REVIEW

[Zedicus]

it JUST showed up off the UPS truck. i will have pictures this week. as for the hands on, here goes.
(i was actually more looking for an HP dv5z or dv2z when i found the edge, also ive worked on EVERY model of laptop ever created i think, or close to it atleast, so im going into this review open minded and with out favoritism)

the build reminds me more of the T- series then any other thinkpad. it also has some Mac features. the touchpad is giant and flush, with just enough edge so you can tell where your finger is. and the finger slides smoothly on it (mine will be disabled but if i HAD to use it, it would be one of the better ones i have used.

the case is tight, solid seems, no unneeded line breaks, its smoother then most with out being ultra-polished. ( i have the matte finish one) again, most closely resembling a T series i think. also the case is SOLID, and there actually is a fair amount of metal in it. you can pic it up from one corner with the screen fully extended and there is no flex at all. NONE.

the screen. this one floored me. i HATE glossy screens, with so much passion that i had been lookin and was planning on doing a screen swap already. after sitting in front of this screen i have come to realize it is more of a SEMI-glossy then tru glossy. my work laptop is GLOSSY, in all but a NO-light setting it is worthless, and even then i find my self checking my teeth more then looking at the image on the screen. on the thinkpad edge it does have a bit of a shine, and if you catch a light just right you can see it reflect, but really there is about 80% less glare and reflection then in a tru glossy screen. im not SOLD on this glossy screen yet, i need to do a full on outside test and some other more natural testing. BUT it is atleast worth keeping for now.

performance reviews and other things to come soon, as soon as i get Debian up and running. (i didnt even boot windows on my wifes, and mine got a new faster HD and a spare 4g of ram before even turning on.)

NOTE: i really miss the keyboard light on my old T-series. if i could have held out i would have went for the 14" model that includes the illuminated keyboard.

NOTE2: the dot on the top of the letter i in 'thinkpad' on the case AND palmrest light up when the laptop is on.

[Zedicus]

day 2 updates.

screen does glare in bright environments, not as bad as my work laptop still though. i will put it on my 'replace sometime' list.

battery life is VERY good. this is with the 4 cell only.

performance is good, tested on my wifes which is stock config due to one set of my spare memory being bad. i will be loading some games and giving it the once over this week sometime.

my only issue is the wireless card, lenovo has went from their more common atheros, to a crappier realtek that is causing me some pain in linux.

so far im pleased with this laptop, the price is a tad higher then comparing comparables but it has a trackpoint, and the quality is better then the comparable HP. so far i will say roughly 8.5 out of 10. will give a more complete score after some more usage and a round or 2 of some light gaming.

also just want to add i have the neo x2 models, this model is fine for a daily use pc, i will also be converting some movies and getting those numbers soon. we do some coding, movie conversions, mysql work, etc. and im happy with these in this setting. while i wish i could have stepped up to the turion x2, it was not in my budget, and for the price point the neo x2 is quite nice performance wise. i would not have went with the intel variant, it gains a bit of cpu power at the cost of massive graphics power loss.

[lexicon]

Does it run hot?

[ThinkRob]

How's the keyboard compared to T4x/T6x?

[Zedicus]

the model i have gets only warm on the bottom. not even warm enough to bother my legs (if im actually using it on my lap) with extended use. this is with extra ram and a 7200rpm drive. also while plugged in on high performance.

the keyboard, and im not just saying this, is AMAZING. the design feels like using a regular desktop keyboard. the keys are tight (in action, not space) and have a long stroke travel, plus they move 100% perfectly straight. unlike the SLIGHT (thinkpad keyboards are generally better then most other laptops) wobble of the older design thinkpad keyboards. this is a 13" laptop and the keyboard is full size. the top row of keys are media keys/Fkeys. it works out great, and there is a bios function as to which they default to. the only key missing is the sysrq key, i havent tested yet rather the print screen key will operate that function and is just not labled. otherwise the layout is dead on what you would be use too.

my only problem is a linux issue and a current gen general thinkpad issue, IBM/lenovo has started using realtek chips accros the board and not atheros. this has caused some headache.

i think if anything THIS is definatly a THINKPAD, while i would happily loose the entire R-series thinkpads and not bat an eye.

