Thinkpads Forum

im a tad moist, i just discovered the 'Edge'. it uses the actual dual core AMD chip, with radeon hd3200 video. and *gasp and drool* a track point.

never again do i have to choose, suffer with intel to have my beloved trackpoint on a new gen laptop, or new AMD based laptop and be forced to use the crap that is known as a touchpad.

also its all in a nice compact size, not one of thouse giant monsters, im so buying 2 of them come tax return.

Sure but I just can't accept this design in a ThinkPad notebook. It should be an IdeaPad. And a glossy display, bleh!

To each his own though, it's a good thing we have a choice.

i dont like the glossy display but it is pud and cheap to change. unlike adding a t-point to something.

plus i can get a good deal on the matte finish case version through our vendor here at work so it will look that much closer to a thinkpad.

just wish i could get a good deal on a red one for my wife.

Zedicus wrote:not one of thouse giant monsters

I like the 15" screen on my A31, I used to have an R40 as well with a 14" display and I much prefered the A31's 15". I know it's not very good for portability, but then my laptop mainly stays at home. But then again, I've always liked bigger displays!

yak wrote:It should be an IdeaPad

Agreed. This ThinkPad Edge actually misues the ThinkPad name I think. Why is it called "ThinkPad Edge" by the way, never quite understood it as all the other ThinkPad names are letters and numbers. Hmmm - like with the Windows OS's, all the names of the Windows OS's are letters and numbers, apart from Vista.

A31 wrote:This ThinkPad Edge actually misues the ThinkPad name I think. Why is it called "ThinkPad Edge" by the way, never quite understood it as all the other ThinkPad names are letters and numbers. Hmmm - like with the Windows OS's, all the names of the Windows OS's are letters and numbers, apart from Vista.

They probably realized this isn't a ThinkPad so instead of making it part of the family and giving it a standard symbol they added this "Edge" which made it a ThinkPad and not-a-ThinkPad at the same time . The name is still misused though IMHO.

look up the matte finish one. i think it is very deserving of the thinkpad name. (its also the only one my 'business class' vendor can get)

the 'edge' naming scheme is a little odd but i assume they are trying to play to a more current generation audience then the vast majority of us fit into.

yak wrote:They probably realized this isn't a ThinkPad so instead of making it part of the family and giving it a standard symbol they added this "Edge" which made it a ThinkPad and not-a-ThinkPad at the same time

That's actually quite funny!!

Zedicus wrote:the 'edge' naming scheme is a little odd but i assume they are trying to play to a more current generation audience then the vast majority of us fit into.

I think you're right. Lenovo are just trying the ThinkPad sound more "current" and "up to date".

A31 wrote: I think you're right. Lenovo are just trying the ThinkPad sound more "current" and "up to date".

In marketing exec-speak, they're "leveraging the competitive advantage of brand recognition to gain mindshare in a previously-untapped market" and "introducing a product more in line with the expectations of their target demographic".

In our terms, they're using the ThinkPad name as a way to boost sales of a machine with absolutely no ThinkPad features (save the TrackPoint) to a group of users that has no prior experience with the ThinkPad (and thus will not know what they're missing). They're hoping (probably rightly so) that the cost will attract buyers who had heard good things about ThinkPads, but always thought they were too expensive or "too boring". This is pretty much perfect for Lenovo, as they only have to make an average machine -- again, their target market likely won't miss the roll-cage, liquid drains, etc. -- yet they'll be able to move more of them at a higher price than they otherwise would.

o.k. as a thinkpad certified repair person for about 7 years, the 'roll cage' is the biggest, cheepeast, most worthless piece of crap ever put in a laptop, the metal is the lowest grade cast aluminum you can get. pop cans are of so much higher quality its like comparing brass to titanium. ive replaced more busted frames then any other single component, if you look at them wrong they break.

the keyboard on the edge is sealed and spill proof, to me keeping liquid OUT, is better then trying to drain it 'through' the object. im not fond of sticky keys, then having to take the keyboard off and through it in the dishwasher.

in my opinion the things that are 'different' are things they have fixed. and with any luck, will be more polished, refined, and make it in to the more expensive thinkpads soon. (especially the AMD part)

Zedicus wrote:o.k. as a thinkpad certified repair person for about 7 years, the 'roll cage' is the biggest, cheepeast, most worthless piece of crap ever put in a laptop, the metal is the lowest grade cast aluminum you can get. pop cans are of so much higher quality its like comparing brass to titanium. ive replaced more busted frames then any other single component, if you look at them wrong they break.

the keyboard on the edge is sealed and spill proof, to me keeping liquid OUT, is better then trying to drain it 'through' the object. im not fond of sticky keys, then having to take the keyboard off and through it in the dishwasher.

in my opinion the things that are 'different' are things they have fixed. and with any luck, will be more polished, refined, and make it in to the more expensive thinkpads soon. (especially the AMD part)

Eh. The lack of magnesium chassis components and the use of plastic hinges are more what I'm worried about. That and the glossy screen.

