Best laptop for law school... must have good keyboard

[Deleted member 4644]

So I will be headed to law school in fall and as sad as I am, I cannot use the cool new MacBook Pro.

So that means it's time for a new PC lappy. I want something with a great keyboard, but I would also like something light. (That's why I liked the MacBook).

Money isn't a huge concern, although something cheaper would obviously be nice. I don't need super game power or a 20" screen because I will have a PC desktop at home for stuff like that.

Thanks!

 

[InlineFour]

ibm x41 - full size keyboard and relatively small footprint.

 

[RallyMaster]

might want to look into Lenovo's ThinkPads...which did go under the IBM name before it got bought out.

 

[johnnyMon]

I just got the previous model ThinkPad T42 and am very happy with it. Awesome keyboard, great ergonomics. Screen is very good but not as crisp as Sharp or Toshiba and needs more different brightness levels (I'd like two more levels between the brightest and the next brightest). Overall, it's a solid choice, it will work when you turn it on and is very comfortable to use. Not too heavy. I recommend the exact model I bought as it has a 3 year warranty and is well-configured for the price. Doesn't have a DVD burner; does not come with any bundled word processing software. The T43 (current model) is about 5% faster, has no other new features to speak of, and has a slightly shorter battery life to match the faster chipset.

Model is T42 2379RHU. If you called PC Connection right now, you'd have it tomorrow, assuming you're in a big city.

Link to PC Connection: http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?Sku=6195911
Link to Lenovo: http://www-131.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?categoryId=204
168&storeId=10000001&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&re=tptevp_tab

 

[orion23]

Laptops are all about size, weight and how they feel in your hands.
Best thing to do, would be to go a store and check them out, bestbuy, circuitcity, compusa. You should also try the Dell store at your mall or so. Dell makes very nice notebooks.
See which one you like best and compare prices online!

 

[modedepe]

Another happy IBM user here (T41p in my case). IBM has always had a very good reputation as far as keyboards go, certainly the case for my model. I'd recommend the T series if you want something with a slightly larger screen (14 or 15") and packs pretty good power into a small package (about 1" thick and under 5 lbs). If you need something even smaller then look at the X series which have 12" screens, no built-in optical drive, and can be configured at under 3 lbs.

 

[UltraPenguin]

I like the portability of the IBM/Lenovo X series. Excellent build quality and keyboard. The new X60 looks pretty nice.

The lack of optical drive on a notebook isn't a issue for me, since the only time I use a optical drive is to install software.