NOTE: i do have one more complaint, it is now no longer possible to disable the trackpoint in BIOS, it must be handled by the OS. this is actually a fairly sad point for me, but once set up in the OS, its not a big deal.

[A31]

i think if anything THIS is definatly a THINKPAD

It's not a ThinkPad until it loses that glossy lid, then it is probably is a ThinkPad.

[Zedicus]

mine does not have a glossy lid. there are three version, standard thinkpad finish, gloss black, and bright red. and if it makes you feel any better most vendors dont carry them in anything other then original thinkpad black.

[A31]

mine does not have a glossy lid. there are three version, standard thinkpad finish, gloss black, and bright red.

Oops!! Sorry, I didn't know this!
I'm glad you went for the "non-glossy" finish, though I suspect most buyers will sadly go for the glossy style.

[Zedicus]

o.k. ive finally gotten some games loaded and had time to use the entire package more. i must say it absolutly is fast enough to be a main laptop. im not running any horribly new games but what i have all runs beautifully. this laptop is a bit newer then what linux would like but with a little bit of time it is all working perfectly.

my only annoyance is the glossy screen, its not as glarey as some laptops, but it does glare and make black backgrounds not look right.

[parsona]

Hi Zedicus,

Thanks for the review! Do you think you could post some pics of the matte black cover? There isn't the matte black version yet in my country, so I'm wondering how it looks like. Does it have the rubbery feel of some of the previous thinkpads?

[hyolpouras]

Zedicus, can I ask two questions about your Edge?

1. What's the CPU usage when playing 720p video on YouTube with Flash Player 10.1 beta?

2. Does it badly fail any tests on The Lagom LCD monitor test pages? If that's too much, can you tell me at least if this sharpness test is displayed without any patterns shimmering or flickering, and if there's any severe pixel walk?

Thanks much.

[Zedicus]

sorry i know i havent been too fast with the answers, i burned up my home router and am in the middle of building a new patio along with trying to get my home network semi usable again.

the matte black one looks like the T23 with the tiny glitter in it but it does not feel rubbery to the touch.

it does play 720p video but i havent looked at utilization, my current install doesnt have flash. i will try and check the monitor out this week and post results.

[hyolpouras]

it does play 720p video but i havent looked at utilization, my current install doesnt have flash. i will try and check the monitor out this week and post results.

Oh, right, I forgot you're using Linux. I think 10.1 works on Linux, but it doesn't do hardware acceleration. That's OK, after further research I found information in the comments of this article that indicate a Lenovo x100e (with a wimpier CPU and same M780G) can play YouTube 720p without too much trouble, if the latest AMD drivers and Flash beta are used. Disregard this request.

If you can take a look at the screen, though, I would be interested in your results. I can be pretty sensitive about screens, and I'm trying to decide if I should return my recently-purchased notebook in exchange for what you have.

[hyolpouras]

Do you think you could post some pics of the matte black cover?

Here are some from Flickr: 1 2 3 4 5

[parsona]

Thanks hyolpouras for those links, very useful for me. I think I will be getting my Edge soon!

[Zedicus]

heres a review from a known site. only thing to note is they do ZERO performance tuning and the factory install is quite heavy with dual apps running needlessly. once you trim the fat a bit then performance only gets better.

my wife is now using windows 7 on hers and it fly's around nicely. should have screen tests up in a day or so.

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2010/03/01 ... kpad_edge/

[lawcheehung]

Zedicus, for the 4 cell thinkpad edge, is there like a bump that raises that laptop at the back? cause i know 6 cell has that sort of battery

[Zedicus]

on the 4 cell battery there is nothing sticking out the back of the laptop. the back rubber feet are on the round part of the battery though so it does prop the back side of the laptop up about 1/8th inch.