ThinkRob wrote: Eh. The lack of magnesium chassis components and the use of plastic hinges are more what I'm worried about. That and the glossy screen.

and im sure thous will remain in the more expensive thinkpads, i dont think this is 'the cheapening of a line' so much as 'makeing a cheaper variant in the line to apeal to a different market section' hence the edge moniker.

btw: the amount of magnesium in a thinkpad is less then what it would take to make 1 paper clip.

btw2: i do also despise glossy screens, im willing to deal with it for the price point, and the knowledge that i can change it myself for a few dollars.

Zedicus wrote:o.k. as a thinkpad certified repair person for about 7 years, the 'roll cage' is the biggest, cheepeast, most worthless piece of crap ever put in a laptop, the metal is the lowest grade cast aluminum you can get

That's a bold statement. I'm not sure if this is because of the roll-cage but I had both T41 and T60 and it was immediately evident to me that the T60 base is more stiff. When I pick it up by the front corner it really feels like one piece whereas in T41 you could feel it bending. I also had both machines stripped to pieces and I could see no difference in how they are built (that would influence the stiffness) except the roll-cage.

That being said, the roll-cage may not be necessary in smaller models which additionally use some lighter components.

the T series is a bad example, or rather, an already over engineered laptop. it uses the outer shell plus the internal frame. plus you are comparing 2 different generations when comparing a T4x to a T6x.

the R series which we had the majority of would actually break a very specific point in the roll cage if you regularly picked it up from one edge or corner. if you removed the optical drive it sped up the process. these had a very flimsy outer caseing and relied about 95% on the frame to handle all stress.

ideally the housing should be the MAIN stress member with bracing inside the internals. rather its a dedicated cage, or careful component layout. no laptop should relly on just a frame or just the housing.

Zedicus wrote: btw: the amount of magnesium in a thinkpad is less then what it would take to make 1 paper clip.

I'm not sure if I believe that.

Actually, I can believe that the amount of magnesium is that small, but I wasn't referring to the presence of that element specifically as much as I was to the fact that a number of case components on the "real" ThinkPads are made of some sort of metal alloy, whereas the Edge is (AFAIK) entirely plastic.

entirely depends on your definition of 'metal alloy' as much of the stuff is made of graphite. and i have not physically held a edge yet but as soon as i do i will of course take it to bits and see what makes it tic.

my vendor can get me 019726u at about 530 a piece so i will be ordering 2 about mid feb, i will post a full review inside and out shortly there after.
(which is only a tiny bit cheaper then they can be found for online if you hunt around)

I'm not a fan of the price. Its Core2 Duo equipped variant is dangerously close to that of the X200. I doubt the build quality even approaches that of the X200.

Zedicus, I'm so happy to find out that the ThinkPad Edge is what you were looking for.

About all of you saying that this isn't a real ThinkPad, I think you're wrong. This is a real ThinkPad, but it's a non-traditional ThinkPad. I don't think that the ThinkPad Edge forum should be "non-ThinkPad Lenovo notebooks" forum. I think that it's insulting to the ThinkPad brand. You should all check out the Lenovo Blogs and read what they have to say about it because I agree with it. I think that it's called the "ThinkPad Edge" because it's a non-traditional ThinkPad that is targeted to another audience.

I like the ThinkPad Edge, and I love all ThinkPads. If you don't like it, that's okay because you have other great options. I mean, it isn't for everyone. But really, you should all stop criticizing it and start finding out more about it.

thePCxp wrote:I don't think that the ThinkPad Edge forum should be "non-ThinkPad Lenovo notebooks" forum. I think that it's insulting to the ThinkPad brand.

And some of us think that it's insulting to the ThinkPad brand to put it on an Edge...

JaneL wrote: And some of us think that it's insulting to the ThinkPad brand to put it on an Edge...

some people fear change, and or have never held one in their hand. as stated, my full review coming up this month.

Zedicus wrote:some people fear change

one pair of closer to low end edges on order. should be here tomorrow.

and if your not going to explain, then wagging yur finger at someone is not really the polite thing to do.

ThinkRob wrote:In our terms, they're using the ThinkPad name as a way to boost sales of a machine with absolutely no ThinkPad features (save the TrackPoint) to a group of users that has no prior experience with the ThinkPad (and thus will not know what they're missing). They're hoping (probably rightly so) that the cost will attract buyers who had heard good things about ThinkPads, but always thought they were too expensive or "too boring". This is pretty much perfect for Lenovo, as they only have to make an average machine -- again, their target market likely won't miss the roll-cage, liquid drains, etc. -- yet they'll be able to move more of them at a higher price than they otherwise would.

If popular, that would only serve to undermine the reputation of our beloved line of premier laptops (beyond Lenovo), and perhaps....perhaps....lead to more corner cutting, and lessening of features on future non-"edge" models.

I just felt a shiver run down my spine.

the 14 and 15 inch edge models have quite nice feature sets. just arent released until H2, otherwise i would have gotten the 14".

but really, lets stop wondering and just wait for mine to get here.

