Looking for T43 Competitors: Light, Sturdy, Powerful

Check out the Dell d610. I just bought one (1.6gb + Radeon x300) for around $1200.00. Very nice laptop that seems to meet all your requirements.

TOshiba TECRA M3

Looks PERFECR, and has a MUCH MUCH better graphics chip (Geforce Go 6600 128MB), SXGA 14.1", Bluetooth, WiFi a/b/g, ONLY 5.0lbs

Its a good deal...and starting at $1349, I ordered mine for ~$1700 with the 1.6GHZ/915 chipset/512MB 533MHz SINGLE stick ram/XGA/DVD-CD/RW

I think he said Sturdy. Toshiba laptops are nowhere near that term.

Toshiba tecras are very sturdy. I'm still using an old 8100 (Piii, 600MHz) and have had only minor problems. Being a marine biologist and using this thing in the field (very high humidity, often screen covered in seawater-mist) the fact that this thing stull runs right along has conviced me that the tecra series IS made to be strudy, and my next lappy will be another tecra. I agree with you that the satelites are pretty weak, giving Toshiba a bad name. But it's kind of like comparing Dell's Latitude line to to their Inspirons.

IMO, the only competitor to the T43 is the Fujitsu S7010 (or S7020 in May '05).

Light 4.3 lbs. 3.85 lbs by removing optical bay and putting in the included drawer. I have the Crystal View screen and it is excellent. Rarely ny reflections at all, but it comes in a higher resolution non-Crystal View if you would rather have. Can be upgraded to 2 MB RAM, 1.8 Centrino 60GB 7200RPM or 100GB 5400RPM drive. Dual pointing devices. Bluetooth. Good battery life (3+ hours with standard battery and highest brightness). Thin and slim design. Built very sturdy. Basically the entire package.

I don't think Sonoma is worth it personally so I would opt for the S7010 over the S7020 as battery life is more important to me. But whatever floats your boat.

Oh and not to mention cheaper.

Has dedicated graphics... but the ASUS W3v (2 year global warranty, carbon fiber construction):

Intel Pentium-M 750 Dothan (1.86Ghz; 533mhz w/ 2mb Cache)
14" WXGA (1280 x 768) Color Shine (glaretype) LCD Panel
Asus W3V w/ Intel 915PM Chipset
512MB DDR2 533 (1 x 512) - up to 2GB supported
Hitachi 60GB; 5400RPM
ATI Mobility Radeon x600 PCI-Express Graphics w/ 64MB VRAM
Built-In Intel PRO/Wireless 2915 A/B/G miniPCI
8x Dual Layer DVD Burner
8-Cell Li-Ion; Approximately 4-5 hours of normal use life
(the US spec will come with the larger battery, standard)
Windows XP Pro w/ SP2
13" (length) x 9.7" (width) x 1.18"-1.28" (height) /
about 4.6 LBS (with 8 cell and travelers drawer)
2 year global parts and labor through ASUS

1899.

http://www.proportable.com/detail.aspx?ID=107

t43 has no fire wire! and i would get dedicated v-card(64mb) just for photoshop and pictures
the w3v is the best all around 14"
hp 6230 is very strong but battery life is a little short next to the t43

In my college, people break their Toshiba Tecras like there's no tomorrow.

I second (or third) the Asus model. There are a few Asus computers that should fit your requirements. Check out ProPortable to compare different models.

there's a rather long thread on the W3v in the Asus section of notebookreview.com I'd guess you could find the answer there.

The Asus W3V was a laptop that I considered before I bought my Fujitsu. However besides for the dediated graphics card it has nothing on the Fujitsu.

The Asus isn't available without the glare screen.
The Asus is not available to be customized. If you do customize it then you lose the warranty. Because it cant' be upgraded while keeping the International Warranty the specs aren't up to par with the Fujitsu.
The screen isn't as good as the Crystal View from Fujitsu.
Less Battery Life
Heavier
Thicker
Louder
Hotter
Fujitsu notebooks have a great reputation.
Asus doesn't yet have a reputation in the notebook industry

But your call. Both are good machines I'm sure.

You mentioned T43, so let me just add that the T43 is a "business" laptop, which means you have options that all of the laptops mentioned here don't have ... except the D610. Connectivity via a port replicator or docking station.

If you're really looking for a business laptop, then the T43 and D610 are two of the best. I happen to have both. I use the T43 as my primary laptop, and the D610 is my backup. I use both with a port replicator and for business apps, they are superb.

I'm a software developer and spend 10-14 hours a day working on my laptops. I'm also a photo enthusiast so I also spend a great deal of time photo editing. I use mostly Microsoft products, but a few others also.

I could never consider a laptop that doesn't provide a solid port replicator with DVI pass thru. Let's not forget that with the T43 you get the best keyboard and ergonomics around. The D610 is a very close 2nd, IMHO.

I'm using the Dell right now - what good is a backup if you don't test it once in a while - and there is no doubt in my mind that it's quicker in everyday use. They are configured exactly the same.

There are some great deals on Centrino Thinkpads, and remember, IBM still has the best service and support around. And you get that service no matter which one you buy. Until you need it, you don't realize how valuable that is. I've had service issues with Toshiba, Sony, and Acer and for my money, never again.

I hope this helps with your decision.

The Chasis is metal. Solid lappy. Very solid.

There is one thing that I don't like but it is very minor. The S7010 comes with a fingerprint scanner. I love it that thing. No more passwords to remember. Just swipe your finger and you are in. It is awesome. However the software that the fingerprint scanner runs is not compatible with Firefox. If you don't use Firefox then it doesn't matter. I love Firefox and use it on my desktop and was mildly disappointed that it wouldn't work with the fingerprint scanner. So I changed my browser to Avant.

Besides for that ridiculously unimportant issue, I love the laptop. I have never even played a DVD in it yet. I probably should. But like I said I get 3+ hours of battery life with brightness on max, wifi on with standard battery. Another cool option is that you can have a second battery fit into the optical bay. With dual batteries I think you get around 8 hours of use.

Yes it does. The SelectBay is what Toshiba calls this modular bay and it comes on the M series. You can swap this out for an additional battery. The M2 is very similar to the M3, but with the older centrino and some ofthe M2 users have reported that with the selectbay battery in combination with the 12 cell hi capacity primary they get like 9 hours out of it.

Wow that tecra m3 is sick... makes me wish i hadnt bought my sager 4880... man I wish I had seen that before....


::kicks own ass::