Lenovo ThinkPad R32 (tw300uk) PC Notebook

The latest model in IBMs line of bargain ThinkPads, the ThinkPad R32 offers the same great design as its predecessor: a great keyboard, wireless Wi-Fi (802.11b) antennas, and a roomy 14.1-inch screen, all in a package under 6 pounds. With the R32, the line graduates to Intels mobile Pentium 4 chip. Though this processor is a drain on some notebooks, the 1.8-GHz/1.2-GHz Pentium 4-M chip in our review model did not stand in the way of a good, 3-hour battery life--a 25 percent improvement over the performance turned in by the last R-series ThinkPad we reviewed, the R30. You can stretch that life even more by swapping out the notebooks optical drive (a DVD-ROM in our machine) for an optional second battery. Other modular-bay options include a second hard drive and a Zip 250 drive.