Thinkpads Forum

Something I've been curious about for a while. I sometimes see TPs made for the domestic Japanese market come up for sale, and they often have peculiar hardware specs. Like a full-size model with an extremely slow, low-voltage (or single core) CPU instead of something more suitable for the machine. Or odd screen or drive choices, etc.

Is there an overall reason for these changes? Like (in the case of the CPUs) a stronger desire for battery life vs. processing power over there? I know in Japan console gaming is more popular and their internet is optimized for mobile devices.

Also, any interesting changes you folks have run across?

Thinkpads compete with panasonic let's note.

These computers are designed and produced in japan.
Panasonic notebooks have a better battery life and are lighter and more rugged, panasonic advices reviewers to throw their notebooks from the desk.
I bet they all use the best-in-class panasonic battery cells.

So lenovo needs to increase battery time while decreasing weight. One thing is to use a ULV cpu.

I actually found "Japanese-market-only" ThinkPads to be mostly brilliant machines...

240Z was a spectacular unit, S30/31 with their "piano" finishes (and blasphemously ridiculous battery design IMO), and my personal favourite: G50, the ultimate ugly duckling...

I've owned several "Let's Note" units, and they were absolutely amazing in many respects. Getting used to a combo U.S./Japanese keyboard was somewhat of a PITA, though. When it comes to battery life and weight, nothing beats this babies...if I could ever locate a CF-R4/R5/R6 with U.S. keyboard and original U.S. install of XP with all the proper drivers and utilities, I'd never part with it...

ajkula66 wrote:I've owned several "Let's Note" units, and they were absolutely amazing in many respects. Getting used to a combo U.S./Japanese keyboard was somewhat of a PITA, though.

I love my U.S. ToughBook Y4 and if there was a U.S. version of the Japanese Let's Note Y8, I would consider that the ultimate laptop. But unfortunately, I hate Japanese/English keyboards. Do you guys think it's possible to swap that keyboard out for a U.S. Y4 keyboard?

One way to find out...

I'll make a deal with you: find a reasonably-priced Y8, and if it won't take your Y4 keyboard, I'll buy it from you, with the original "combo" one...

ajkula66 wrote:I'll make a deal with you: find a reasonably-priced Y8, and if it won't take your Y4 keyboard, I'll buy it from you, with the original "combo" one...

Deal!

Speaking of Japanese-market machines: if anyone finds a Let's Note CF-R4 in good to excellent condition, please let me know. I'd love to get one as an ultraportable, as their Linux compatibility is supposedly quite good, but am unable to find one *anywhere* stateside.

I've owned not one, but two.

The nicer (near mint) one was sold to a Panasonic reseller in London.

The second one (quite beaten up, but working well) is still somewhere in the U.S.

If memory serves me, there was a forum member here was selling a R-6 a few months ago, which is an even more interesting machine if you ask me.

A number of R-4s was imported via "gray market" a few years back, and these have U.S. keyboards. The tag when new was something like $2500. Both of mine had combo Japanese/U.S. keyboards.

Fabulous little machines in my book.

Let me know if you end up finding one...

You could start by buying the Panasonic CF-R* US-keyboard, then scrounge up the rest later
http://cgi.ebay.com/Panasonic-CF-R3-CF- ... 0556384504

RealBlackStuff wrote:You could start by buying the Panasonic CF-R* US-keyboard, then scrounge up the rest later
http://cgi.ebay.com/Panasonic-CF-R3-CF- ... 0556384504

Years of experience have taught me that this is an excellent way to run out of attic space.

ThinkRob wrote:

Years of experience have taught me that this is an excellent way to run out of attic space.

That's why I have a full-size basement under the house, along with another attic space above the garage...