[zetheroo]

Hi there everyone!
Even though I have been an onlooker of this forum for a few years I never bothered registering ... until now!

As my signiture may elude I have had a decent array of Thinkpad's over the years and have literally enjoyed their awesomeness since my very first laptop computer at the age of 15 (the 700C).

My initial reaction to the Edge was "Oh no, here goes the Thinkpad name... down the tube...", however after reading the other thread where Zedicus so passionately defends their existence and branding I thought that maybe there was something more too it - maybe this was a Thinkpad after all. Yay!

However, it was not to be! After watching videos online, reading reviews and looking at the specs it does seem to me that this is not, for all intents and purposes, a *true* Thinkpad. It may be close, but not close enough. There are so many things that I find undesirable about the Edge; things which I have become very dependent on from the Thinkpad; and things which Zedicus could probably explain away .. so I don't know that it is worth me even spelling them out.

This may be a great addition to the Lenovo brand, but it is, in my own opinion, a blemish on the Thinkpad legend!

[fooyc]

Allow my worthless 2 cents comment here.

Yes, indeed, the Edge series, do seems to pollute the Thinkpad name, so much so, after I tried it, I told myself, I ain't going to buy an Edge for myself to use at home. I myself is running the X200 as my personal machine, while my 'home minister' is using company issue T60 for day to day use. Once you compare to the Edge, you know that ain't a Thinkpad. Trademark feature like Thinklight is not even there (I use it a lot when I'm browsing from my bed in the middle of the night).

BUT, coming from a South East Asia country perspective, the Edge starts to make some sense. My X200, cost a whopping RM 7K. RM stands for Ringgit Malaysia. In no sane mind, would many opt for such machine for personal use (OK, I have to admit I'm sortta Thinkpad fanatic). Just to be relative comparison, a freshie software developer here, in average earns RM 2000-2500.

A top spec Edge (we get fixed spec, not customizable, yes I know how sucky it can be), sold for RM 2880. Geez, that's a cool RM 4000 difference there. I can get 2 Edge with decent spare cash for the money of a X200.

Things is very different over at States as I am aware during my short stint there, no thanks to currency exchange, stuffs in my country is definitely not for the faint hearted especially a Thinkpad, not so with the Edge.

Mass appeal I would say in a developing nation, or easier to put it, my first unThinkpad, Thinkpad Edge. Perfect for my young child for his first personal computer.

[zetheroo]

BUT, coming from a South East Asia country perspective, the Edge starts to make some sense. My X200, cost a whopping RM 7K.

I agree with you overall, but I think it should be noted that the price of the X200 simply cannot be compared to the price of something like the Edge. In the league of ultraportables the X Series is actually pretty decently priced. Also the X200 is not the form factor most common to the average laptop owner, which would be closer to the 14" and 15" form factors.

Edge, as you said, makes some sense ... but NOT as a Thinkpad! There are already SO many laptops out there that are all "bling" and average quality. I especially agree what Gizmodo had to say about the Edge:

So what has Lenovo introduced to the world? A lot of not quite. It's a thin-and-light that's not quite either. It's a notebook that's not quite powerful enough for heavy lifting and not quite affordable enough for casual use. It has a contemporary design that's not quite, well, smudge-proof. And for all it does right, this new ThinkPad still strikes me as a computer with a target audience that's not quite identifiable.

At its introductory price point, the Edge sounds like a competitive machine, but remember that you're also losing most of the things that distinguish it in the first place-the ULV Intel processor and the 6-cell battery, in particular. Honestly, if you're in the market for a new notebook, there's a good chance Lenovo already has something that fits exactly what you're looking for. And that it's called either IdeaPad or ThinkPad.

I think that sums it up well enough!

[Pirx]

Quick question - what's the maximum RAM this laptop supports? I am thinking of buying a 2GB Edge 14" version and upgrading it to something like 4GB or even 8GB if hardware allows.

