WTB-Lenovo Thinkpad 8

[Kenyanboy]

Hi Guys,

I want to buy a new Thinkpad 8. I want someone to help me purchase it from the Lenovo site then ship it to Kenya.

Regards,

Kenyanboy.

[BillMorrow]

hello..

welcome to the forum..

i'm not sure anyone would be willing to do that without being paid for the trouble..
and how would you compensate someone if they bought a thinkpad 8 and sent it to you..?
shipping to Kenya is not cheap..

[Kenyanboy]

Hello Bill,
Thank you Bill.

Am willing to pay. Buying it via the website and having it shipped is plan b(Its a last resort plan.). Plan A is to get it directly from u.s stores since i'll be visiting New York(5th Avenue) towards the end of March. So Bill, can you confirm for me if its available in Best Buy or DataVision or any other store in the New York area? I've tried checking from the websites(Best Buy and DataVision) but i didn't find it.

Regards,

Kenyanboy.

[BillMorrow]

you might contact brad who is a trusted forum member and might be able to accommodate your needs and perhaps meet with you when you arrive..

[TuuS]

I agree with Bill, forum member Brad may indeed be the best person since he is from the area.

As for finding someone to help you get one shipped to Kenya, it would be difficult because there are many criminal scams that ask people to do things like this and use forms of payment that can be revoked after the deed is completed. For example, someone in Africa sends you $5000 in a certified check, you cash it and it clears, then they ask you to spend $4000 buying a product, $200 for express shipping, then keep $800 as a gift to say thank you. The person is happy to help but then several weeks later the bank notifies them that the $5000 has been removed from their account because the check was reported as being forged or stolen. The person who is the victim can do nothing at all and is out not only the money they spent but in many cases it causes their accounts to be overdrawn and results in many other payments they made to not clean and often dozens of bank fees for hundreds of dollars more. Most african countries do nothing at all to prosecute these crimes or help the victims, in fact many shipping companies won't even ship to some countries and many websites won't accept payments from them. This is probably why you are unable to get the computer shipped to you directly.

I know the only way I would even consider doing something like that for a person I didn't know well is if the money was delivered "as cash", with something like Western Union, but that is expensive process and you'd have virtually no recourse if the person you sent the money to just kept it and didn't ship you the computer.

As you can see, without a huge amount of trust on both ends, this cannot happen and since you just joined the forum the very day you asked for this, I don't think I would be willing to do this under any circumstances... however if you are travelling to New York City and can pay cash, I'm sure Brad or any retailer in the city would be glad to sell you a computer.

You can also look into having a Kenyan shipping company help you. I'm sure there are many who can pickup a parcel from any place in the world, or consider purchasing from a reseller in Kenya, you may pay a premium for the product, but your money would stay in your area instead of sending it to another country.

Good Luck with your Quest

[Cigarguy]

Well said TuuS and I agree. It's just to risky for both buyer and seller. To many scams. Unless it's family or a good friend I would not look at this.

To the OP, as a person who is used to buying cigars from overseas, may I suggest ordering the laptop to your US destination? On my trips Stateside, I'd often order items directly to the hotel who will hold it for you. Some hotel may charge you a $5 handling fee. If you are staying at a residential address in the US, that's even easier. I've done many trips to Vegas for purposes of shopping and most of it is not at a B&M.

That way you get the item you want, no middleman, and some recourse and protection for your credit card company.

[Kenyanboy]

Hi Tuus,

The Nigerians have really given Africans a bad name. I understand why anyone would not be willing to do that. But am willing to pay upfront i.e before the parcel is sent.But i also need someone who is honest. Again this is a last resort. In fact its expensive on my part since i still have to pay duty on it. The thinkpad 8 is not available in Kenya and am sure once it hits Kenyan stores, it'll be more than $600(cause of duty and VAT). Also, am sure it'll take almost 6 months to get it on Kenyan shelves. Convincing a Kenyan to buy a Windows tablet and not an iPad is not easy.

Since am coming to New York, the best option is to get it from the stores. I've tried checking from the online stores but am not seeing the product anywhere. What i really wanted you guys to help me with is telling me whether its available on the shelves. If its not(i.e if its just available on the lenovo site) , i can contact Brad or someone else and we can arrange how i can get it while in New York(This means i can pay cash to that person).

Cigarguy-If am not american,can i buy from the u.s Lenovo site and have the parcel delivered to the hotel i'll be staying at? I think that can be another good option.

