"Big Blue" is the grandfather of most of our computing technology, and today IBM is still a leading supplier of laptop computers. IBM was among the first on the market for the personal computer, and in 1984 they pushed the evolution on to portable computers. International Business Machines now has a solid image to match its name with their sleek, black ThinkPad notebook computers. There is a small feature that sets them apart from the rest, a small read "joystick" planted as a pointing device amid the keys on the keyboard, along with a small touchpad. Many users felt it was a relief to have that button within easy reach from the keys so they wouldn't have to break their rhythm from the keyboard. Today the ThinkPad laptops still have the dark design and feature the little red knob on the keyboard, but IBM offers a number of variations to meet a full range of utilities. They are cryptically named the Z, R, T, X and G series ThinkPad notebooks.

The Z series of laptops is built with a tough titanium case and a bright and sizable screen (up to 15.4"), a powerful CPU, and fast graphic hardware to give dazzling multi-media performance. ThinkPad R series notebooks is meant more for mainstream, but the common user will be more than pleased with the power and security. An available option is an Integrated Fingerprint Reader (a biometric device) that saves your from remembering all of your passwords. The ThinkPad T is well balanced for performance and portability with a very lightweight chassis and storage options. However, the X series is even thinner and lighter and was designed to be extremely versatile for working outside of the office. The sturdy titanium cover keeps the components safe and the thin design keeps it convenient to bring with you wherever you go. The final major series is the IBM ThinkPad G, with powerful specs and sturdy design. It's not quite as svelte and lightweight, but it was meant to take on a heavy workload and to take the place of your desktop PC entirely. All of the models have built-in wireless networking capabilities, with some of the laptops featuring an antenna for picking up a strong hot spot signal. IBM has had a lot of competition over the years, and even with the PC clone war the giant technology firm has a good hold on the market for notebook computers.