UPDATE: Just called their sales, they don't seem to have all the info yet, as these (14" and 15") models are really new. But it seems that 4GB is the top, at least the gentleman on the phone didn't find anything that would say new Edge models will have more.

[A31]

I'd say the most would probably be 4GB, though it will depend on how many RAM slots the Edge has.

[ZaZ]

There's two slots on the Edge 13 with a max of 4GB of memory. It doesn't seem like they'd do it differently on the bigger versions, but who knows.

[Pirx]

There's two slots on the Edge 13 with a max of 4GB of memory. It doesn't seem like they'd do it differently on the bigger versions, but who knows.

That's exactly what I was told by sales rep over the phone, he was looking at 13" Edge specs. However my hope is that 14" and 15" models will sport an updated platform, and allow at least 8GB of RAM. This will justify enough purchasing of 14" Edge for me.

[Zedicus]

theres a post on ibms forum that says a dev tested with 8gig and it worked fine. and that the edge only supports 4gig because that is all it was tested with during developement. the chipset actually in theory supports 16gig

also the 14" and 15" will have the thinklight.

personally it pains me that you guys are so hard on the edge when to me it does everything right. built as well or better then any other thinkpad, and while the 13" one is missing the thinklight, and does have a glossy screen, its still the line i chose over all the other light end notebooks and i dont regret it.

monitor test coming up in about 30 min.

also even the base model cpu in the edge is fast, AND includes a decent graphics set up. you wont be running games at ultra high, but you can comfortably game on any of the AMD based EDGE.

ive been waiting a LONG time for this laptop, and im shocked and impressed that IBM/Lenovo is the one to bring it to market. niether are known for outright inovation, let alone risking a tried and true brand image over it.

[Zedicus]

yup. monitor looks great. no shimmering or anything. no pixelwalk, perfect sharpness and contrast. set at 60hz and the refresh test came back confirming this.

[indotoonster]

Zedicus, many thanks for your time to post your thoughts on the Edge amidst your patio-buiding exercise You seem to be very happy with the Edge, and that's great. However, I can't help but note that from your previous thread on this forum ("AMAZING") you already had very high expectations when you first heard about the Edge...

In any case, my workplace just got a load of these machines in (sadly, the garish glossy Red -- no way is THIS thing a Thinkpad), and has issued them to permanent staff. Yesterday I managed to have a short time using it. Overall, I agree that the weight and feel is very nice and solid (I'm used to a 15" T42p, so the Edge feels like a feather!), but some things do kind of bother me:

• Here's a niggly thing that I just noticed, and might be of interest to those coming from a "proper" Thinkpad: the mouse buttons above the touchpad, which are designed to be used with the trackpoint, are much longer/larger than usual. What this means is that the actual mechanical switch that registers the click is situated further apart from the trackpoint. After years of trackpoint use on a regular Thinkpad, my fingers have adopted a finely tuned position where my pointing finger and thumb from my right hand are poised on the trackpoint and left button respectively. On the Edge, however, my thumb rests too far to the edge(!) of the button, and when I click, it tends not to register. I have to move my thumb further to the center of the button for the click to register. It's a small thing, and it might just be particular to me, but these usability issues can really make a difference. I'd be interested to hear what others think.
• I'm not too sold on the performance, and the model I was using is the top-of-the-line Core2Duo SU7300. Windows 7 seemed very sluggish in loading things. Mind you, this is the installation that the IT department inflicted on the machine, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's some nasty bloatware lurking behind somewhere. I might try a fresh install myself and form a revised opinion.
• I'm not a fan of the glossy screen. If this is semi-glossy, I'd hate to go near a fully-glossy screen for fear of being blinded.
• I'm really not a fan of the huge bezel above and below the screen. I would have preferred that they designed the whole machine to be narrower overall, perhaps losing the touchpad altogether I'm not a fan of widescreen displays, but if I had to use one, the miniscule Sony Vaio P's have the perfect casing aspect ratio in my mind -- shame they're Atom-based, and cost a fortune.

