R series or T ?

Hi all,

I will be purchasing a new notebook and was wondering if the R series or T would suit me best.

I have never owned an IBM, so I am not familiar with the line.
I noticed that the R series includes firewire. I have never used firewire and my wife's Dell D600 doesn't even have Firewire.

Would I be missing anything by going with a T series and not having Firewire? What is Firewire used for mostly?

I also noticed that different notebook configurations may or may not have Bluetooth. Is this worth having, or is infraRed just as good?

I am a real estate agent and would travel frequently with my notebook. According to the IBM specs, the R series tends to be heavier than the T. Also, should I go with 15" or 14.1" screen?

Thanks for any feedback. I just want to make an informed decision and be happy with the $$ I will spend.

Thanks,
Erik

 

1) Firewire is mostly used for video file transfers like from a camcorder, but can be used for other things like external hard drives or burners. You can always add a PCMCIA firewire card, if you need it in the future.
2) Bluetooth is a wireless networking standard. It is used for syncing phones and PDAs to your laptop, or connecting a wireless mouse or printer. If you don't think you'll be using it, I would not spend the extra cash.

3) If I were carrying around the laptop, I would get the 14" screen. It is about a pound lighter. I personally think the 14" ThinkPad is the perfect sized notebook.

Good Luck.







I was robbed by a sweet little old lady on a motorized cart and I didn't even see it coming.

-Lloyd Christmas


Thinkpad T42:
* 1.8Ghz Pentium M * 1.5GB Memory * 60GB Hitachi 7200RPM * 15" SXGA+ Flexview * MultiBurner * Win 2k *

 

If you plan on traveling frequently with your notebook, I would probably gravitate towards the T-series simply because it is a better constructed computer that also happens to be lighter as well. The R-series is made mostly of ABS plastics while the T-series actually has a magnessium lid and a titanium reinforced chassis.

 

I recently just purchased a T42 myself and loving it. I'm not sure what your budget is, but the one I bought cost me about $1,487 from PCNation.com Heres a link if you want to check it out, I think for the money, it's a very good machine. And it's VERY light, my Dad couldnt believe it was in the box cause it was so light. The build is very nice, hinges are solid metal from what I see, and its just a wonderful machine if you ask me.

I lost the link to it for PCNation, but heres one from Newegg.com for about the same price, but with PCNation you get free 2-3 day shipping. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=34-146-046&depa=3