IBM ThinkPad T41 (23737FU) Notebook PC (1.6 GHz Penium M Centrino, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Combo)

Rating:
Summary: I love my T41
Review: buy 2 gigabytes of ram on the web for about $500 instead of upgrading through IBM, get the IBM a/b/g wireless and you will enjoy the best computing I have ever seen -- other computers I use are dell 600m and desktops, this is fast and with best keyboard and great screen
Jeff

Rating:
Summary: Zippy, dependable, and a joy to use
Review: I have a 14-month old T40, which is nearly identical to this T41. My T40 ThinkPad has been extremely dependable. Also, as with other IBM ThinkPads, the keyboard, display, and general design make it a joy to use. It is also the smallest and lightest full-featured laptop I've ever own or used.

The build quality is very good. The bottom does not get very hot on your lap, unlike the competing models by other manufacturers. The hard drive is zippy, as are the processor and RAM.

I've never had a problem getting through to technical support (though I have not needed them too often). Once, I was having a very minor problem with the keyboard; I called them and they overnighted a whole new keyboard to me.

The only issue is that the battery life is less than advertised - about 2.5 hours on a single charge rather than 4-5. This is long enough to watch a DVD on a transcontinental flight. But not enough to watch a DVD *and* play games (or, God forbid, get some work done) during the flight.

The ThinkPad may cost a few extra Robert DeNiros, but when you consider that you're going to have and use your laptop for 2-4 years, I think it's well worth paying extra to have a machine that is so well-designed and such a joy to use.