Thin-and-light laptops Updated December 19, 2005 When you're hauling your luggage from hotel room to client meeting to airport, every pound counts. Whereas larger laptops can weigh 10 pounds or more, enough to overwhelm any folding tray table, thin-and-light laptops weigh between 4 and 6 pounds. Generally, they have midsize displays (12 to 14 inches), optical drives, big hard drives, and a full complement of ports and connections. Even though their keyboards and touch pads are a bit smaller than those usually found on desktop replacements, thin-and-light laptops offer all the features and power business users need. Best of all, the laptops here come in at about the $1,500 mark. |
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| Product name |
Apple PowerBook G4 (12-inch, SuperDrive) 
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Sharp M4000 |
Sony VAIO S470P/S (Pentium M 740 1.73 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB HDD) |
Lenovo ThinkPad T43 2687 (Pentium M 750 1.86 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB HDD) |
Apple iBook G4 (12-inch) |
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| Review date | December 9, 2005 | September 6, 2005 | September 2, 2005 | April 18, 2005 | November 29, 2005 |
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Editors' rating (Editors' rating explained) |
7.3
Very good |
7.2
Very good |
6.9
Good |
6.6
Good |
7.0
Very good |
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| Buying choices |
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Prices from online stores: Searching for pricing data... |
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| Product videos |
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| Review summary | Though pricier than the 12-inch iBook G4 and some comparable PC laptops, the 12-inch PowerBook G4's performance, solid set of features and software, and killer design will overjoy intermediate and advanced mobile users. | The flashy Sharp M4000 WideNote offers a wide screen, a comfortable keyboard, and decent (though not stellar) performance in a remarkably light case. | The thin-and-light Sony VAIO VGN-S470P delivers an ideal combination of performance and features in a perfectly portable package. | The IBM ThinkPad T43 delivers similar performance but lesser battery life than the identically designed ThinkPad T42; we think the latter remains the better buy. | Though it's less powerful than the PowerBook, the reasonably priced 12-inch iBook G4 has a well-designed case, long battery life, and great software, which make it a good choice for anyone seeking a solid entry-level laptop. |
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| Product series | See all products in this series | N/A | See all products in this series | See all products in this series | See all products in this series |
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| User comments | 8.6 Excellent (from 29 users) | 7.6 Very good (from 17 users) | Be one of the first to rate this product! | 7.0 Very good (from 28 users) | 8.1 Excellent (from 71 users) |
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| Product Description | Apple PowerBook G4 - PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz - 12.1 in TFT active matrix | Sharp PC M4000 WideNote - Pentium M 740 1.73 GHz - 13.3 in TFT active matrix | Sony VAIO S470P/S - Pentium M 740 1.73 GHz - 13.3 in TFT active matrix | Lenovo ThinkPad T43 2687 - Pentium M 750 1.86 GHz - 14.1 in TFT active matrix | Apple iBook G4 - PowerPC G4 1.33 GHz - 12.1 in TFT active matrix |
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| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 10.9 in x 8.6 in x 1.2 in | 12.3 in x 8.9 in x 1.5 in | 12.3 in x 8.9 in x 1.4 in | 12.2 in x 10 in x 1.2 in | 11.2 in x 9.1 in x 1.3 in |
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| Weight | 4.6 lbs | 3.7 lbs | 4.4 lbs | 5.1 lbs | 4.9 lbs |
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| Localization | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | English / United States | Info unavailable |
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| Platform Technology | Info unavailable | Intel Centrino | Intel Centrino | Intel Centrino | Info unavailable |
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| System Type | Notebook | Notebook | Notebook | Notebook | Notebook |
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| Built-in Devices | Wireless LAN antenna , Bluetooth antenna , Stereo speakers | Wireless LAN antenna | Wireless LAN antenna , Stereo speakers | Wireless LAN antenna , ThinkLight , Stereo speakers | Wireless LAN antenna , Bluetooth antenna , Stereo speakers |
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| Embedded Security | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Security Chip , Fingerprint reader | Info unavailable |