In marketing exec-speak, they're "leveraging the competitive advantage of brand recognition to gain mindshare in a previously-untapped market" and "introducing a product more in line with the expectations of their target demographic".

In our terms, they're using the ThinkPad name as a way to boost sales of a machine with absolutely no ThinkPad features (save the TrackPoint) to a group of users that has no prior experience with the ThinkPad (and thus will not know what they're missing). They're hoping (probably rightly so) that the cost will attract buyers who had heard good things about ThinkPads, but always thought they were too expensive or "too boring". This is pretty much perfect for Lenovo, as they only have to make an average machine -- again, their target market likely won't miss the roll-cage, liquid drains, etc. -- yet they'll be able to move more of them at a higher price than they otherwise would.

Brilliantly said.

I completely agree with Zendicus. I've owned an Edge since about May. Before that I used a T-60 and a T023 was my first
Thinkpad. I was a road warrior. As such, I owned and used several so-called top of the line laptops, each in its heyday.
Beginning with a 27 pound Radio Shack which had high quality design and build for its day. When others ran under
MS-DOS, The Radio Shack system came with MS-DOS in a chip. It also had its own menu system built around Tandy's Deskmate, (or something like that).

Other than its weight and bulk, I missed the commonsense and quality of that latop as I went through a very expensive Compaq (rated over IBM Laptops back then), a Sharp-Timex, and other over $1500 systems. With each one I wondered
"what were they thinking" until I got my hands on a used T-23. My reaction was I sure wish someone had recommended
this to me when it was current tech! The T-23 was the very first laptop I liked and admired. The only portable that impressed me as much was a 1990 computing magazine journalist's road secret the British Sinclair Z-88. Apple calls a similar
computer the IPAD. The Z-88 was a marvel in its day, Weighing under 2 pounds. Instant on and off. Ran on 2 AA batteries.
All the business programs were integrated and on chips. There were three small slots on the bottom for program and memory cards. It ran on the OZ O/S and British basic. A complete British Basic programming came with it. Genius Clive Sinclair designed the Z-88 using off the shelf parts. He only designed the motherboard and the case.

My issue over the years was that each new laptop I saw and tried out was way out there in price and way behind in what was possible with current tech. The T-23 was the first laptop I ever saw that seemed to have intelligence, not price point invested in it. I was amazed at how the user could take it apart, replace the display, the keyboard, etc.

I bought immediately for $200, much less than I had ever paid for a laptop before. I used it as my main computer for two years and gave to to my daughter's family. They still use it to surf the Net and play simple games. write letters. I bought a T-60 which captivated me even more. I still have it. I use an 14" Edge as my main computer now. I research it first
and checked one out up close. Tigerdirect put it up for a great price when Lenovo switched to the Intel i processors.

I use it everyday and find it very useful, great for streaming movies on my LG TV. After 6 months of heavy use, I can say I would buy it again, knowing what I know now. In design, function, quality build it certainly beats anything I've had brought to me to get Windows Running again. I've worked on $700 Acers and Compaqs, $500 Dells, eMachines and others. I would not trade my Edge for any of them.

Many of these other consumer box store laptops are OK provided you do not leave the house with them. I certainly would not expect any of them to last much more than a year or two for a college student or a road warrior.

It deserves the Thinkpad name as a consumer Thinkpad. Lenovo doesn't present it as anything but a consumer market
machine. I've hated every chicklet keyboard I ever touched. This new Lenovo version is fantastic. I constantly lift it and set it down with one hand and it always feels solid. The case is not plastic in the sense of cheap toy plastic. Plastic is a very
general, broad word. It applies to any material that is polymer bond. More actually, it is composite material and it is up to the task. The most powerful, fastest fight jets on earth are composite bodied, in order to surpass the strengh of steel and minimize weight, which is precisely why Lenovo uses a composite for its consumer class laptops.

Many people still think cheap plastic (largely a petroleum product developed by Americans during WWII.) when they see something that looks like plastic. Try encasing the F-22 or F-35 fighter jet in metal and see what a dog you get.

I am not emotional or indignant about my Edge. Its just a useful object to me. I do not get all the emotion and venum
pertaining to what Lenovo calls a "Thinkpad." To me that would be as pointless as getting angry because Ford
repackaged the Ford 400 (a better car than the Taurus but did not sell because of lack of branding strategy) into a Taurus, a name they had retired the year earlier with their Taurus car. Better yet, it would be like criticising Ford for calling what they have sold as the Mustang for ten years an outrage because it only looks somewhat similar to the 1963 Mustang.
I'm with Zendicus if I'm going to lose sleep over something it will be something vastly more earth shaking like
runaway government borrowing and spending or Congress giving away fat cat benefits to public servants with money that doesn't belong to them. Certainly not what Lenovo chooses to call a Thinkpad, especially if there is no way I would ever buy or own one.

....or.., so it seems to me...

--Bruised