside edge of the screen. 2.) Great keyboard feel. They keys are full size! The tactile feel is one of the best I've felt on a laptop. I'd like to see the Function (Fn) key placed somewhere different than the bottom left where I always go for the Ctrl and Alt keys. Suggestion to IBM, move the Fn key between the Ctrl and Alt keys like standard Windows keyboards have the Windows Start key. Extra keys include a forward and backward button that works well in IE, separate volume/mute keys, and ability to save power by turning off the wireless card when not in use. 3.) Speaking of saving power. The average actual battery life I have experienced is 4 ? 5 hours! That includes using the wireless card and having the brightness contrast at a decent level. Average settings get above average battery life. 3.) Lightweight and very slim. I bought an IBM bag and the laptop only takes about a third of the available space. There may be lighter laptops but this seems light for a 15" screen. 4.) Hard Drive Airbag! Yes I said air bag. Ever considered what could happen if you drop your laptop? I don't know of anyone else that has this. 5.) Night Light! Yes another innovative feature. A light shines down from the top of the monitor with the click of two keys. The light is wonderful when you are working with presentations with the lights out, traveling overnight, or at home while working. 6.) IBM Software does a decent job monitor the system for you. The battery indicator they add is much better than the standard XP one. Overall I love this laptop compared to the Dell, HP Sony, Toshiba and WinBook laptops I have seen and used. Hopefully this research will help make your decision easier. The items I listed above were things I did not realize when I did my research and I though I did a thorough job researching this product.
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