Rumor: few shots of the next generation tp (merged thread)

[wireless4laptop]

http://www.51nb.com/forum/attachments/m ... GXgTuU.jpg


http://www.51nb.com/forum/attachments/m ... Ns9Bb8.jpg

[dr_st]

What the hell is that?!

[mattbiernat]

if that thinkpad has a macbook like keyboard i am not going to buy a new thinkpad ever again.

[Rick Aguinaldo]

What the hell is that?!

It's called Thinkbad here

[matson]

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/198/23 ... 343851.jpg
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/2566 ... 914234.jpg
http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/6877/2 ... 502677.jpg
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/1415 ... 945966.jpg
http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/3724 ... 229655.jpg

hope this is going to come true

source (in simplified Chinese)

[Harryc]

.img tags broken. We do not allow inline pics in the forum without a warning in the subject line, and then only one small pic.

[mattbiernat]

It's called Thinkbad here

no, its called IBM refurb department is getting my money.

[rkawakami]

Posts from "Do you like new Thinkpad?" in General HD/SW forum merged into this thread.

[qviri]

Yeah, that's not a Thinkpad

[wap32]

Oh my god...it's a chiclet keyboard!

I can only hope they'll be the next SL's or some other budget series because if that is what's going to replace the T/R/X/W line, I don't think I could ever buy a ThinkPad again...

[JaneL]

I can only hope they'll be the next SL's or some other budget series because if that is what's going to replace the T/R/X/W line, I don't think I could ever buy a ThinkPad again...

I agree - maybe it's either the SL series or some new TP badged netbook.

[Harryc]

It's very macbook-ish as far as the keyboard goes. I really hope this is the next value line as well.

[wireless4laptop]

afterall, acer timeline uses such keyboard.

[jdhurst]

afterall, acer timeline uses ......

That says it all. ... JDH

[ajkula66]

Someone please pinch me...

[mattbiernat]

this has to be the value line because lenovo wouldn't be that stupid to do this kind of thing to their thinkpad brand. on the other hand i am happy that value brand finally got their trackpoint.

[dr_st]

this has to be the value line because lenovo wouldn't be that stupid to do this kind of thing to their thinkpad brand. on the other hand i am happy that value brand finally got their trackpoint.

I'm afraid that this actually might happen to the SL line. The SL seem quite nice laptops, good competition to DELL Vostro, and have a few nice features that "true" Thinkpads could use (HDMI out, plush 6-cell batteries on 14" widescreens). I like the SL series and would be unhappy to see it deteriorate to something like this.

[wap32]

It's a little disappointing to see Lenovo milking the ThinkPad brand this way.

Other than having a trackpoint and "ThinkPad" written on them, those laptops are nothing like ThinkPads.
And while I would admit they don't look that bad at all, they should be released under the Lenovo brand.

[killer]

It's a little disappointing to see Lenovo milking the ThinkPad brand this way.

Other than having a trackpoint and "ThinkPad" written on them, those laptops are nothing like ThinkPads.
And while I would admit they don't look that bad at all, they should be released under the Lenovo brand.

Ah, but is it Lenovo "milking the ThinkPad brand" or some pirate organisation? Anyone can copy the logo and the image, however illegal it may be. (For people who have English as a second or third language, when I say anyone can I mean they are able to do so whether it is legal or not. It is probably illegal.)

The question is, would you buy one?

[khtse]

Two new (and less blurry) shots of it

http://netbook.zol.com.cn/153/1537567.html
http://translate.google.com/translate?p ... ry_state0= (Google translation)

It looks more like a mod job. Why X200e, instead of X210e or X201e or something like that? Why not fully white, and do a ugly mix of black and white? Why XP? It's Windows 7 era. Where are the volume adjustment and Think vantage buttons?

The whole thing doesn't make sense. Either this is a very early prototype, or this is completely fake.

Admin edit: Added Google translation of zol.com.cn page

[wap32]

I really really hope it's a fake, it goes against so much of what the ThinkPad brand stands for...

[frankausmtank]

It looks more like a mod job. Why X200e, instead of X210e or X201e or something like that? Why not fully white, and do a ugly mix of black and white? Why XP? It's Windows 7 era. Where are the volume adjustment and Think vantage buttons?

Doesn't it read 'X100e'? This thing looks small. Could be an atom-powered netbook prototype, which would explain XP. I actually dig that black/white mixture. Not too sure about the keyboard, though, I think it'd be perfect with a x60/x61 type keyboard. But if they really announce a 10" netbook type thinkpad, I'd be all over it.

[felixgogo]

I think the unit is sitting on a standard 'hotel' style padded chair, which makes this unit quite small. Given that the trackpoint nub is a standard size at 9mm, scaling up the photo makes the unit around 21cm wide, and inplies a 9" screen. At this width, a X60/X61 keyboard would be too wide!

Much as I am little disappointed at first view - why the heck is it not black, why the chiclet keyboard, - perhaps we are seeing the fabled Thinkpad Netbook.

