What's more important to you: portability or screen res?

[ajkula66]

[ Just looked it up. Its small. Its too small for me to USE. If I wanted something that SMALL/ LIGHT, I'd probably use the iPad with keyboard for the MOBILITY computing.

An iPad wouldn't survive one day in my work environment. For the record, I bought an iPad 2 as an anniversary gift to my wife (a worse ThinkPad diehard than myself) last year and she loves it. It's a respectable piece of mobile entertainment.

On the other hand, you can *seriously* abuse CF-R6 and it will chug along happily, within the limitations of its '07 platform.

[pianowizard]

BOTH. Balance. Hence I love my X61T SXGA+ .

To me, that means your answer should be "screen res" becuse the X61T is really quite heavy IMO.

I have been traveling in Europe the past week, oftentimes carrying everything that I have. Thank goodness I have this 1.9-lb Sony X505ZP. It's slow and only has 1024x768, but the light weight is crucial.

[crashnburn]

BOTH. Balance. Hence I love my X61T SXGA+ .

To me, that means your answer should be "screen res" becuse the X61T is really quite heavy IMO.

I have been traveling in Europe the past week, oftentimes carrying everything that I have. Thank goodness I have this 1.9-lb Sony X505ZP. It's slow and only has 1024x768, but the light weight is crucial.

The definition of LIGHT, will always change & vary by individual, place and conditions.

Going from 15" to 14" was such a revelation for me. Then going from 14" to 12.1" has been LIGHT! And playing with the iPad has been interesting exercise. I think once I get more iPad-ish.. I might use it MORE.

Ideal scenario. Thinkbook Air 13.3" with High Res and Light, Slim & Tough! ..

I am wondering what kind of hybrid beauties could come out if we got the Designers, Product and Engineering teams of Thinkpads, MacBooks and iPads to work together. World Domination! .. PS: Hybrids (combinations of genetics / skills) are usually wow.. yum! (PS: Hope I am not being offensive. I am just pro inter-racial dating/ mating.. Beautiful Mashups)

[Soul_Est]

I prefer the low weight of my X200s as well as the high PPI count of the display as I like to be light on my feet while going through my day.

[twistero]

That's all fine and well until you have a *lot* of other stuff in the same bag.

A difference between 15 and 17 pounds gets noticeable after a bit of walking...

Good thing I don't carry lots of other stuff in my bag then... Never take my textbooks to class, and the computer replaces all folders and notebooks, so the computer itself is pretty much all I need for classes.

[bhtooefr]

The X61t SXGA+ is such a disappointing machine, IMO (and I had one for a while), for those of us that don't actually care about the tablet functionality.

You can build an X61s up to be very, VERY light... but the friggin' X61t, with the same specs, pushes into the T-series weight class.

Granted, an X61s SXGA+ has been done, but...

In any case, I'm voting portability, due to it being for a mobile machine. I also go for cheapness - something that won't be too painful to find broken or stolen. End result in my case was a Fujitsu P1620 - 8.9", 1280x768 (making it similar density to the awesome QXGA panel), IPS, Core 2 Duo, 2.5 pounds with the big battery, and the thing even has a pointing stick. The sucky parts are max RAM of 2 GiB (partially due to chipset, partially due to a proprietary RAM form factor that never got 4 GiB modules) and a 1.8" PATA HDD.

I like to call it a "netbook replacement" - it's the same size as a smaller netbook, but with a good screen (the way the tablet functionality was implemented, it has bad IPS rainbow effect, though), a real CPU, and pointing stick.

Unfortunately, it only got one more update, which did update the chipset, and got a SATA HDD. No more RAM, though, and it ended up getting replaced by a heavier, 11.6", 1366x768 TN machine - netbooks killed the $2000+ ultra-high-end Japanese ultraportable niche. For shame, because the form factor really was awesome for ultramobility, and build quality is nearly as good as the best ThinkPads.

[Kasm279]

I would say given an absolute minimum of 1024x768 then portability.
However, other considerations have generally eliminated anything less than a 11.5" screen in the last 10 years: I'm not willing to accept a CPU/GPU/max disk capacity less than what I can get in that form factor. Although my first laptop was a 10.4" 640x480 AT&T Globalyst G130 that I thought was great at the time and I also liked my 11.3" 800x600 Toshiba Portege 660CDT. Those are not exactly light though; they're about 2" thick (I still have them both).

Those old Toshiba Porteges are neat. I have a 610CT that still manages to hold a charge for two hours or so. However, the 640x480 screen is a little small to do anything with.

As for laptops, I mainly like lower weight balanced with screen resolution. My favorite laptop, besides my T60p, was an Averatec 3700. 12" XGA screen and something like four pounds. Unfortunately due to the inadequate cooling it killed two hard drives and then itself...

