The IBM ThinkPad 240 fits snugly into the mini-notebook category and is aimed specifically at the top end of the market where space and portability are the key issues - and, as much to the point here, where money presents no obstacle.

Most notable of these cutbacks is the fact that if you want to use a floppy disk or a CD-ROM drive, then you will need to plug a separate external drive into the side of the notebook. This model does come supplied with an external floppy drive as standard, but if you're after a CD-ROM drive, you're looking at shelling out an extra £300.

On the move, this switching about of components can create a lot of clutter too, especially as there is no case included.

Although the basic price of the computer is not extortionate, once the CD-ROM is included in the deal, the total cost of it will go over the £2,000 mark - putting it out of the reach of all but the most well-off among us.

The Celeron 300MHz processor, along with 64Mb of memory, is more than adequate to run office applications, and the same can be said for the onboard 2Mb graphics card. When we tested out the ThinkPad 240 in our labs, it performed just as well as other similarly equipped portable computers.

As well as good performance, you will also benefit from a pleasant 78-keyboard and trackpoint nib to move the cursor around onscreen. There is also a 56Khps modem to get you online and a range of ports to hook up external devices.

Contact: IBM, 0870 601 0136