ThinkPad owner again

[asiafish]

Wel, after being Mac-only for almost 3 years, I just ordered a new X220i from Amazon. This is a budget version of the X220, with Core i3 and no bluetooth, but with 64 bit Win7 Pro, 4GB RAM and a 320GB 7200 RPM drive.

My business is entirely Mac OS X, but as a company commander in the Army reserve I still need and use Windows for all of my military work, and up to now used a Windows 2000 VM on my MacBook Air for that purpose. I've been reading a lot of great things about the X220 series and decided to order one. The only business task I cannot handle in Windows is my business management database, which is in a program called DayLite 3, but which has an amazing iPhone and iPad client. My goal is to continue using my Mac for business, but to use the ThinkPad for military duty and thus keep my business and military work completely separate.

I haven't owned a ThinkPad since the T400, so if quality and performance (especially battery life) are not in the same league as my MacBook Air (newest 11.6") then I will just return it.

By the way, do they still have the Think Light on these, or a backlit keyboard? I've been spoiled by built-in keyboard lighting since my first T20 back at the end of the previous century.

[pianowizard]

This would be a nice thread for former Thinkpad owners who have just become Thinkpad owners again. I have been without a Thinkpad since Oct 22nd 2010, when I sold my iSeries 1124. Right now, I am very happy with my Dell Latitude D820 and Panasonic Toughbook CF-Y5, and none of the current Thinkpads are tempting enough for me to buy. I had an HP Mini 5101 for a while and briefly considered upgrading from that to an X120e, but I ended up deciding that from now on, I would need a minimum screen size of 13" and a minimum resolution of 1440x900.

Apple is supposed to be working on a 15" version of the Air. If it weighs less than 4 lb and can run Windows well, then I would seriously consider upgrading my Dell Latitude to it.

[asiafish]

Thats been a rumor for over a year, and given Apple's normal upgrade cycle for new form factors will likely (if they ever do it) be introduced either October 2011 or April 2012, when the current unibody style is 4-years-old.

That said, the 13" MacBook Air sounds like exactly what you want at 1440X900. I had the 2010 model 13" and loved it. I would have kept it except it is just a smidge too large to go into my motorcycle saddlebag, hence the move back to an 11" (my first 11" was stolen and replaced with the 13").

[pianowizard]

That said, the 13" MacBook Air sounds like exactly what you want at 1440X900.

It does barely meet my minimum requirements but Sony's new Z Series (2.6 lb and 13.1" 1600x900) is even better. The Z Series has a 1920x1080 option, but I learned from my previous experience with 15" 2048x1536 that 13.1" FHD would be too much.

Currently, my likeliest upgrade paths are:

Latitude D820 (15.4" 1920x1200) --> Latitude E6500 (Dell's most recent 15.4" 1920x1200), or the 15.*" MacBook Air if it's going to be 15.4" 1920x1200 (unlikely though)

Toughbook Y5 (14.1" 1400x1050) --> Toughbook Y7 (14.1" 1400x1050) or Sony Z Series (13.1" 1600x900)

[TTY]

By the way, do they still have the Think Light on these, or a backlit keyboard?

The X220i has a ThinkLight

[asiafish]

The X220i has a ThinkLight

Great! While I prefer the backlit keyboard, ThinkLight is more than adequate.

[azX32]

Only the ThinkPad X1 and certain models of the ThinkPad Edge have a backlit keyboard (and this forum categorizes the X1 and Edge as "non-ThinkPad Lenovo Hardware").

[asiafish]

Only the ThinkPad X1 and certain models of the ThinkPad Edge have a backlit keyboard (and this forum categorizes the X1 and Edge as "non-ThinkPad Lenovo Hardware").

As do I. Neither of those, nor the X120 series even entered into my consideration.

[pianowizard]

Today, I sort of became a Thinkpad owner again. For my work, I needed a small laptop with a built-in parallel port, and so I went to eBay to get a $77-shipped X32 with a defective screen. I was hoping the screen could be fixed simply by re-attaching a cable but it turns out the backlight is dead. But I don't want to spend any more money on it, and so I removed the display assembly and hooked up the X32 to a 15.0" desktop LCD. Since it's no longer a complete Thinkpad, I am only "sort of" a Thinkpad owner and am not listing this X32 in my signature.

BTW, this is the first X3* I have ever owned, and only the second X3* that I have ever touched. I like its compact size, but for a 12.1" laptop it's really too heavy, about as heavy as my 14.1" Toughbook Y5.