The ThinkPad R52 test system we received came in at 12.4 inches wide, 10.2 inches deep, and 1.3 inches thick and weighed 5.9 pounds-a moderate size and weight for a budget laptop with a 14.1-inch screen. The notebook draws AC power from a demure, 0.8-pound, blackboard-eraser-shaped adapter.
The ThinkPad R52 includes some of the ThinkPad line’s trademark design features. Sturdy metal hinges tether the system’s lid to the bottom, making the screen a bit less subject to breakage. The ThinkPad R52 also features IBM’s traditional red eraser-head pointing stick, with a flat, tactile top that we prefer to the smooth, rounded tops on other pointing sticks. The stick has two mouse buttons of its own, which sit beneath the spacebar and sandwich a handy scroll button. Below the buttons lie a somewhat small touch pad and two more mouse buttons. The ThinkPad R52’s comfortable keyboard is another IBM staple, with keys in places familiar to desktop users. The business-minded system doesn’t provide as many extra buttons and controls as a multimedia notebook, but it does include four convenient buttons for turning volume up and down, muting the sound, and accessing support information.