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TEST DRIVE
ThinkPad hurt by sales strategy

By Simson L. Garfinkel, Globe Correspondent, 12/23/1999

ver the past year I have reviewed three ultralight laptops: the Sony VAIO 505 ($1,600), the Acer TravelMate 332T ($2,000), and the Sharp Actius PC-A250 ($2,150). Imagine my surprise when I discovered IBM's stealth entry into this field, the ThinkPad 240.

Priced at $1,700, this 2.9-pound laptop's specs are similar to the competition's: It has a 366Mhz Celeron processor, 64 megabytes of RAM (expandable to 192 megabytes), a 10.4-inch screen, 6.4 gigabyte hard drive, built-in modem, and a single Type II PCMCIA card. With the standard 90-minute battery, the laptop is just 1 inch thick; with the optional high-capacity battery you get three hours of computing time and a bulge on the bottom of the computer that nicely slopes the keyboard. An external floppy disk drive is standard, but the CD-ROM is optional.

Where the ThinkPad 240 stands out is its keyboard. Although it's nearly the same size as Sony's, and smaller than Acer's and Sharp's, it is remarkably comfortable to use. I recently had to write something in a hurry, and ended up typing on the keyboard for days on end without undue stress. Another important difference is the pointing device: Although the other ultralights have a touch-pad, the 240 uses IBM's TrakPoint, a tiny stick nestled between the G, H, and B keys.

Another significant difference is the case: Instead of brushed magnesium, the 240's case is carbon fiber, which looks better than a metal case and doesn't scuff or scratch as easily.

Like other ThinkPads, the 240 comes with Norton Anti-Virus, RingCentral's combination fax/voice mail package, and a full copy of Lotus Smart Suite (including Lotus Word Pro, Lotus Freelance Graphics, Lotus Organizer, Lotus Approach, and Lotus Fast Site). The hard drive comes split into two partitions, a C: drive and a D: drive. This is bound to be confusing to some users, although it's handy if you want to run Windows 98 and either NT or Linux.

Unlike the other ultralights, the 240 can be a bit tricky when used at the office. That's because there isn't a separate interface for the CD-ROM: You need to use the PCMCIA slot, which means that you can't use both the CD-ROM and a PCMCIA Ethernet card at the same time. One way around this is to use a USB Ethernet adapter; another option is to use a parallel port CD-ROM drive.

But the biggest problem with the 240 is IBM's sales strategy. Designed solely for the business market, the 240 can be purchased over the Web from stor es like Warehouse.com but it can't be purchased in retail stores. This isn't a problem for service, as IBM offers a one-year limited warranty with a door-to-door courier repair service, but it is a problem for people who like to bang on the keys before they plunk down nearly $2,000.

Overall I like the 240. It does a much better job with suspend/resume than any of the other ultralight laptops I've tried. It has a very readable screen and a great keyboard. What's more, ThinkPads have an excellent reputation for durability. I just wish that IBM would sell them in the stores.

This story ran on page D04 of the Boston Globe on 12/23/1999.
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.