The IBM/Lenovo T series of laptops are designed for travel with an indestructible titanium (rigid & light) shell and an average weight of 5.5 lbs.  Each series is based on a corresponding family of Intel Processors (T20: Pentium 3;  T30 Pentium 4 Mobile, T40 Pentium M...) and have similar external features (IR Port, Serial, Parallel, Ethernet connector, phone jack, PCMCIA II/III, USB 1.1 x 2, substitutible DVD/CDRW or DVD RW, speakers, microphone).  The Lenovo free download website supports updates which will allow standby, hibernation or shutdown based on lid closure, Fn+Fx, or power button triggering, toggled display combinations between the LCD screen and external SVGA projector devices.  The T series in general, while designed to travel great distances and perform well in a wide variety of applications, cannot be dropped.

The T30 series uses a Pentium 4 Mobile processor (not a Pentium M) that depending on the model ranges between 1.6 - 2.6 GHz with an automatic battery optimizing mode that downshifts to 1.2 Ghz.  By transplanting a higher RPM harddrive, expanding the memory to 2 GB,  upgrading the BIOS and Embedded Controller Programs through a free automated download from the Lenovo download website, and replacing the CPU chip with a higher speed 2.6 GHz processor, a higher level performance can be obtained extending the functional life of the unit approaching the T40 performance.  If upgrading is pursued, be careful that the incremental costs do not exceed the price of the next level of laptop (T40 series) or higher.

With the FREE downloaded BIOS/Embedded Controller updates, the T30 will utilize 2GB of RAM (1GB x 2) of DDR non parity 200 pin PC2100 or PC2700 SODIMM RAM.

The T30 comes hardwired in various configurations.  Some models have a dual internal antenna for a miniPCI type IIIb card.  Some have a Ultranav touchpad type of mouse.  The miniPCI and daughter slots can accommodate a 802.11 b/g wireless card, Bluetooth and 56K v.92 modem.  Most T30s are factory loaded with one of the Windows Operating Systems.  The Product Key is on the bottom and can be used to register / validate a reloaded copy. 

Critical Drawbacks are:

Inherent mechanical motherboard design flaw - RAM memory slot failure is attributed to fracture of the soldered PC board connection of the SODIMM memory socket(s).  The failure is unpredictable but inevitable and should be checked when purchasing a used laptop.  Having only one usable socket will limit you to a 1 GB slice of RAM...until the second socket fails.  Salvage is possible using Surface Mount Device resoldering techniques.

The average battery life is a bit short, usually 1 + hour without DVD use.  This is of course, a function of Lithium Ion battery age, hard drive activity, CPU utilization, screen intensity, accessories, etc..  Optimizing power conservation through reprogramming default I/O polling rates and wake up cycles discussed in blogsites are helpful.

The BIOS excludes non IBM vended miniPCI WIFI cards.  The popular high speed extended range Atheros 5005, Atheros 5006 and 5007 108 M cards are useless without a BIOS patch and Forced write enable with an EEPROM patch to the card.  The earlier version Atheros and non listed Cisco or Intel cards will also require software patches to block the error checks and device conflicts and can be downloaded from various blog sites.

slow internal USB 1.1 instead of the faster USB 2.0 ports

The Bluetooth daughter card for the T30 supplied by IBM does not support "human interface devices (mice, keyboards), music...".  This can be circumvented by using an aftermarket Bluetooth USB or PCMCIA device.  The intrinsic IBM daughter card is of limited value.

drop intolerance - Despite the Titanium cage, the areas of weakness are the latches, LCD bezel, keyboard escutcheon panel, and of course the solder joints on the motherboard. Nonetheless, inspect the unit for damage in these areas which may suggest a prior ground breaking event

The WIFI, Bluetooth and USB version issues can be addressed using aftermarket PCMCIA cards.  The memory socket flaw should reduce the price of a used T30, making this laptop an excellent cost/performance choice in a working environment where the risk of theft or catastrophic earth contact warrants frequent laptop replacement such as in a university setting or field use.