IBM ThinkPad T30 2366-41M
IBM's T30 offers a good balance of performance and portability. It weighs 2.5kg and features a powerful 1.8GHz Pentium 4 processor. Inside you will find the same IBM hard disk drive that you will find in other notebooks, as well as the same graphics processor, DVD drive, and RAM.
But what makes the T30 so different to the other notebooks is how IBM packages it all together. The titanium composite in the top and bottom covers keeps the notebook robust and light at the same time. Like most of the other notebooks, the T30 offers Wi-Fi, but it also has a dual antenna system built into the display for increased signal strength.
The T30 also has a ThinkLight—a small light that illuminates the keyboard—which is a great feature that gives you the flexibility to keep working in low-light conditions. Other nice design features include the differently-coloured function keys, and the flexibility of using a track-point or glide pad.
The T30 has an easy-open cover that can be unlatched and opened with just one hand. Another feature is the airbag—on the base of the T30 is a small air cushion the size of a 5-cent coin. This would take most of the impact if the notebook was ever dropped (provided it fell straight down, of course).
On the performance side, the IBM was second fastest overall. The Dell was only notebook that was faster—probably because it featured a faster processor. Battery life was a bit disappointing; the IBM could only manage to run our Battery Mark test for 2 hours and 21 minutes. However, this is really a worst case scenario, and in real life we would expect it to last longer.
| Product: | IBM ThinkPad T30 2366-41M |
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| Price: | AU$4699 |
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| Vendor: | IBM |
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| Phone: | 1800 289 426 |
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| Web: | www.ibm.com.au |
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| Interoperability: |
No FireWire port. |
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| Futureproofing: |
½
Very fast 40GB hard disk. |
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| ROI: |
A little expensive, excellent build quality. |
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| Service: |
3-year warranty. |
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| Rating: |
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6%
1%
