Notebook IBM TP X21 or Sony Vaio R505 . .

[Poseidon]

If you had to choose between the following, which would you choose?
IBM ThinkPad X21
PIII 700
128 SD RAM (expandable to 384)
20 GB HD
12.1 TFT Screen (1024 x 768)
Ultrabase x2 Media Slice (MM Kit)
24x-10x CD-ROM Ultrabay Drive
3 –year warranty parts & labor

or. .

Sony Vaio R505
PIII 750
128 SD RAM (expandable to 320) ?
15GB HD
12.1 TFT (1024 x 768)
Docking Station w/ DVD ROM Drive
1-year warranty parts & labor

The operating system will be W2K Pro with Office 2000 Std.

Both cost about the same +/- $300 USD and both weigh (w/out the base) under 4 lbs.
I am steering towards the IBM, and my boss towards the Sony.

It will be for a new salesperson who will be spending a lot of time on the road.

[MasterEvilAce]

Probably.. i'd go with IBM..

3 Year warranty.. cuz the average price to get a laptop fixed is 700-900$.. (I read this)

Plus, you have better HD, etc.
but 50mhz less, you probably won't see a change

you also need to look at battery life
if one gives u 1 hour, but the other double that, go with the better battery.

it is up to you tho..

[Poseidon]

Oops . forgot to mention the batteries:

IBM 4 - 4.9 hours average
Sony 3 - 4.5 hours average

(or so the sales people claim)

[MasterEvilAce]

I'm holding at the IBM..

I see no real advantage to the Sony..
If you are gonna be on the road alot, you probably won't need the docking station.. and chances are you may not be watching DVD if this is for business

[JungleMan1]

IBM is a great make of computer. I'd get that. While Sony does have the K models, which they do offer Windows 2000 technical support for, they only give you 90 days. Don't know how much better IBM is with that...

Which model is smaller?

I have a Sony and I haven't had many issues with the actual PC itself, just lousy tech support.

[cyberhh]

Personally I like Sony, however for a business line - IBM would be the better choice - fantastic support, great quality.

[d0cman]

Don't know about the Sony, but the Ultrabase that the IBM uses, can remove the DVD drive and put in a zip drive, cd-rw (yes IBM does have one), floptical or even another hard drive. The bay is called an Ultrabay 2000 and is IBM proprietary (the only drawback).

With the batteries, I'd take that with a big grain of salt ... take what the sales staff say and take about 1 hour off of it for normal usage ... the battery will last as long as they say if you boot to the bios and don't do anything (a maximum rating only).

I've played with the X20 and I think it's a sweet machine. Very thin and you can get an internal miniPCI NIC/modem combo and leave the PCMCIA bay free.

The warranty is an easyserve (ship-in to the main depot at no shipping cost to you) or carry-in to local servicer.

Also, it sounds like the Sony's dock might be a bit cumbersome. Strap the thinkpad onto the ultrabase and you can pickup the thinkpad and the base and use it where-ever and not need to plug it into AC (although it will drain the battery considerably faster).

Do I sound like a salesman? Well, I'm not, I just like them and worked with them exclusively for 2 years

[MasterEvilAce]

You sound as if under the influence..

Just Kidding,

Does this clear some things up Between IBM Vs Sony?

What are you gonna pick?

[Triumph]

I love Sony's design. I hate their proprietary Memory Stick. I love how small they are. I hate their support. I love the color and design. I hate how small the screen is at 1024 x 768.

Ok, I love Sony but weighing in the support factor, sorry but IBM gets my nod but black? Come on IBM and make a tie die looking computer.

[Poseidon]

Originally posted by Jungle Man:
. . .
Which model is smaller?. . ..

It is my understanding that both are close to the same size. Both under 4 lbs, same viewing area etc.

Cut a P.O. for the IBM today.

Thanks for all the responses.