Originally posted by gearhead:
Originally posted by loggerbomb:
I didnt suggest IBM because i never see any ads for them,



IBM is now Lenovo. The only thing that has changed is the name. They're still assembled in Raleigh, NC. They are still the BEST...especially the T series because the T stands for the titanium case....very rugged. I use one for work everyday and it gets bumped around a LOT. I've had NO PROBLEMS with it. Of course, I AM biased since I work for IBM.



As a Lenovo employee - let's clear a few things up here. The laptops are made in China, but find me a competitor's laptop that is not. Not a single thing has changed in terms of the quality since we became Lenovo a year ago. I've got Gartner studies that show our TCO to be industry best. The hallmark of ThinkPads is that they are designed to be very durable and resilient vs. the mainstream competition (no, they are not as rugged as a Toughbook, but they are far more durable than a Dell/HP/Toshiba). A 180 lb person can stand on top of a closed ThinkPad and not crack the screen. Try that on a Dell. Plus we don't need to sell fire extinguishers with our laptops.

In any event, keep in mind the T's are a magnesium top and titanium bottom (of which I have had a T23, T40, T40p, and currently a T43p with nary a problem). R-series is T-series technology wrapped in ABS plastic instead of Magnesium/Titanium. A little less expensive but a bit heavier.

For the more price conscious consumer, I'd suggest considering the V100 within the 3000 Family. It's a 12.1" widescreen offering core duo processors. 3000's are geared to consumer/small business, so they aren't as feature laden as the Think branded product (fewer thinkvantage technology type features), but are offered at a much lower price point.

I'm more than happy to share my Employee Purchase info for anyone interested, though fatwallet often has links to good deals.

Jim H 95 Midnight Blue SE (Sold) 98.5 Silver Frost E1 (Sold) '04 G35 6MT Sedan (Sold) '01 Aurora 4.0