Cheers.

[Zedicus]

Zedicus, many thanks for your time to post your thoughts on the Edge amidst your patio-buiding exercise You seem to be very happy with the Edge, and that's great. However, I can't help but note that from your previous thread on this forum ("AMAZING") you already had very high expectations when you first heard about the Edge...

In any case, my workplace just got a load of these machines in (sadly, the garish glossy Red -- no way is THIS thing a Thinkpad), and has issued them to permanent staff. Yesterday I managed to have a short time using it. Overall, I agree that the weight and feel is very nice and solid (I'm used to a 15" T42p, so the Edge feels like a feather!), but some things do kind of bother me:

• Here's a niggly thing that I just noticed, and might be of interest to those coming from a "proper" Thinkpad: the mouse buttons above the touchpad, which are designed to be used with the trackpoint, are much longer/larger than usual. What this means is that the actual mechanical switch that registers the click is situated further apart from the trackpoint. After years of trackpoint use on a regular Thinkpad, my fingers have adopted a finely tuned position where my pointing finger and thumb from my right hand are poised on the trackpoint and left button respectively. On the Edge, however, my thumb rests too far to the edge(!) of the button, and when I click, it tends not to register. I have to move my thumb further to the center of the button for the click to register. It's a small thing, and it might just be particular to me, but these usability issues can really make a difference. I'd be interested to hear what others think.
• I'm not too sold on the performance, and the model I was using is the top-of-the-line Core2Duo SU7300. Windows 7 seemed very sluggish in loading things. Mind you, this is the installation that the IT department inflicted on the machine, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's some nasty bloatware lurking behind somewhere. I might try a fresh install myself and form a revised opinion.
• I'm not a fan of the glossy screen. If this is semi-glossy, I'd hate to go near a fully-glossy screen for fear of being blinded.
• I'm really not a fan of the huge bezel above and below the screen. I would have preferred that they designed the whole machine to be narrower overall, perhaps losing the touchpad altogether I'm not a fan of widescreen displays, but if I had to use one, the miniscule Sony Vaio P's have the perfect casing aspect ratio in my mind -- shame they're Atom-based, and cost a fortune.

Cheers.

o.k. an edge is probably not for you, BUT there are still some valid points.

the trackpoint buttons on mine click down, i am a trackpoint user and i do use the VERY edge of the new wider buttons. it has registered every click flawlesly.

i will admit the high end intel verision is not one i would buy, for the pricerange there are other more suitable models, period. if i was going to spend even close to that i would have stayed with the AMD line, it still fits my needs better, and the ATI graphics even helps windows 7 run better.

im not normally a fan of oversized bezels and glossy screens, the thinsides and placement of the built in cam make the bezel size feel less awkward to me.

the glossy screen does bother me, but its till not as bad as the high end workstation class HP laptop i have at work, that thing, even in a darkish room, is like looking in a mirror.


also for a personal use laptop i would have been o.k. with a red one, im not a fan of gloss black on anything though. and in a work environment im shocked that anywhere bought bright red. just think of it as an OPTIONAL CHOICE, one that your company failed to make the correct decision on.

also adding that when i say i use the VERY edge of the new trackpoint keys, i mean my thumb hangs out in between the left and midle mouse button so that all i have to do is rock it slightly one way or the other and i catch the left or middle mouse button to accomplish my task. even doing this, i have not yet failed to make the buttons work easily. i do have an issue with the spacebar though.

[indotoonster]

also adding that when i say i use the VERY edge of the new trackpoint keys, i mean my thumb hangs out in between the left and midle mouse button so that all i have to do is rock it slightly one way or the other and i catch the left or middle mouse button to accomplish my task. even doing this, i have not yet failed to make the buttons work easily.

Thanks for this -- it makes me think I happen to have a faulty unit. I'll try to get it swapped for another one