No S-Video, no serial, no firewire, no parallel port

Message

donking! · #31 Post by **donking!** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 1:42 am

Okay, I know Lenovo is having to juggle a lot of different needs and decide which ones to satisfy. But people keep talking about their decision making process as if it must have some comprehensible rationale behind it. Maybe they just made a bad decision on the S-Video.

I mean, why not wire it and DVI into the VGA port and then provide a simple adapter (instead of these huge messy third party devices that I and others have found)? Apple did this with the MacBook and it's DVI port.

I mean, people on Apple forums aren't happy to see S-Video go either and don't like the dongle solution. But at least Apple provided them with a simple solution and a small extra adapter to carry around.

Lenovo, on the other hand, just cut the port and left people to fend for themselves. That to me does not exactly bespeak the famous IBM customer service attitude.

snife · #32 Post by **snife** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:00 am

I may want more USB than average but I have my mouse/graphics tablet depending on what i'm doing, a couple of usb keys, a usb floppy, a usb hdd (which requires 2), possibly a printer or another external dvd drive (to speed up copying) and my usb fan if i'm somewhere warm. 4 would suit me but I think 3 is reasonable for the majority of users.

I don't know but I would imagine that Apple has some sort of patent on its DVI port dongle system and as for giving presentations, I would think most projectors that have an s-video or DVI port would also have a VGA port, which is not reversely true so the VGA is the best choice out of the 3 for a travelling business user (although I not not arguing that I would not like s-video too).

Likvid · #33 Post by **Likvid** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 9:44 am

snife wrote:I may want more USB than average but I have my mouse/graphics tablet depending on what i'm doing, a couple of usb keys, a usb floppy, a usb hdd (which requires 2), possibly a printer or another external dvd drive (to speed up copying) and my usb fan if i'm somewhere warm. 4 would suit me but I think 3 is reasonable for the majority of users.

You need a desktop machine, not a laptop.

snife · #34 Post by **snife** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 4:20 pm

i haven't used a desktop in 8 years and don't intend to again - a desktop machine doesn't allow me to work onsite, at work and at home, a notebook does, but I like to have the options to add what I need when I need it - ideally i should have a mini dock everywhere but thats impracticle for me.

christopher_wolf · #35 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 5:31 pm

USB was originally thought of as a way to essentially get rid of all the "other" ports on a computer and replace them with a universal serial bus; that hasn't happened, even though it is a good idea. There are ports that have to be specialized plus you do need physical space for them. Another, very far out, solution would be to have a high-speed wireless interface hub with all the other devices; thereby negating the need for a wired connection much like Wiresless USB, Although it is possible, I think that computer systems now are a long way off from it, even with Bluetooth and WiFi. I have, however, seen setups in Labs where you log onto the system wirelessly, activate a sensor remotely (or it might be right in front of you), and collect the data that way with no direct, wired linkage to the transducer itself. All a mobile system would need is hardware that could handle a large amount of devices talking to it directly and at a sufficient speed. That, in theory, would be the ideal solution; yet it is still aways off. You would also have to keep a certain number of ports in the Thinkpad because you would still like to support a wired option as well as having a backup just in case.

Herr Yunta · #36 Post by **Herr Yunta** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 5:43 pm

Ninjak and DataAve: Do what I do and get the Socket Bluetooth Serial adapter. High quality piece that works for everything I have thrown at it including configuring ancient routers and A/C systems.

DataAve · #37 Post by **DataAve** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 6:49 pm

Herr Yunta wrote:Ninjak and DataAve: Do what I do and get the Socket Bluetooth Serial adapter. High quality piece that works for everything I have thrown at it including configuring ancient routers and A/C systems.

Can you lead me in the right direction (model numbers)? I'd love to stick with the Z60M and the rest of the Lenovo product line.

MagicBoy · #38 Post by **MagicBoy** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 5:48 am

2 USB ports is enough for a thin and light notebook like the T-series. If you need more then you are likely at a desk with a load of main powered peripherals - so buy a dock. The mini-dock I'm using now has 6 USB ports - 2 on the laptop plus 4 on the dock.

The DVI is nice as well

ehsu · #39 Post by **ehsu** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 12:36 am

MagicBoy wrote:2 USB ports is enough for a thin and light notebook like the T-series. If you need more then you are likely at a desk with a load of main powered peripherals - so buy a dock. The mini-dock I'm using now has 6 USB ports - 2 on the laptop plus 4 on the dock.

The DVI is nice as well

Does mini-dock support the new T60 series?

snife · #40 Post by **snife** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:04 am

There is a new mini-dock for the T60 - it has 4 USB ports on it and the 3 ThinkPad ports are still accessible giving a total of 7.

beeblebrox · #41 Post by **beeblebrox** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 8:41 am

Now, that Lenovo has brought us a multibay adapater for serial/parallel connectors I looked back to the old T2x series Ultrabay 2000 and remembered my great ultrabay Palm docking module.

I wonder if Lenovo has ever thought about a multibay for the iPod nano, which would also load its battery and easily transfer songs.