Nice features - trackpoint AND trackpad in a very small unit, a return to the 'bento-box' squareness, red accents on the mouse buttons, what appear to be metal hinges and I think there is a webcam.

A real shame there is no volume controls, and that the arrow keys are not lower like on most Thinkpads.

The killer item that proves this IS a thinkpad? The bottom left key is Fn.....

I'll take one in black please......

[pianowizard]

Given that the trackpoint nub is a standard size at 9mm, scaling up the photo makes the unit around 21cm wide, and inplies a 9" screen.

That's a brilliant way to estimate the laptop's size. Using this photo and assuming that the trackpoint is an 8mm soft dome, I calculated that the laptop is about 24 cm (or 9.4 inches) wide. In that same photo, the screen appears to be 92.2% as wide as the lid, suggesting its 22.1 cm or 8.7 inches wide. Thus, it's most likely a 10.1" screen, i.e. this is a netbook. And judging by the size of the Windows XP task bar in relation to the size of the desktop area, the resolution should be higher than 1024x600.

With a wideth of 9.4 inches, this X100e is even less wide than the 240/240X/240Z, which is 10.2 inches in width.

[mineonenj156]

Looks like a knock off. Alot of things from japan or china they try to mod things or copy things.....That thinkpad looks awful with that keyboard like that...looks like my 3 year sons Toys r Us play laptop....

[yak]

I couldn't accept something like this as a replacement for the current T/R/W/X machines. Mainly because it's not black and the keyboard is much, much worse.

But it really seems to be something different, a netbook. And it definitely do *not* says X200e, take a look:
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/2081159/netpad.jpg

I've enhanced the model number from one of the photos using PS, it might end with an "e" but it's definitely more like X100e, not X200e.

This would mean that it's a 9-10" netbook so the keyboard trade-offs are understandable. Still, they should squeeze dedicated volume buttons somewhere and it just has to be black and rubberized. Colorful and shiney exterior could be optional.

If this is legit at all...

[mattbiernat]

everybody is overly critical on those pictures (and i am too) but lets take a different spin at things. this is only netbook and so no buisness is going to buy a netbook. this device is targeted at average joe who does not care about keyboard as long as it looks cool. and actually the idea of milking thinkpad brand is quite profitable and might not affect lenovo as long as they offer a sturdy, conservative and reliable T and X series for the business oriented people.
and the keyboard itself does look like a piece of #@$#@%#@% but it still might be the best keyboard on the netbook market. in that case that little thinkpad will have everything that I would want in it: good keyboard, trackpoint and a reliability of a thinpad.

[sparta.rising]

Am I seriously the only one who thinks that these models look like super early proof of concept models? The screen and keyboard look like they are glossy print outs pasted onto a white body... None of the features have depth when viewed form an angle.

I could be mistaken, but the "shadows" cast by the keys appear to be facing the wrong direction in this photo: http://www.51nb.com/forum/attachments/m ... Ns9Bb8.jpg based on the shadow cast by the cameraman. Wouldnt the light source be behind the photographer? Then the shadows of the keys should be on the screen side, not the trackpad side. If there were multiple light sources (like the room I'm currently in) there would need to be a light source in front/above of the photographer and this would cause a shadow to be cast by the screen.

Edit: Further analysis
Notice that the keys cast shadows inwards, those on the left cast shadows towards the right and those on the right cast shadows toward the left. This would indicate a left and right light source and you would expect the photographer to cast two shadows. If it was a center light source the keys would cast their shadows outward.
I decided to see if this theory was correct and decided to look at photographs of models with chicklet keyboards like the Macbook pro. And I found that they did not cast any significant shadow.
I believe this was a mockup done in a 3D modeling software, printed out and pasted two some plastic.

Again... I could be very wrong, but that's what it looks like to me...

[felixgogo]

There are two different machines in those photos.

IMG222 is the smaller 'netbook' one with the keyboard going to the edge of the machine, and IMG81 is a much larger machine, it has a frame around the keyboard.

So there are two new machines - the larger one looks very 'SL' like.

I just noticed that the smaller machine has ThinkVantage Productivity Center launched in the photo....

I agree with Yak - the badge does look like X100e, but this then raises another question. As the unit is clearly smaller than the X200, calling it X100 is logical. But why 'e'? X100 alone would be enough model separation, so does this imply a non 'e' as well? Or even an 's'?

Would 'e' be 'extra'? Perhaps WWAN? Or could it be 'e' for 'economy'? Or 'e' for 'Ee look, they put the wrong keyboard on it and left out all the thinkpad features like volume keys and bunged on a trackpad when they didn't need to...'

[bill bolton]

this is only netbook and so no buisness is going to buy a netbook.

The primary application for netbooks+cloud at this point in time is for business purposes.

this device is targeted at average joe

It much more likely to be targeted at business applications which are substantially different to most of those in use today.

Cheers,

Bill B.