IBM Laptops Hands On In Chicago/Minneapolis?

[jank0003]

Hi all,

First time post. I've been looking for a laptop for some time now and, based on construction and quality, have chosen to go for an IBM.

e-mailed bill and he suggested I go open box. Am a student and don't really have the cash for an IBM. Am probably more comfortable pricewise with a ~$1200 Dell 600m. Low end thinkpads are typically beyond my upper limit.

So, it looks like I'll sit tight until I gain some more cash or a really good deal comes around. In the meantime, I need to figure out if I want an ultraportable x series or a T series.

My wife lives 400 miles away and she has my desktop. At work I have an excellent desktop. Where I live when I am at school I have no computer.

I'm buying this computer so I can work when I am 'with' my wife ( a medical resident who often works when I'm there) and so I can hide away from my actual workplace and do a little work in a cafe or library. At work, I'll probably just put the laptop in a docking station and use the desktop for CPU intensive work. I just want to fing graduate so I am happy to work when my wife is not around.

Any advice on an actual purchase is appreciated, but I have a feeling this will come down to personal preference. Along those lines, does anyone know if there is a Chicago/Minneapolis showroom where I can go get a feel for the X3*, X4*, and T3*, T4* series ibms?

Thanks,
janks

[jsmit86]

In Chicago, CDW has Thinkpads on display.
Downtown Chicago, or Vernon Hills.