[Puppy]

Sorry for cross-posting but I guess it belongs here as well: http://liliputing.com/2012/06/asus-zenb ... ption.html
The Asus Zenbook Prime UX21A is an ultrabook with an Ivy Bridge processor and an 11.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display.

[hunterman223]

I voted for screen res.. but I want both!

I have owned many low-res laptops in the past, and never again...

Of course it depends on usage, certain scenarios it is necessary to sacrifice one or the other, to some extent. The ideal laptop would have both res and portability. X230 with HD+ would be perfect I think, but I'd have to see it myself first.

[pianowizard]

The Asus Zenbook Prime UX21A is an ultrabook with an Ivy Bridge processor and an 11.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display.

Pretty exciting, but my wait for a sub-1.6lb ultrabook with VGA output continues. I will wait for another year or so and if there still isn't one, I will just get Sony's discontinued X Series, which is 1.6 lbs and has a VGA port.

X230 with HD+ would be perfect I think, but I'd have to see it myself first.

Check out the Panasonic CF-NX2, which has 12.5" HD+ and weighs only 2.34 pounds. It would set you back $4.2K though: http://shop.conics.net/index.php/comput ... sonic.html

[hunterman223]

It would set you back $4.2K though..

For that price I'd just buy an X230 and a W530...

[elray]

Sorry for cross-posting but I guess it belongs here as well: http://liliputing.com/2012/06/asus-zenb ... ption.html
The Asus Zenbook Prime UX21A is an ultrabook with an Ivy Bridge processor and an 11.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display.

Can anyone speculate whether said panel could be transplanted into an Edge 11?

[jdk]

Check out the Panasonic CF-NX2, which has 12.5" HD+ and weighs only 2.34 pounds. It would set you back $4.2K though: http://shop.conics.net/index.php/comput ... sonic.html

Nice, especially the orange one. That price range puts it above anything I could ever afford, but I guess that's what people used to say about Thinkpads.

[pianowizard]

For that price I'd just buy an X230 and a W530...

Okay, this configuration of the CF-NX2 is "only" $2.8': http://shop.conics.net/index.php/cf-nx2jeadr.html

And the previous generation of the NX Series has dropped to $1.7K: http://shop.conics.net/index.php/cf-nx1 ... sonic.html

[mattbiernat]

I think most people would say that both are imporant. The reason is that most people here probably own one "portable (11-13inch)" and one "desktop (14-17inch)" size laptop.
Perhaps if you asked me what is more imporant in portable laptop: screen resolution or portability then I would say the latter. Screen resolution is important for my primary home laptop which I carry around the house and watch movies on ocasionally. It is also easier on the eyes. As for anything that goes outside of the house it needs to be small enough for me to actually want to take it out. For example, I would never take a 14inch T60 to a coffee shop or even 13 inch x300 would be uncomfortable. That's where my new x120e shines.

[pianowizard]

Perhaps if you asked me what is more imporant in portable laptop: screen resolution or portability then I would say the latter.

Well, I did specify in my opening post that this poll is about mobile laptops. However, to make myself perfectly clear, I just updated my opening post to read "mobile laptops that go outside your home".

For example, I would never take a 14inch T60 to a coffee shop or even 13 inch x300 would be uncomfortable. That's where my new x120e shines.

But isn't the X300 actually a little lighter than the X120e, something like 3.3 lbs versus 3.4 lbs? But of course it depends on how large the batteries are. If your X300 has an extended battery and your X120e has a small one, then the latter probably weighs a bit less.

[mattbiernat]

But isn't the X300 actually a little lighter than the X120e, something like 3.3 lbs versus 3.4 lbs? But of course it depends on how large the batteries are. If your X300 has an extended battery and your X120e has a small one, then the latter probably weighs a bit less.

True, but at some point the size becomes more important than weight. My x120e got a really small footprint (as wide as an iPad and only 1 inch longer). So it's easy to carry it around with other papers and books. For me size matters the most because over the years I have simply noticed that the larger the laptop the less likely it is going to be out with me.

[pianowizard]

After 3 years of its release, I finally bought one: The Sony X Series, VPCX113KG. Its actual weight turns out to be much lighter than advertised: 1.41 lbs!!! That's even lighter than the current iPad, which is 1.44 lbs.

[asiafish]

At home on the desk I use the new Retina MacBook Pro at 2880X1800 (awesome) and 4.5 lbs.

For military duty its a ThinkPad X61s with 1024X768 at roughly 3 lbs.

My MAIN computer for work (docked to a 27" display) and travel is an 11" MacBook Air at 1366X768 and 2.3 lbs.


Portability is far more important and if I had to settle for one and only one computer it would be the 11" Air in a heartbeat.

[asiafish]

You really much experience the 2012 Samsung Series 9 1600x900 PLS screen in person for a few days. Nice!

