I am anxiously awaiting a similar T42, the 2378FVU. Having an 8.5lb Toshiba with the UXGA (1600x1200) 15" screen now, I was shopping for something a little lighter.

The 2378FVU has a 14.1" SXGA+ screen - which I hope should be comparable in crispness to the 15" UXGA that I am used to. Definitely get at least a 5400RPM drive instead of the 4200RPM, but the 7200RPM won't give that much better performance and will give you a noticable battery hit, in my experience. I opted to leave the base 256mb module in there. I found 512mb SO-DIMM's at CompUSA for $100 - $30 rebate. Could easily get 1Gb installed for $170. Far cheaper than IBM's cost to do the same.

What I could not figure out is why ibm.com does not show the accidental damage protection plan under the warranty options, even when there is one available. If you beat your laptop up a bit (I know I do), this may be worth a phone call to inquire about. Try a search for IBM part 01N1577 (that is the 3-year. 2 and 4 are also available).