do all t42's have a pci card slot?

[jmagbita]

i'm guessing they do, but i don't know for sure if all the T42's have PCI card slots on the side. do they? the reason for my question is that i'd like to maybe get a modem card from my cellular phone provider in order to be able to get on the net where ever i am. i know i can get on if i find a wi-fi spot, but if i'm on the train, or driving around, i need to be able to check email and also connect to my company's intranet for work related stuff..

any other uses for the pci slot if i does have one?

thanks!

[Cavorite]

by PCI slot, I assume you mean PCMCIA which is the shrunken down card slot that interfaces to the PCI controller. And yes, all of the T42's have in fact a full PCMCIA slot, which equals 2 type II pcmcia slots, type II being the common used expansion card form factor these days.
This is one of the nicest things about the T series, many new laptops only have 1 pcmcia slot, which is annoying to those of us who use many external devices.
PCMCIA is due to be replaced by the ExpressCard which is an extension of PCI-E, a faster and more robust upgrade of the PCI bus which is now making it's way into the market.
The T43 series will include an ExpressCard slot, and have only one PCMCIA slot, allowing for both new equipment as it comes out and still having compatibility with existing devices.
Note that there are two existing PCMCIA interfaces, the 16 bit older slots and then the more recent (but still going back several years) 32 bit slots (also known as CardBus). Cardbus is required for many of the faster data cards and newer communications devices, and you'll be glad to know that the T42 supports cardbus.

Good luck with your modem card, those can be quite useful.

-C-

[ian]

I know i can get on if i find a wi-fi spot, but if i'm on the train...

Or of course you could move to France - I'm serious - we have WiFi access on our main-line (well, TGV) trains...

Driving around, however, is not advised - our traffic cops get extremely shirty when they spot anyone using a mobile phone in a car - imagine the situation if you were actually playing Counterstrike in a traffic jam!

[jdhurst]

Driving around, however, is not advised - our traffic cops get extremely shirty when they spot anyone using a mobile phone in a car - imagine the situation if you were actually playing Counterstrike in a traffic jam!

I just make sure someone else is driving.

FWIW, I am on public transit right now on the way to a client.
... JD Hurst

[JHEM]

I know i can get on if i find a wi-fi spot, but if i'm on the train...

Or of course you could move to France - I'm serious - we have WiFi access on our main-line (well, TGV) trains...

Yep, I just got an email from elder daughter on her T40 (Obligatory Thinkpad content!) who is enroute on the TGV from Brussels to Paris to meet She Who Must Be Obeyed for an extended weekend. I hope that the Boss doesn't develop a case of wanderlust now that she's joined the ranks of the unemployed!

I couldn't say no to her though, the fare was only $270 RT on Air France ex PHL. Probably cost her that much to get from the airport to St. Germain with all the snow they've had recently, the hotel wouldn't even send a car for her.

Driving around, however, is not advised - our traffic cops get extremely shirty when they spot anyone using a mobile phone in a car - imagine the situation if you were actually playing Counterstrike in a traffic jam!

Is that actually illegal in France? I didn't think so after seeing all those TIP trucks equipped with TVs, GPS displays, etc. in the cabs! All too common to pass one of them and see the driver's attention rivetted to whatever's on the screen.

Regards,

James

[ian]

James James James - when did making something illegal actually prevent it happening?

Using a mobile phone in a moving car results in a fine here in France (if you are the driver) - what's more, this also applies, wait for it, to "hands free" devices too. Research has shown that ones attention is not what at it's required level when 'distracted' by phoning someone.

I live in a department called the Gers and we* are one of three departments chosen to pilot a wonderful new scheme - if/when you fail your first driving test, instead of waiting a couple of weeks or so to be able to re-take it, people living in the Gers must wait a year (yes, a year) before being able to do so. This is 'supposed' to reduce the number of young drivers (Yeeessss) and therefore reduce the number of accidents (what?) Can someone please explain the logic behind this? Luckily, my daughter is taking her test in Bordeaux (Which as we* all know is in the
Gironde)

* We used with kind permission