IBM's ThinkPad T23 may be a thin-and-light notebook, but it's no diet drink. This portable serves up substantial servings of both power and features that will satisfy any traveller's appetite.

Only executive types, though, will be able to digest its rich price. The AU$7699 ThinkPad T23 comes hot from the kitchen with a full plate, including a fast 1.2GHz mobile Pentium III-M; 256MB of 133MHz SDRAM (configurable to 1GB); a whopping 48GB hard drive; a 16MB S3 Graphics SuperSavage/IXc graphics chipset; and Windows XP Pro. You also get a CD-R/RW drive in a modular UltraBay Plus. Options for this bay include a combo DVD/CD-R/CD-RW, DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, LS-240, floppy, or a second hard drive. All these features fit into a 44 x 39 x 5cm black chassis that weighs a surprisingly light 2.5kg (not including the AC adaptor).

The ThinkPad T23 also offers a smorgasbord of ports and slots: parallel, VGA-out, microphone, speaker/headphone, S-Video-out, infrared, RJ-11 (for the built-in V.92 modem), RJ-45 (for the built-in 10/100 Ethernet port), two USB, and two Type II (one Type III) PC Card slots. Both 802.11b and Bluetooth wireless-communication antennae are built into the display frame (a location which improves signal strength, according to IBM, though some would disagree). The one connection the ThinkPad T23 lacks is IEEE 1394, which cuts off more-advanced users from faster storage and digital-media devices. More ports (but not IEEE 1394) and bays can be had with the optional port replicator (AU$309) or docking station (AU$1199).

Security is another strong point with the ThinkPad T23. As with the ThinkPad A30p, Big Blue includes its IBM Embedded Security system, which meshes a cryptographic chip with client software. Having embedding security at the hardware level makes the system harder to crack than with software alone.

When you open the ThinkPad T23, you'll find a good-quality display and keyboard. The 14.1in (diagonal) TFT active-matrix screen is brightly lit and has a native resolution of 1400 x 1050 pixels. This means details look crisper and you can fit more on the screenâ€"but fonts may look small by some people's standards. The full-sized keyboard maintains a standard layout and includes thoughtful details such as a space between the right Shift key and the inverted-T cursor pad, to prevent hitting one instead of the other by mistake. The keys feel solid and responsive. An eraserlike TrackPoint input device is nestled in the middle of the keyboard; it moves accurately, but our fingers tired quickly pushing it around. Right- and left-click buttons and a scrolling button are located in the palm rest beneath the spacebar. The space above the keyboard contains the on/off button, three volume buttons, and the ThinkPad button, which launches access to online and on-system information.

The ThinkPad T23 shares one important trait with its bigger, heavier cousin, the ThinkPad A30p. Namely, they both cranked in our Labs' tests. For this review, we pitted the T23 against the similarly configured Dell Inspiron 4100. The ThinkPad's overall score of 134 is one of the highest we've seen, far outstripping the Dell, which was probably hobbled by a slower 4200rpm hard drive. The Dell had the last laugh in battery life, though, holding out for long 218 minutes compared to the ThinkPad T23's adequate 170 minutes.

IBM's support for the ThinkPad T23 is very good, starting with a three-year parts and labour warranty. You might find the return to base service inconvenientâ€"you'll have to upgrade your support plan to get onsite service. IBM's hard-copy documentation is thorough and effective; so is its electronic counterpart, the easy-to-use ThinkPad Assistant, which comes preinstalled on the T23's hard drive. IBM's Web site contains a knowledge base, moderated discussion forums, and downloadable upgrades and docs, all of which you can navigate by model name but not through a general search. E-mail support is available via the Online Assistant, but you have to jump through an annoying Q&A session and other hoops to get to it. The support Web site can be accessed more quickly using the ThinkPad's Start button, which is under the Access ThinkPad icon.

The IBM ThinkPad T23 knows how to dish it out, be it speed, useful features, or general quality of components. But it's a rich meal in terms of price, as well as ingredients. If your expense account can't afford such luxuries, you can buy another T-series notebook with a mere CD-ROM drive, a slower CPU, a smaller hard drive, and so on for around AU$4699.

Product:	IBM ThinkPad T23 2647-9SA
Price:	AU$7699
Vendor:	IBM
Phone:	13 24 26
Interoperability:	Comes equipped with 1.2 Ghz mobile Pentium III-M, 256MB of 133Mhz SDRAM, 48GB hard drive, XP Pro and more.
Futureproofing:	Lots of power and features to satisfy the most exclusive user.
ROI:	Pricey, but you get your money's worth.
Service:	3-year parts and labour warranty. System battery 1-year warranty. Express pickup and delivery.
Rating:

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