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| Processor | Motorola PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz | Intel Pentium M 740 / 1.73 GHz | Intel Pentium M 740 / 1.73 GHz | Intel Pentium M 750 / 1.86 GHz | Motorola PowerPC G4 1.33 GHz |
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| Cache Memory | 512 KB - L2 cache | 2 MB - L2 cache | 2 MB - L2 cache | 2 MB - L2 cache | 512 KB - L2 cache |
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| RAM | 512 MB (installed) / 1.25 GB (max) - DDR SDRAM - 333 MHz - PC2700 | 512 MB (installed) / 1.5 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM | 512 MB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 400 MHz - PC2-3200 | 512 MB (installed) / 2 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 533 MHz - PC2-4200 | 512 MB (installed) / 1.5 GB (max) - DDR SDRAM - 333 MHz - PC2700 |
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| Card Reader | Info unavailable | Card reader | Card reader | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
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| Floppy Drive | None | None | None | None | None |
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| Hard Drive | 80 GB - 5400 rpm | 80 GB - 5400 rpm | 80 GB - 5400 rpm | 60 GB - 5400 rpm | 40 GB - 4200 rpm |
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| Optical Storage | DVD?RW - Integrated | CD-RW / DVD-ROM combo - Integrated | DVD?RW (+R DL) - Integrated | DVD?RW / DVD-RAM - Plug-in module | CD-RW / DVD-ROM combo - Integrated |
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| Optical Storage (2nd) | None | None | None | None | None |
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| Storage Removable | None | None | None | None | None |
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| Graphics Controller | NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 - 64 MB | Intel GMA 900 | NVIDIA GeForce Go 6200 | ATI Mobility Radeon X300 - 64 MB | ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 - 32 MB |
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| Audio Output | Sound card | Info unavailable | Sound card | Sound card | Sound card |
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| Telecom | Fax / modem - 56 Kbps | Fax / modem - 56 Kbps | Fax / modem - 56 Kbps | Fax / modem - CDC - 56 Kbps | Fax / modem - 56 Kbps |
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| Networking | Network adapter - Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11g , - IEEE 802.11b , - Fast Ethernet , - Bluetooth | - IEEE 802.11g , - Fast Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11b , Network adapter - Ethernet | - IEEE 802.11g , - Fast Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11b , Network adapter - Ethernet | - IEEE 802.11g , - Fast Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11b , Network adapter - Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11a , - Gigabit Ethernet | - IEEE 802.11g , - Bluetooth , - Fast Ethernet , - IEEE 802.11b , Network adapter - Ethernet |
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| Wireless NIC | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG | Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG | Info unavailable |
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| Input Device | Trackpad , Keyboard | Keyboard , Touchpad | Keyboard , Touchpad | UltraNav , TrackPoint , Keyboard | Trackpad , Keyboard |
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| Voltage Required | AC 120/230 V | AC 120/230 V | Info unavailable | AC 120/230 V | AC 120/230 V |
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| Battery | Lithium ion | Lithium ion | Lithium ion | Lithium ion | Lithium ion |
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| Run Time (Up To) | 5 hour(s) | 6 hour(s) | 3 hour(s) | 5.9 hour(s) | 6 hour(s) |
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| OS Provided | Apple MacOS X 10.4 | Microsoft Windows XP Professional | Microsoft Windows XP Professional | Microsoft Windows XP Professional | Apple MacOS X 10.4 |
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| Manufacturer Warranty | 1 year warranty | 1 year warranty | 1 year warranty | 3 years warranty | 1 year warranty |
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| Product name |
Apple PowerBook G4 (12-inch, SuperDrive)
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Sharp M4000 | Sony VAIO S470P/S (Pentium M 740 1.73 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB HDD) | Lenovo ThinkPad T43 2687 (Pentium M 750 1.86 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB HDD) | Apple iBook G4 (12-inch) |
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| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
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| Price range | Email me when this product is available | Email me when this product is available | Email me when this product is available |
 Configurations starting at$948 | Email me when this product is available |
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