Cheap Netbook screen too small? How about a $300 ThinkPad?

CompUSA.com, AKA TigerDirect, is at it again with the crazy blowouts. This week, they have refurbished IBM T43s with 14.1 inch screens, 1.6Ghz Pentium Processor, 512MB of RAM and 40GB hard drives for $299.00. NUTS!

I've been meaning to pick up myself a cheap portable for some vacation and recreational surfing  on Ubuntu/Linux flavor of the month so I can keep my work laptop as an Acropolis and not mess with it. I was considering a Dell Mini 10 until I saw this mailer come across my Inbox this morning.

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I immediately noticed the reconditioned IBM T43 laptop -- the same kind I've seen some of our employees run around with. Now, I can tell you from my own personal experience and from others who I know that have bought RB material from internal promotions, that when Lenovo sends out "Reconditioned" units, they are generally just merchandise that has been opened and sent back by the customer, sometimes with minor cosmetic defects (scratch on the plastic), etc. Frequently the stuff is in mint condition.

The T43 is a well-constructed workhorse machine that takes a phenomenal amount of abuse. If the criteria for "Netbook" for you means "Cheap Laptop" and not "Ultralight" then this definitely fits the bill. Head on over to Crucial.com for a 2GB upgrade for an extra $30 and you've got a serious little mobile system, particularly for Linux use. It's exactly what I did. But act quickly, as CompUSA.com is only running the liquidation sale for just one day.