Narrowed my choices down to X41 vs. T43

[dmccarty]

My wife is going to start doing accounting work from home, and I need to get her a new laptop. The new X41T has the wow factor, but I think for everyday use she'll like the X41 or T43 best.

Her work is mostly from home using spreadsheets and custom accounting software. Every now and then she'll need to go into the office to share files, etc. She said that she doesn't think she'll mind a 12" screen. She's not sure how much she'll need a CD/CD-RW drive.

My questions:
- For X41 owners, is attaching the optical drive via a cable or the dock a nuisance?

- Is the X41's 12" screen and "nearly full-size" keyboard suitable to do extended work on?

- Do the Intel Extreme graphics chipset (X41) or ATI Radeon 7500 (T43) support multiple monitors?

- Is the T43 + accessories heavy to carry around for an average-size woman?

- Apart from using the touchscreen on the X41T in meetings or in the field, is there any advantage over non-tablets to doing normal laptop work?

[DavidNZ]

I've owned an X40 for about a year now, but brought in an external LCD and keyboard about five months ago because it was just a little too much for me hunched down at a 12" screen all day. I use Excel and SPSS (stats software) quite a bit, as well as Word.

[bhtooefr]

1. I'm an X21 owner, but I can comment. I don't find attaching the UltraBase to get a CD drive a nuisance.

2. I don't have any problem with the 12" screen. I also find the keyboard acceptable - HOWEVER, I've heard that some keys, especially backspace, are smaller on the X41 than on the X21.

3. Intel's GMA900 and ATi's MR7500 do support multiple monitors.

4. Can't answer.

5. Nitpick: you HAVE to use the pen with a tablet. Now, I'd say that using it in meetings (well, class for me) and the field would make it worth it - for me. However, otherwise, I wouldn't use it as a tablet much. And, a regular laptop will work passably in those situations, especially if it's 3.5lbs or lighter (like an X series).

[javanaut]

I own an X40 and a T30 so my answers reflect that experience.
- attaching the Ultrabase to the X40 with the optical drive is not a nuisance and is as easy as ejecting an external device.
- the X40's 12-inch screen is fine for extended work in my opinion. I have used one for several months for software development.
- bhtooefr answered this one.
- I think this question can be expanded to be a non-gender specific question. I prefer carrying the X40 around since I commute to work most days because it is lighter than my T30. By the time I pack my laptop, maybe a book, a few notebooks, and files from the office my briefcase is quite heavy. Using a X40 lightens my load by two to three pounds. And if you don't have to carry anything but your laptop there is a "sense of freedom" with carrying an X40 around that you wouldn't have with a heavier machine in my opinion.
- The only times that I wished that I had a tablet were in conference halls when I'm trying to take notes since I can scribble faster than I can type.
The only other thing to consider is how large and compute intensive are the spreadsheets and the custom accounting software? Is there a relational database installed with the accounting software? If those are factors maybe an X32 (about half a pound heavier and a bit larger than the X40 and about 2 pounds ligher than a T series) might be the answer.

Danton
Pelham, NY

________________________
X32 (2885-K4U) // X40 (2371-7GU) // T30 (2366-42U) // A31P (2653-H6U) // 600 (2645-PNT)

[dmccarty]

Thanks for the replies, all. Very insightful comments and points.

We ended up getting the T43 1875M2U, mostly because of features, partly because of price and availability. I think it'll be nice for her to have a "full" full-size keyboard, and integrated optical drive instead of the media slice.

The extra horsepower will help crunching the numbers, and the bigger screen will be kind to those 30-something eyes. Since she'll work mostly from home, the extra weight for those days when she does go into the office shouldn't be too bad. (She has a killer 4-mile commute.)

Maybe now that she has a great lappie I can think about upgrading my ol' T20 with a slim and sleek x-something.

Thanks again,
Dan.

[Yotam]

Sorry. Somehow I didn't see you already decided.