[TuuS]

Nigerians are a huge part of the problem, but another part is the laws that allow international checks to be cancelled even weeks after they clear. This isn't unique to only Nigeria, other countries allow banks to help scammers by revoking payments after the product is received. All a person has to do in some cases is claim the check was forged.

Cigarguy has a good suggestion, ask your hotel if you can have the package shipped to them.

Most Lenovo products aren't sold over the counter here in our stores unless is a speciality store that deals in computers. Our retail stores usually have mostly cheap junk computers, we generally call them "department store grade". Companies like Acer and HP dominate that market and they usually are disposable junk that people use for a year or so and replace. Thinkpads are generally a high quality product that can be easily repaired and are usually sold to corporate customers and direct to end-users. There are some that end up on shelves, but it's rare to see a thinkpad in a store. However the thinkpad 8 does look more like a typical retail product. I'm sure the quality is better, but I wouldn't hold up high hopes of them being serviceable if one fails outside of warranty, they are just too small and probably all integrated components.

If you do decide to have it shipped to your hotel, I'd see if you can find out if delivery dates are firm, it would be unfortunate if delivery was delayed and you had to leave without it.

You can also check with a reshipping service, there are many that will accept your parcel and reship it to any area you like and fortunately USPS does ship to Kenya, so it may not be that difficult to get it shipped to you. The cheapest options I use would be about $35 for an economy parcel which would cover a tablet or subnotebook, anything larger or heavier would need priority or express shipping. Other options like FedEx would be in the $100-200 range.

I've never used any of these but you can look at

myus.com
viabox.com
shipito.com
usamail1.com
usabox.com
myaddressus.com
reship.com
usa2me.com

*source: google.com


You can also look at local forums to find out what service others are using and perhaps get some feedback.

[Kenyanboy]

Tuus,

Am looking for those specialty stores that deal in computers like Datavision or a Microsoft store(saw the nearest Microsoft store is at Time Warner center).
I'll be in the u.s for about 3 weeks. I think that's enough time for a device to get delivered to the hotel. So i maybe buying junk? Tuus, you're scaring me. Maybe i should just buy an Asus T100. I really wanted that Thinkpad 8 or a Miix 2 10.1". I'll decide what to do. If its too much of a hassle,i'll just go for an Asus T100TA C1-GR here in Kenya. Thanks guys. I really appreciate your feedback. If you have some more suggestions on the devices,please share.

[TuuS]

I wasn't implying the thinkpad 8 is junk, I'm sure it's one of the better tablets and I like that it runs windows and isn't restricted to the android OS that usually cannot run a full featured web browser. It's probably the closest thing you can get to a real computer in a tablet format, but as you can probably tell, I'm no fan of tablets. Anytime you make a computer that small and thin, all the components need to be integrated on the board so things like memory, cpu or harddrive replacement or upgrades just aren't possible. As far as Asus goes, they make a lot of junk, but also make some powerful gaming laptops which are respectable.

If you want something ultra portable like a tablet, then this looks like a good option and don't let my post discourage you, I'm just not a fan of tiny devices that cannot be easily repaired, but when it comes to these small tablets, they all are in that category. The closest thing I own would be an X-series thinkpad tablet which is a real laptop with keyboard, harddrive, ram, etc, which can be used as a tablet when needed.

[Kenyanboy]

Alright. What scared me was the fact that you said most electronic stores sell "Junk". I already own a laptop. In fact an Alienware but i can't really take this with me to the office or a meeting. I need something just for reading books(am in equity research so i have to read extensively),web browsing,taking notes and recording meetings. So i think a tablet would be fine for those tasks. I like the full Windows tablets because i can do all these tasks easily(I can read books in any format, get the full web experience etc). The Thinkpad 8 was a better choice over the Asus because of the tablet functions(the cameras mostly). Am also not a fan of Android,iOS and Windows RT when it comes to productivity.

Thanks Tuus.

[BillMorrow]

kenyanboy..
you will have to understand that we here have seen many online scams so we all need to be careful..
brad is well experienced in this sort of thing so i am sure he can take care of himself and he is an honest guy living near New York..

good luck putting this transaction together..

[Kenyanboy]

Bill Morrow,

I understand. 100%. I also want to do a cash transaction. I see the product, inspect it and make sure am 100% satisfied. I hope Brad is willing to buy it on my behalf.
Thanks guys for the help. I really appreciate it.

Regards,

Kenyanboy.

[aau007]

Kenyanboy,

Thinkpad 8 is a Thinkpad product, thus you won't find them off the shelf in retail stores like BestBuy. They sell the consumer grade like the Yogas.

