Lenovo/IBM T43

[query]

Just bought myself a new notebook - end of model clearance.  It's a ThinkPad T43p, 2 GHz Pentium M/533 bus, single 1G DDR-2 PC4200 module (room for one more), 80G Fujitsu 5400 rpm drive, 15" Ultra XGA (1600X1200) screen, 8X DVDRW drive (Matsushita), 3-year warranty.

The build quality of the ThinkPads is still class-leading - no creaky plastic (are you listening, Dell and HPaq)?  Solid metal hinges, open and close easily, and a tactile keyboard missing from every other notebook I have tried lately.

The integrated fingerprint reader is a nice touch for security at bootup and logon to Windows.  

ThinkPads are not exactly cheap, but at $1499 on clearance, this one was a relative bargain considering the features.

It would appear Lenovo left well enough alone with the ThinkPads - their sales support is responsive and their shipping committments accurate.  I have no experience with technical support but do with ThinkCentre desktops - they're head and shoulders above anything from Dell, HPaq, Sony, or just about every vendor out there except for Apple, which is at approximate parity in quality and responsiveness.

The old adage goes - you get what you pay for, and with a ThinkPad, you get a rock-solid, cool-running system - my work system is slower (1.7 GHz) and a Dell, and could double as a toaster.  The ThinkPad barely gets warm even after several hours of operation.

If you're looking for the Lexus of the notebook world, it's still a ThinkPad.