Looking forward to checking out the new ASUS 13.3" 1920x1080 IPS screen.

I am wondering when we'll see another Flexview model.

Try the Retina MacBook Pro, 2880X1800 - WOW!!!!

[asiafish]

Those old Toshiba Porteges are neat. I have a 610CT that still manages to hold a charge for two hours or so. However, the 640x480 screen is a little small to do anything with.

As for laptops, I mainly like lower weight balanced with screen resolution. My favorite laptop, besides my T60p, was an Averatec 3700. 12" XGA screen and something like four pounds. Unfortunately due to the inadequate cooling it killed two hard drives and then itself...

I had (and loved) the 650CT. Great machine, but 800X600 is useless these days.

[jdrou]

I had (and loved) the 650CT. Great machine, but 800X600 is useless these days.

Not to mention no internal USB/WiFi/ethernet. The 660CDT did at least have some of the first 32-bit CardBus slots so you could add some decent connections.

[asiafish]

Not to mention no internal USB/WiFi/ethernet. The 660CDT did at least have some of the first 32-bit CardBus slots so you could add some decent connections.

650CT had the exact same architecture as 660CDT. Only differences were 133MHz instead of 150MHz and lack of CD-ROM drive. Otherwise they were identical. Wish I still had mine, was a terrific machine. I still look for them occasionally on eBay but never find working examples in good cosmetic condition.

[pianowizard]

I am not familiar with the 650CT but in general, many of these early laptops were extremely solid because they were very thick and no sacrifices were made to make them thin and light. The Dell Inspiron 7500 I have is like that.

[asiafish]

I am not familiar with the 650CT but in general, many of these early laptops were extremely solid because they were very thick and no sacrifices were made to make them thin and light. The Dell Inspiron 7500 I have is like that.

They were definitely bricks. The 650CT was very small in its footprint, but was still over an inch and a half thick. It weighed about 4.5 lbs, which for 1995/6 was quite light as well, and its 800X600 TFT (as opposed to passive matrix) LCD was quite high-end for the day.

I used my 650CT up until about the year 2005 for military duty ultimately running Windows 2000 on it with it maxed out at 80MB of RAM and with a 7200 RPM 40 GB hard drive. So configured it wasn't fast with Windows 2000, but it wasn't all that slow either. It got about 4 hours of runtime on a charge and was generally one of my favorite PCs looking back.

4.5 lbs has remained the maximum weight that I will tolerate in a portable machine, though I have owned heavier (2010 MacBook Pro 15" at 5.6 lbs). I'm firmly in the "less is more" camp and have been for many years, with the current 11" MacBook Air (2.3 lbs) my absolute favorite laptop. I also own and really like the new 15" Retina MacBook Pro, which makes my weight limit (barely), but I still grab the Air for any trip farther than the living room.

[jdrou]

maxed out at 80MB of RAM

I actually found a 128MB module that fits (also used by Tecra 750CDT) so I have 144MB total. Never got around to installing Win2k before I moved to a Thinkpad 600E but its something I was planning to do.

[Ferrario500]

Screen resolution is very important for me.

[Puppy]

There is new poll on Lenovo Forums http://forums.lenovo.com/ page: When researching a laptop what features do you look out for first or make comparison against?

Top Choice: Display size/resolution/quality (41%)

Interesting, the most ignored and underestimated component by Lenovo has the most votes. Also a "keyboard quality and layout" option is missing.

[pianowizard]

I just came back from a 5-day conference where I had to walk around with all my belongings on numerous occasions. Thank goodness my laptop for this trip was my Sony X Series, the world's lightest laptop ever. I actually needed to do lots of typing on this trip, so slate tablets wouldn't have worked well. At 1.41 lbs, it's about as light as most slate tablets anyway; in fact, it's actually silghtly lighter than the 3rd-gen iPad. Yes, it was a pain to have only 1366x768 of screen estate, but for 5 days it was tolerable.

I think my entire backpack weighed only 8 pounds or so, which included all my clothes, toiletries and everything else.

[asiafish]

I just came back from a 5-day conference where I had to walk around with all my belongings on numerous occasions. Thank goodness my laptop for this trip was my Sony X Series, the world's lightest laptop ever. I actually needed to do lots of typing on this trip, so slate tablets wouldn't have worked well. At 1.41 lbs, it's about as light as most slate tablets anyway; in fact, it's actually silghtly lighter than the 3rd-gen iPad. Yes, it was a pain to have only 1366x768 of screen estate, but for 5 days it was tolerable.

I think my entire backpack weighed only 8 pounds or so, which included all my clothes, toiletries and everything else.

THAT is traveling light. What is the battery life in the 1.4 lb configuration? That sounds like a better machine than my 11" Air, but I do need OS X.