Keep in mind that Lenovo has a pretty straight policy on channel sellers. If you open the box and decide not to keep it, the reseller is stuck with the item because open box item cannot be returned, per Lenovo policy. If you purchased directly from Lenovo's website, they will take it back according to their return policy. However, given you are overseas, shipping to a hotel may not fly with Lenovo as is. They may require you to call the credit card company and have you put the hotel address as a valid shipping address. Not even sure if they take foreign credit card since it is Lenovo US web site and they ask for the zip code in the credit card billing address.

Different channel resellers will set their own return policy. My statement to a buyer is, "once you open the box and verify content, you own the product unless it is DOA (only DOA if it won't even power on)". Otherwise, it is a Lenovo warranty claim and that's between you and Lenovo.

Your 100% satisfied requirement may worry some sellers. Many resellers, unless they have a demo, won't let you open up a brand new Thinkpad to try if you like it before you purchase. Some nice resellers will charge you a restocking fees for returning an open box item but make sure you read/ask and understand their return policy.

[aau007]

BTW, there are only 4 Thinkpad 8 models that a reseller can likely get. 64GB and 128GB model that comes in either with Win8.1 or Win8.1 Pro.

Keep in mind that depending on which flavor, wait time is between 2 to 4 weeks + shipping time.


If you want to opt for the Tablet 2, there are plenty of those in certain models.

[Cigarguy]

Not trying to talk Kenyanboy out of it but...since Lenovo is not making this easy for you. I'd consider choosing something else. Lots of good brick and mortor stores in NY city that you can walk in, play with some demo tablets and walk out with exactly what you want.

aau007 - thanks for the info. I did not know that.

[Kenyanboy]

Hi aau007
I knew i would have some difficulties in getting the item from the Lenovo u.s site. That's why i was looking for someone who can buy it on my behalf,have it sent to his/her address. I would then pick the product from him/her(Do a physical exchange in New York). This is plan B. Plan A is to go to shop and pick the product myself. Cost is the biggest factor here. I only have $520 to spend. So I'll probably go with the 64gb,Windows 8.1 version. I really don't think LTE is that important now. The thing that i was looking for is the new Bay Trail Processor. It doesn't even have to be a Lenovo.

Cigarguy
That's what i want. Its even cheaper(if i import I'll have to pay duty) for me to go in a store and just pick up the product. I need your suggestions on the best store close to New York(Although we may be touring other states. I prefer New York because I'll be staying at the Roosevelt). Brad suggested J & R music world.I also need suggestions on an alternative model keeping in mind the $500 budget and productivity.

[aau007]

Kenyanboy,

Just keep in mind that the Thinkpad 8 is still a highly constraint product. I believe only the 64GB/8.1 models will be more available in mid April. Don't be surprised if every store tells you there is a 2 weeks wait time.

Even the lowest priced model, 20BN000UUS, 64GB w/8.1 has a MSRP of $429 + NY sales tax and you are looking at just below $470. If you find some discount, you may be able to get the 20BN000VUS, 128GB version closer to your $520 budget.

BTW, there are other z3770 processor tablet available from other brands but not sure if they are as light as the Thinkpad 8. I am sure you know this but the Thinkpad 8 Wifi only model is at 0.95lbs.

PS: I just found an alternative for you if you want the processor but not necessarily need a Lenovo, is the HP Omni 10 5620 priced at $449 with 64GB. Slightly heavier at 1.44lbs but it does have a larger 10.1" screen so that explains the weight difference. If you don't mind a slower speed, there is the Lenovo Miix 2 8 that is like $100 cheaper and weighs in at 0.77lbs. Best of all, they are sold at Microsoft Store and there is one at the Time Warner Center in NYC.

[Kenyanboy]

aau007,

I think I'll still be in the u.s around mid April. I'll go with the cheapest option i.e the 20BN000UUS. But the 128gb model makes more sense. What about the stores? Which ones do you expect to have the latest products available on the shelves by mid April?

BTW, for the Thinkpad 8, is there a model with a lower resolution?

On the alternative models: My first option was to go for an Asus T100TA-C1-GR. Its even available in Kenya. Then i saw the Lenovo Thinkpad 8 and i just loved the tab features(the cameras mostly). If the Thinkpad is not available, then I'll buy the T100.You can suggest another Bay Trail Tablet. The weight should be between 0.95-1.5lbs.

