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Rick Rizner, John Goddard
In the notebook downsizing race, IBM finally catches up to the competition with the new ThinkPad X40. The thin wedge-shaped unit weighs just 3.2 pounds and measures 1.3 inches tall at the hinges. Fujitsu and Compaq conquered that territory a long time ago with sub- 3-pound versions of the LifeBook and Evo, respectively. But this is IBM's thinnest and lightest notebook yet, which should excite ThinkPad fans. And the X40 enjoys one huge trump card over all other ultraportables: It has a great keyboard.
The $2299 X40 remains true to the ThinkPad look and feel with the same trademark black case, red eraserhead, blue Enter key, and tidy set of audio buttons and help shortcuts. Though the screen is only 12.1 inches, it's bright and crisp. But the real star of the show is the keyboard. It is by necessity smaller than a standard notebook's keyboard, yet it still feels full-size. The X40's secret is a near full keystroke and pitch: 2.5mm and 18.5mm, respectively, compared with 3mm and 19mm for many other models, according to IBM. It's an amazing feat considering that on other ultraportables we struggle along with typing that feels cramped, shallow, or both.
The X40 should be easy to upgrade, another minor miracle in the ultraportable world. It comes with 256MB of RAM built...