Actually I prefer the think-light (a white LED illuminating the keyboard from the top edge of the display) to a backlit keyboard.

It illuminates the keyboard just fine, but unlike backlit keyboard it can be also used for reading papers/books and to illuminate the vicinity of the laptop if needed (can be regulated by changing the angle of the display/lid).

I've had one of those. Not built-in, just a cheap substitute from a pound shop. A long flexible neck with 5 LEDs that plugs into a USB port. Similar to this but 1/5 of the price. It works fine but ties up one USB port.

I no longer use my laptop in the dark as much as I used to so not such a big deal any more but I still think that some kind of illumination is essential and should be built in, without having to rely on external gizmos.

Ah, this is why it is so nice to be able to touch-type. So long as the keys for the index fingers have some unique feel (usually a dot or a bar imprinted onto the key), it's quite easy to type in the dark.

This is also why I think the handheld PC (such as the HP Journada) was the best mobile device form-factor; it's just barely large enough to touch-type on:



Anyway, sorry for the digression from the topic at hand.

The trouble with touch-typing on laptops is that their keyboards are all different. I used my old laptop for 9 years, a sizeable portion of that in the dark. And now, 2 years after I got a replacement, I still reach for the PgUp, PgDn, Insert and Delete keys in wrong places.

OT: It's why N900 is so great - you can touch type on it

And which of the two would you rather recommend?
- SSHD with 8GB SSD and 500-1000GB HDD
- 128 GB SSD and a external HDD

Neither nor...
- 128 GB SSD and a internal HDD
- 512 GB SSD only

For 2 seperate internal drives, I'd look for a Laptop with HDD only and an (yet unused) mSATA port and add an mSATA "drive" (~60€) myself, they're just the size of a stamp...

Can't believe you wanna ruin your mobility with an external HDD.

AFAIK adding the drive manually would ruin my warranty (since I'm unable to find any sensible refub in PL)
And I was unable to find anything satisfying with 128+1000/128+500

/edit: wait, I could get 128+500 for a similar price (w/ 8GB RAM and all the candies) but would have to give up 1920x1080 (I'd have 1366x768)

What of two would you choose:
- 1920x1080 resolution and 128 GB SSD / 1000+8 GB SSHD
- 1366x768 resoltuion and 1000+128 HDD+SSD

330 € - Thinkpad T420, 4180-DY4 (8GB RAM, 1600x900 display)
~50 € - polish keybord
~20 € - shipping
~60 € - 120 GB SSD
~50 € - 1 TB HDD
510 € Total

Ah, why didn't I think of that.
Listen carefully marmistrz, buy a Laptop from Germany.

There's many laptops (especially ThinkPads) which have 12-14 inch screens, Matte/Anti-Glare screens, with 1080p resolutions, Core i5 processors, and no dedicated GPU's.

The hardest part is finding one with 8GB's of RAM and 256GB SSD.
So buy something cheaper, but upgrade the RAM and SSD yourself. I seriously wouldn't settle for a Hard-Drive anymore.

So once you get it, unscrew the laptop from the bottom. And replace the 128GB SSD with a 256GB SSD, and increase the 4GB RAM with 8GB RAM (flash storage getting much cheaper). Sell the 128GB SSD, and RAM if you have any.

You could potentially buy a $1,500 laptop for $500.

I think I've spoken enough already, I don't want to give you a headache XD

actually hehe..
I'm selling one of my t430's on kijiji...
it's been on kijiji for about a week ...going on two now...
it's got 8gb....it'll take 16gb ...
brand new western digital 160gb hd
it doesn't have the res. you wanted...ie: 1920x1080 ..(.the only point to such a high res. is honestly ...serious graphic work...so unless that is your professional niche ...you'd never utilize it.
and for that kinda res. and purpose ...I rely on my tablet convertibles...)

I bought it new about a year ago now ...cross-border shopping...
I've used a 2nd hd drive tray ($20 off ebay) in the optical bay...and had an 128gb ssd in it with a tb internally .....overoverkill
Hell I've kept the batt properly even....it is a beastly beast of a beastie machine.

Honestly ...if you go for anything ..... go for as much ram as possible...hd's and ssd's are a dime a dozen compared to the cost to purchase additional ram...
and I reiterate...
unless you are doing incredibly miniscule and highly intricate fine detailed art on your machine...you will never use it's potential.