Am also seeing the graphics comes in two flavours.

http://www.excaliberpc.com/630171/lenov ... ndows.html

[aau007]

Kenyanboy,

When I said mid April, I meant the Thinkpad 8 UUS model would be less constrain and ordering wait time can be less than 2 weeks (no promise). It is still unlikely that you will find a Thinkpad 8 on the shelf. Thinkpad line products are not retail products. The closest Thinkpad product you may be able to find is the Edge line and even those are extremely limited in retail space. Retail products are very price sensitive and that's not what Thinkpads are strong at. You will find the Miix 2 8 in retail stores like Microsoft store I mentioned. All Thinkpad 8 have the same screen, only differ in storage and OS.

See my post prior for the HP suggestion. The HP fits your requirements and budget. Call the MS store in Time Warner Center to see if they have them in stock or when. Any yes, the said HP is a retail product.

[Kenyanboy]

aau007,

I think the HP is what I'll go for. Plus the 10.0" will be better for typing.Getting the Lenovo Thinkpad is too much of a hassle.

Thanks aau007. I really appreciate that.

One last question. Do Microsoft stores take cash?

N.B-Someone has just suggested the Dell Venue 11 pro

[RealBlackStuff]

M$ store doesn't take cash, but they'll rip you off any other which way...
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msu ... icingPage/

[Kenyanboy]

Hi RealBlackStuff

I think I'll just buy from Amazon. At least they'll take Kenyan credit cards and probably deliver to the hotel. But i can give the address of the company that am working for(the u.s one).

[Cigarguy]

I feel your pain. The more you post the more you sound like an honest buyer. It's just to bad Lenovo makes things so difficult sometimes. Believe you me, it is much much easier to order illegal Cuban cigars to a US hotel than it is to order a Thinkpad. Some of our cigar purchases cost many times more than any Thinkpad.

Good luck and enjoy your stay Stateside. Hopefully it won't be to cold.

[aau007]

Kenyanboy,

The Dell is another choice but it ups the weight to 1.68lbs with a .7" screen size increase from the HP + another $50. Are you starting to see these pricing trend? Retail market is very price sensitive/competitive. Don't forget to add 8.875% sales tax if you are picking up in NYC.


RealBlackStuff,

I think the MS Store retail locations take cash for walk in customers. Last I visited one, they did. For the online store, that's pretty obvious they don't.

[pianowizard]

I need something just for reading books(am in equity research so i have to read extensively),web browsing,taking notes and recording meetings. So i think a tablet would be fine for those tasks.

I have several suggestions:

1) J&R Music World would be perfect for you, or anyone who wants to buy a computer/tablet in person. I was there a couple years ago and there were soooooooo many laptops and tablets on display. Most brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S. carry mostly crap laptops, but J&R Music World is completely different. I highly recommend all forum members to check it out the next time they are in New York City. Two other brick-and-mortar stores with good selections are Frys and Micro Center, though I don't think they have stores in NYC.

2) If you want to take notes or do anything involving typing, avoid slate tablets, or at least get a slate tablet to which you can attach a keyboard. Also, if you plan on using Windows 8's desktop mode (and not just the Metro mode), avoid screens with super high pixel densities like the Thinkpad 8 because Windows 8's DPI scaling is far from satisfactory. Based on the research I've done, you've already identified the best convertible tablet: the Asus T100. Its 1366x768 resolution is appropriate for its 10.1" screen, and it has a detachable keyboard. And it's amazingly light as well: 1.2 lbs with the keyboard removed, and still only 2.4 lbs with the keyboard added.

3) So far I have owned two slate tablets, one fairly big (9" screen) and the other fairly small (7" screen). Two days ago, I decided to sell the 9-incher and keep the 7-incher. I came to the realization that slate tablets are worth getting only if they are so small that they fit into a pants pocket, making them really convenient to carry around. For larger tablets, you'd need to carry them in a carrying case or backpack just like for regular laptops, and typing on a slate is much harder than on a laptop. Thus, while pocket-sized slates can be more convenient than laptops, larger slates have the worst of both worlds: not much easier than laptops to lug around, while also being not typing-friendly. But not all 7" slates fit in a pants pocket, and I am fairly certain not none of the 8-inchers (e.g. the Thinkpad would fit. These are the form factors that I believe in:

- Devices that fit in a pants pocket, meaning smartphones (mine is a 4-year-old HTC Touch Pro2), small slates (I have the Barnes and Noble Nook HD with 7" 1440x900), and UMPCs like my Sony P Series.
- Ultraportable 2-in-1 convertibles (e.g. the Asus T100) and conventional laptops weighing around 3 lbs or less, e.g. my 3.23-lb Panasonic Toughbook CF-Y7 and 2.23-lb Sony Pro13.
- Desktop replacements with nice 17" or larger screen, e.g. my Gateway laptop.

