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 IBM ThinkPad T43The business notebook to beat. Price:
$2,199
Every new version of IBM's venerable ThinkPad T series is a highly anticipated release, and the T43 is no exception. Basically a Sonoma version of the T42, this next-generation T may not be as fast as its predecessor and has packed on a little weight, but it fits like a T by balancing performance and battery life in a travel-friendly package.
With dimensions of 1.2 x 12.1 x 9.8 inches, the ThinkPad T43 is a dead ringer for the current T42 model, and it has the same optional fingerprint detector below the keyboard for instant authentication for everything from your corporate network to your eBay account. Unfortunately, at 5.5 pounds, the T43 has picked up an extra ounce compared to the T42. Few will notice the heft, but it's heavier and thicker than Fujitsu's similarly configured LifeBook. It's all muscle, however, because the extra weight is the result of increasing the size of extended battery pack. Underneath the classic ThinkPad black skin is a 1.86-GHz Pentium M 750 processor, a 5,400-rpm hard drive and 512MB of 533-MHz SDRAM. IBM sells systems with 1.6- through 2.13-GHz processors, up to 2GB of memory and 5,400-rpm hard drives as large as 100GB, as well as a super-fast 7,200-rpm, 60GB model. In addition to upgrading the ATI graphics engine to a PCI Express-based X300 accelerator with 64MB of its own memory, the T43 has a 14.1-inch screen with SXGA+ resolution. IBM offers a less expensive XGA version, as well as 15-inch displays. The system's DVD Multi burner rounds out the components, making this one of the best-equipped business systems available. The T43's complement of ports is a step up from the T42 in one major regard: It has an ExpressCard slot. However, the cards needed to fill it will remain few and far between for some time to come. In the long run, going from a pair of Type II PC cards to a single one will be an advantage. In addition to a pair of USB connectors, there are ports for an external monitor, S-video, parallel, and audio-in and -out, Like previous efforts, the T43 lacks a flash memory reader and a FireWire port. It does have an infrared window for wireless transfers, gigabit networking, a 56K modem and an Intel Pro/Wireless 2200 802.11b/g wireless networking card. Adding Bluetooth and swapping for an IBM Wi-Fi radio or Intel's 802.11a/b/g card are options. In addition to a spotlight on the case lid for late-night work, the T43 has one of IBM's best keyboards, with sculpted 19mm keys and a generous 2mm of depth. There are keys for volume-up and -down as well as a handy mute button, and, like earlier Ts, this one has both a touchpad and a pointing stick. This notebook also has the light blue Access IBM key, which opens up a world of support and troubleshooting. As good as its hardware is, the T43's performance is a disappointment, with slower T42s blowing by it. Despite the faster CPU and memory, the T43's MobileMark 2002 score of 144 is well off the pace set by the T42 just a few months ago. Its 5 hour and 23 minute battery life more than makes up for its lack of speed, but if you get the lighter standard battery pack, expect to lose at least an hour. Regardless of whether it's in the office or at a hot spot, this is one of the best online machines anywhere, with throughput of over 14 Mbps and a range of 115 feet. On the downside, using Wi-Fi eats up 43 minutes of battery time, making it one of the hungriest radios we've ever seen. In addition to Windows XP Professional, the machine comes with several business-oriented programs, including the software for using the fingerprint reader, IBM Rescue and Recovery (for backups), IBM Update Connector (for the remote upgrading of system software), and a 90-day subscription to Norton AntiVirus 2005. Because of its business pretensions, the T43 comes with a three-year warranty, although IBM should be ashamed for covering the battery pack for only a year. At $2,199, the T43 is not cheap, but it is priced in the same ballpark as new corporate workhorses from Dell and HP. We expect many changes in the coming months as Lenovo takes over designing, building, and selling ThinkPads. One thing is for certain: The T43 is a winner. Compare Prices | IBM ThinkPad T43 Specifications
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