The thin, lightweight Thinkpad X21 notebook from IBM has been designed for users who want a fully functional laptop that is easy to carry. While the X21 on its own doesn't fulfil that need, by adding the optional lightweight media slice it becomes a very useful ultra portable. Despite being thin, and only weighing 1kg, this notebook's good build quality is apparent and apart from the screen, which is a little flexible, the X21's solid construction puts many larger notebooks to shame.

Powered by a 700MHz Mobile Pentium III processor and 128MB of SDRAM memory, the X21 performs well enough and its 20GB hard drive provides plenty of storage space. To keep the weight and dimensions to a minimum, several features have been omitted from the notebook itself and are built into the media slice. For example, there are no serial or parallel ports built in, nor any way of using a PS/2 mouse or keyboard.

The notebook's 12.1 inch TFT screen is powered by a 4MB ATI Rage Mobility M graphics chip, which allows for a maximum native resolution of 1,024 pixels by 768 pixels. The keyboard is well built and laid out, and feels secure when in use, while above the keyboard are the volume buttons and the ThinkPad button, which opens the useful online help and information centre.

IBM - Thinkpad X21 features - Verdict

The ThinkPad X21, although expensive, is a well built and surprisingly solid machine. It's easy to use and has excellent battery life and good connectivity, which many systems in this market segment fail to achieve.

IBM - Thinkpad X21 price

£1,807 + VAT, UltraBase X2 £149 + VAT

IBM: 01256 344 3002