All other form factors are not worthwhile IMO, including slates larger than 7", heavy "ultraportable" tablet-style laptops (I hated the X61 tablet I once had), and non-desktop-replacement laptops exceeding ~3.5 lbs. That being said, sometimes I do buy such form factors just for fun, e.g. my Apple PowerBook G4 and Dell Inspiron 7500, but I almost never use these as my primary machines.

As far as Asus goes, they make a lot of junk, but also make some powerful gaming laptops which are respectable.

Any specific examples? I keep seeing laptop reliability surveys that rank Asus near the top, higher than most other PC brands. While I have never owned an Asus laptop, most of the ones I've played with in stores seemed quite nice.

[Kenyanboy]

aau007

Yea. Am seeing the trend.That 8.9% tax, does it apply to online goods?

Cigarguy
This is my first time buying from Amazon. So how do i put in a hotel address? Do some hotels restrict or have policies against deliveries?I'll be staying at the Roosevelt. Does Amazon have a policy on hotel deliveries(or does this depend on who is selling on Amazon)? I know this will sound dum but does Amazon have control on the quality of goods sold?

Hi Piano,

Our roadshow timetable is hectic and i may not have time to walk in a store though that is i would have preferred. So am guessing i may have the product delivered to the hotel/office or to someone(Brad or you if you're a New Yorker). The weight and keyboard of the T100 are the the main reasons why i still want it. But the venue does have some nice features(full usb port,removable battery,NFC).

[Cigarguy]

For obvious reasons I won't go into details about shipping cigars to my hotel room. However I have ordered laptops, cameras and other electronics to my hotel room before. I simply put in the hotel address as the shipping address. However, before doing that, I call the hotel first and make sure they will accept and hold a drop shipment. Some rural US hotel will not while most will. Some will charge a $5 holding/handling fee. Unfortunately, some online retailer may not accept a credit card based in Africa while they will accept one based in Canada.

[pianowizard]

Our roadshow timetable is hectic and i may not have time to walk in a store though

But if your hotel is within walking distance from J&R Music World, you should check it out.

The weight and keyboard of the T100 are the the main reasons why i still want it.

Not to mention the extremely affordable price, which includes not only the keyboard but also Office 2013. For the Dell Venue 11, the keyboard costs an extra $130 to $160.

But the venue does have some nice features(full usb port,removable battery,NFC).

The T100 has a full-sized USB port on its keyboard. I must say I don't understand why so many people want to have removable batteries even for el cheapo devices. For an expensive laptop that's intended to be kept for many years, it would be nice to be able to replace the battery when it no longer holds much charge. But for something as cheap as the Asus T100 (or any other tablets in a similar price range), if the battery stops working after several years, just discard the whole thing! And while 1920x1080 isn't as crazy on a 10.8" screen as 1920x1200 is on the Thinkpad 8's 8.3" screen, the Venue 11's pixel density of 204.0 DPI is still uncomfortably high for the Windows 8 desktop UI. But of course, it is entirely your choice, and I do find the Venue 11 more appealing than the Microsoft Surface Pro 2. If you do end up getting the Venue 11, be sure to upgrade to at l east Core i3, as I have seen lots of complaints about how slow the Atom-equipped units are.

[aau007]

Electronic features are really personal. Remember, nice features are just that, "nice features". Don't pay the price just because it is "nice". What are you going to use NFC for? Do you have a specific application that requires NFC? Or are they just "nice to have" and you figure you will somehow find a use for it? I agree with Piano on the removable battery. Don't get too carry away with it. Few hundred dollars machine, by the time the battery wears out, you will be tossing the machine to get a better one anyways. My take is these tablets' life cycle is no more than 2 years and you will be longing for a new one.

Physical features like weight and dimension are more absolute. Everyone wants lighter weight and smaller footprint with the largest screen (I know, I know. Footprint and large screen kinda contradict so you have to pick one).

External keyboard. If you must use an external keyboard, then you should not buy a tablet. There is always a way to hook up an external keyboard when docking at your desk. If you have to use a keyboard and always carry the external keyboard with you, there goes the weight, 2lbs and over total carrying weight. Sort of defeat the purpose of using a small light weight tablet. Try it for yourself, hold a 1 lb. dumbbell with you at chest level for an hour or so and tell me how your arm feels.

Piano, processor is another thing up for argument. Going up in processor level also lowers the battery life. It is then anyone's preference if they want longer runtime vs faster processing. Pay attention to the runtime vs processor. Furthermore, take at least a 25% discount on the rated runtime for real life usage.