[ltp] Purchasing New Laptop

[Pam Huntley]

>Prospective T40 buyer here, and I'm a little confused by this.  At
>least in the UK, it looks like you can get a T40 with:

One point of interest:  the models available will vary depending on
geography.

For instance, in Europe (but not in the US) you can get a T40p model that
doesn't already have the 802.11a/b card in it, which means that the wire
doesn't have to be permanantly attached to the card.  I haven't actually
gotten one to see if the BIOS also checks the card, but I'm thinking it
doesn't, and in that case it is possible to put the Cisco card in it.  But
again, I haven't tried it myself.  You should ask your sales rep to know
for sure.

>One of the links kindly given on the list
>indicated the T40p had a bluetooth activity light, but again this
>little difference might not be a T40/p variation, but a variation
>between models shipped with/without bluetooth?

The bluetooth indicator is only there if bluetooth is built into the model
(or is bluetooth-ready, meaning the antenna is there).  I'm not sure if
bluetooth is only available in the "p" model of the T40 or not, usually it
is available on a variety of models.  It should say when you configure it.

>Also: the bluetooth is listed with the IBM "combo" card: does the
>"combo" refer to the the a/b variants of 802.11, or is bluetooth
>functionality on the card itself.

Now that one I'm not sure.  Usually the bluetooth card is a daughter card,
rather than a proper mini-pci card.  And I had to give the T40p back (oh,
sad day!) so I can't check on it for you.  I will ask when everyone gets
back from the holidays.

hth,

Pam