IBM Thinkpad R40e

We have used this laptop as an extra wireless workstation in the house and never had a problem. We gave it a tuneup every six months or so and it runs Windows XP Pro w/Office 2003 just fine. Internet, Windows Messenger, email, Fireworks and Dreamweaver are also loaded and run great!

The R40e Thinkpad is probably IBM's bottom range product - but don't be put off.

I bought mine for £600 seemed a real bargain at the time. Since then the price has dropped further - see below.

If you want a basic home and office laptop without frills then this machine is an excellent contender. Bear in mind it is not pretending to be an entertainment centre - just a good quality basic workhorse at a good price.

14.1" screen keeps the size compact and has excellent readability.

DVD/ROM: - not a writer but do you really need a CD writer in your laptop.

USB: Only two provided but plenty for normal applications(one at the side, one at the back).

Touch Pad: Uses the IBM trackpoint device in place of a touchpad. I, like many others prefer the trackpoint device.

Memory: 30GB HD, 256MB Ram

Expansion: PCMCIA + Add In Card compartment

Reliability: This machine has travelled up and down the country with me for 12 months. It still looks and operates like new.

I did have a problem after 11 months, when a lightening strike hit a local telephone cable and knocked out the modem. (Everything else continued to work).

My supplier EuroSimm suggested I contact IBM for a Warranty repair. Again to my surprise this turned out to be much simpler than I had anticipated. After some initial 'over the phone' trial diagnosis I was asked to deliver the machine to a local transport depot. Three days later it was back for collection and in full health.

To continue my list of surprises I noticed recently (Dec 04) that Eurosimm are offering more of the same for £500. I can only describe it as a bargain.