All those flashy laptop computer electronics stores and the big-name dot-coms all have their place when you're shopping for laptop computers and other electronics. Nevertheless, alternatives--some off the beaten path--can give you broader choices and much better prices.
Smaller online stores and other less-traveled marketplaces provide an entirely different laptop computer sale shopping experience. You can also save big money by going with factory recertified or refurbished products. Plus, you don't have to be a techie to shop at these alternative locations. You just need a sense of shopping adventure and a desire to discover the best deals and products that you might not have known about. It helps to not be in a hurry--some of these alternative shopping methods take more time than just running downtown, but patience can save you some serious dollars.
For every Best Buy, Circuit City and other megastore selling laptops, thousands of smaller shops offer much better laptop computer sale pricing. These small companies include online arms of regional businesses, mom-and-pop operations, and lesser-known Web-only stores. These companies usually offer much better prices than the major hitters and a higher level of personalized service. They may also sell obscure what-cha-ma-call-its that you've given up on finding. Let's take a look at a recent laptop computer sale price comparison.
Compare this pricing:
(The same model with identical features & specs.)
That's a price variation of $518.06. It pays to shop around!
IBM T42 ThinkPad:
A mainstay of business-pros around the world and a favorite for those who want to have the comforts of a desktop on the road, the T42 raises IBM's thin-and-light model to new heights. This system still keeps the classic IBM look, including the titanium-composite case and best-in-class keyboard, but it's now available in 14.1-or 15-inch versions along with Intel's faster Pentium M processor.
This is a totally up-to-date notebook that has a second-generation 1.7-GHz Pentium M 735 processor and 512MB of RAM. The high-performance 5,400-RPM hard drive benefits from a reasonably fast combo DVD/CD-RW optical drive, with a DVD burner available as an option. The T42 has a 32MB ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics accelerator and a sharp wide-angle XGA display, making it perfect for those Powerpoint presentations.
The machine is full of useful touches, including a built-in security chip and IBM's Rescue and Recovery software, which is useful for rebuilding a trashed hard drive and restoring your data. The T42 also contains an accelerometer that, in the case of a fall, pulls the hard drive's read-write heads away from the fragile disk to reduce damage.
With audio, S-Video parallel, and external-monitor ports (VGA), the T42 covers the basics very well. There are plugs for gigabit wired Ethernet and a V.92 modem, and room for a pair of Type II PC Cards or a single Type III card.
As usual, IBM provides a great mix of software, including utilities for getting the most out of the system's battery, updating software, and PC Doctor Diagnostics for checking on most components. This XP Pro equipped notebook comes with a three year warranty that covers everything except the battery, which is covered for one year.
The only drawbacks are the lack of a floppy drive or a media card slot in its place. But again, a small detachable jump drive in one of the USB ports will cover quick back-ups of important data.
The T42 carries on the ThinkPad tradition of squeezing an up-to-date system and a group of customer-pleasing features into a compact case. I highly recommend this thin and light business notebook.
IBM Quick-Take:
Foregoing an optical drive as standard helps keep weight to a minimum - just 1.2kg - and the X60 ships with Intel's mobile Core Duo CPUs, offering significant performance gains over and above the present X41 for applications that are multi-threaded in nature. Hell, dual-core CPUs are just damn nice.