AND BTW I could charge the battery unattended at the office without having a bright white iPod laying around and yelling "Steal me, please steal me!"

beeblebrox · #42 Post by **beeblebrox** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 8:42 am

snife wrote:There is a new mini-dock for the T60 - it has 4 USB ports on it and the 3 ThinkPad ports are still accessible giving a total of 7.

there is the new multidock for the Lenovo C3000 series, with everything you need, even S-video.

it just plugs into the USB port

#43 Post by **GomJabbar** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 8:47 am

It's good to know about the multidock with S-Video. Yet I use the S-Video when I am traveling. I don't want to travel with a multidock.

jeremivw · #44 Post by **jeremivw** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 7:21 am

beeblebrox wrote:I wonder if Lenovo has ever thought about a multibay for the iPod nano, which would also load its battery and easily transfer songs.

That's a really great idea. You should take that one to Lenovo and sell it. And ask them to please make one with say a card reader and s-video or maybe firewire?

Of course they did kind of cover themselves (IMO) with the ExpressCard slot...someone is bound to make an ExpressCard SD reader, maybe one w/ fw but one with S-video (and maybe a tuner) would be great!

Gotta go google this to see what's out there for the ExpressCard slot...

christopher_wolf · #45 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:53 pm

jeremivw wrote:
beeblebrox wrote:I wonder if Lenovo has ever thought about a multibay for the iPod nano, which would also load its battery and easily transfer songs.
That's a really great idea. You should take that one to Lenovo and sell it. And ask them to please make one with say a card reader and s-video or maybe firewire?

Of course they did kind of cover themselves (IMO) with the ExpressCard slot...someone is bound to make an ExpressCard SD reader, maybe one w/ fw but one with S-video (and maybe a tuner) would be great!

Gotta go google this to see what's out there for the ExpressCard slot...

That is a bit much, don't you think? Even Apple dropped an iPod dock feature on the MacBook Pro if I remember correctly; other nice things would be an SD Card reader, but both the X4X Series and the Z6X Series have them...Mainly for entertainment and media usages, and that isn't the best case one could make for taking up vauable space on a T Series Thinkpad. That is beginning to turn it into a heavier, multimedia based laptop; content isn't everything and you will start to feel the weight.

There is already, if I remember this from another post correctly, the hardware for a Firewire port onsome T4X Series Planars, but no port for it. Firewire hasn't seen that much use as of late, but it is still a very nice option to have. The X40 Series already has one.

I would still like a DVI port and quite possibly an S-Video port.

csioucs · #46 Post by **csioucs** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 3:39 am

Well, I don't see why they do not make everything the laptop does not have optional by UltraBay like Toshiba does for instance. Say a 7 in 1 card reader or even the precious S-Video...(that I too am going to miss. Someone earlier said that a TV-set is in some circumstances more appropiate than a projector), or anything else thinkable. That would make the T60 the most versatile laptop....

jobes · #47 Post by **jobes** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 10:24 am

You can do a Serial / Parallel Port Bay Adapter
http://www-131.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/store ... lCurrId=73

w0qj · #48 Post by **w0qj** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:17 am

Now, if only they also included S-Video in this Serial / Parallel Port Bay Adapter...

jobes · #49 Post by **jobes** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:46 am

and... a four pin firewire we'd be styling.

w0qj wrote:Now, if only they also included S-Video in this Serial / Parallel Port Bay Adapter...

jeremivw · #50 Post by **jeremivw** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 8:45 pm

w0qj wrote:Now, if only they also included S-Video in this Serial / Parallel Port Bay Adapter...

jobes wrote:and... a four pin firewire we'd be styling.

Those serial/parallel ports are practical over that IDE interface in the slim bay...MAYBE Svideo over IDE could be done...but not FW.

I really wish they had thought more along these lines in the design phase. They'd have had to include some sort of PCIe or USB2 connector(like the ExpressCard slot offers either) in the Ultra Slim bay to make some higher I/O requirements a real possiblity...

Maybe then I could have had my dual sata drives for REAL (not one ADAPTED to IDE!)!

darrenf · #51 Post by **darrenf** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 9:58 pm

jeremivw wrote:[...]Those serial/parallel ports are practical over that IDE interface in the slim bay...MAYBE Svideo over IDE could be done...but not FW.[...]

If you look at the pictures of the new module (like jobes's above) you'll see that it connects over a new, centered, third connector instead of the IDE or power connectors. Anything that they thought to incorporate in this connector could have an adapter made for it, but since Lenovo has only announced the serial/parallel (AFAIK), I think it unlikely that another adapter module is out there. I think this was to satisfy the customers that were unhappy about the removal of the physical parallel port and the prior removal of the serial port.

The distinction is important for users of the serial/parallel adapter. If the module used a gimmick to pass that data over IDE, it would be no more tightly coupled with the southbridge than current serial- and parallel-over-USB dongles. The beauty of the Lenovo solution is that one could, for instance, run a DOS app without ever booting windows and it would still have BIOS or direct access to the serial and parallel port. That's very smart.

-darren

No S-Video, no serial, no firewire, no parallel port

Ultrabay for the iPod Nano

Re: Ultrabay for the iPod Nano

Re: Ultrabay for the iPod Nano

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