Will Lenovo offer a SideShow enabled TP when Vista launches?

[trharlan]

I know it's ridiculous to be planning so far ahead, but having seen the sideshow-enabled asus laptop, I'm hoping to buy a Vista Thinkpad with auxiliary display in early 2007.

If such a thing is likely to exist, I'll wait for it.

If it's not likely, I'll probably save up some cash, pick up a t60p, and resell my T40 while the warranty is in force. (Selling prices are usually higher with some warranty remaining, I think)

Anyone care to weigh in?

[juancferrer]

do i think they'll do it someday? maybe.
do it within the next 3 years? 99.9% sure that they won't.

maybe in the the Lenovo laptops, but not in the Thinkpads proper.

[Kyocera]

Looks like a gimmick. Thinkpads aren't about gimmicks.

[trharlan]

Heh. I can respect your attitude, but I think calling the dual display a "gimmick" is wrong. For things like directions, phone numbers, et cetera, I think that this feature would be super cool, have a legitimate business purpose, and not be gimmicky in the slightest.

[JHEM]

Heh. I can respect your attitude, but I think calling the dual display a "gimmick" is wrong. For things like directions, phone numbers, et cetera, I think that this feature would be super cool, have a legitimate business purpose, and not be gimmicky in the slightest.

But that's what a PDA is for, rather than having to dig your Thinkpad out of the case every time you need to just look up a phone number!

To me it falls under the heading of SETB**.

Regards,

James

** Something Else That Breaks!

[Kyocera]

trharlan:

Anyone care to weigh in?

Sorry to not agree with your opionion of the "noveltylike device" that really has no use for people who really use their thinkpads as a work tool, i.e. not sitting on a desk, mine gets dragged through customers offices all day, sitting on anything that I can balance it on and plugging it in anywhere theres a spare port. It is as James says another bell and whistle, more software too, and definately something else that can break, get scratched up and it looks so non-thinkpadish to boot.

Hopefully you'll be able to special order one someday on an obscure model.

[christopher_wolf]

I can't find much of a reason for it either. Information like that is generally on a PDA seperate from the computer for a reason. Plus, it sucks up battery life and is much harder to protect against scratching and cracks, unlike the main LCD screen.

[davidspalding]

Interesting. I would'a liked one for my birthday (yeah, that was my birthday).

I sure looks like a little WinCE thingie on the hardware, allegedly self-powered (as per the review). Similar to the external displays on some newer cell phones.

I have no idea WTH I'd want Windows media player on it, but having something that's monitoring e-mail (voice mail?), calendar items (will it wake up and play an alarm) while I move around a corporate campus, updating with an Exchange Server, and syncing with Outlook when I wake my laptop ... that could have some use.

I can easily imagine a small LCD version on the T65 (wasn't that the designation of the X-wings in the original STAR WARS?) near the clear plate with Bluetooth, battery and suspend indicators.

As with all new novelties/innovations, real end-of-the-day benefit of these will not be in the demo'ed application, but in how real manufacturers incorporate them (not trendware makers like Alienware), and how real users use them (if at all), not TV models. Kind of like little subnotebooks with cameras in the lid (Sony makes one, Fujitsu, too?). Is a VGA digicam handy when it's right on your notebook? Only real-world use will tell.

Another application of this that (I hope) someone's thinking of.... Remember the little PCMCIA organizer with the LCD screen, synced with your laptop, and held calendar, contact, etc., information? Made by that cool company that a former Borland honcho founded. If Vista Sidekick found its way into a removable, Cardbus device that you could stick in your pocket -- I'd trade up to get one. I have nearly daily occurences of needing to duck out of teh office to the bank, post office, whatever, and need an account number, mailing address, bank routing number, whatever. PDA's too heavy, I don't have the foresight to log in and copy it from my computer.... Sidekick would fit the bill nicely, thank you.

Call it LidWare, EjectWare, whatever, if Santa Gates is listening, please talk to hardware makers about this.