T Series Improvements You'd Like to See??

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apoll0 · #1 Post by **apoll0** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 11:11 am

Just a general enquiry. Hey, IBM might find this info useful

For the IBM Thinkpad T4X series owners. What features you'd like IBM to continue sporting and what changes do you recommend to what is already an outstanding laptop series?

Lots of areas we can comment on: look, feel, material, performance, design, ports to include/exclude, placement of keys and devices, the keyboard ...

I know most of this is all personal preferences, so there will definitely be contradicting idea. But hey, what are forums for

apoll0 · #2 Post by **apoll0** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 11:36 am

I'll start.

Keep:
- keep the usb ports on the left side. Reason: if it's on the back, I have so much trouble when i plug in my usb key flash drive, can't find the darn holes, reach all the way around. If it's on the right, it becomes too clutter when i plug in my usb mouse. It will get in the way of my mouse movements. I find that most mini-mouse's cables can reach all the way around to the left side.

Changes:
- the ethernet port should be placed on the back. The ethernet cable on the left just makes things messy.
- keyboard: the "Forward" and "Back" keys near the arrows. I'm used to using back space and Shift+back space for this purpose, so these keys add nothing. Beside, you lose the natural feel of the arrow keys because there's no open spaces around those keys (like the way it is on a desktop keyboard)

more to come...

apoll0 · #3 Post by **apoll0** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 11:45 am

Keep:
- the fan intake is not at the bottom of the laptop, but on the side. You don't accidentally block the intake when you use it on your lap.

Chun-Yu · #4 Post by **Chun-Yu** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 11:55 am

I would keep the back/forward keys...at first I wasn't really used to them and still used ALT+Left/Right arrow, but now that I am used to them, I prefer them to any 2 key combinations. Also, I have them set up with my music player as global hotkeys, so for example, I can pause/unpause from within any program just by pressing SHIFT+BACK. It would also be nice if every ThinkPad came with the "good" keyboard. I also love the combination of touchpad and trackpoint.

c888a · #5 Post by **c888a** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 1:12 pm

Kill printer port, add firewire and increase to 4 USB ports. Offer 14" flexwiev LCD. Everything else seems to be perfect.

stgreek · #6 Post by **stgreek** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 1:22 pm

c888a wrote:Kill printer port, add firewire and increase to 4 USB ports. Offer 14" flexwiev LCD. Everything else seems to be perfect.

Printer port is VERY useful, as every business-oriented office has laser printers, which usually have parallel connection. I completely agree with the other points, I think ditching on of the PCMCIA ports for a CF or other card reader might also be a nice idea.

admsteiner · #7 Post by **admsteiner** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 2:20 pm

Keep:
-Fan intake on the left
-Ports on the left side (I happen to be a lefty too)

Change:
-They need to build more support into the PCMCIA slots, I feel the laptop give a bit because of the open space. Don't know if 2 are needed, one would probably be enough.
-VGA and Parralel port. An option to get rid of them. Move the power plug over and possibly over a 7 or 10 cell battery
-14" Flexview LCD
-Swap the Function and Control keys. I'm used to the Ctl key being all the way on the left, not the second from the left.

-Adam

apoll0 · #8 Post by **apoll0** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 2:49 pm

Regarding the parallel and serial port - is there a usb-to-parallel or usb-to-serial adapter? I work with micro-controllers and programming boards that need to use these ports. If they do have these, add extra usb ports and get rid of these because most of us don't use them.

There are PCMCIA adapters for memory cards, so having 2 PCMCIA slots give ppl flexibility (ie, you can buy a PCMCIA card of your memory choice and put it in one of the slots) I just bought a CF card adapter for mine.

admsteiner · #9 Post by **admsteiner** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 3:17 pm

apoll0 wrote:There are PCMCIA adapters for memory cards, so having 2 PCMCIA slots give ppl flexibility (ie, you can buy a PCMCIA card of your memory choice and put it in one of the slots) I just bought a CF card adapter for mine.

Right, but I wonder if many people ever use both at the same time. You use one for your memory card reader and the other for...
Just a question of use really.

--Adam

CantStopNow · #10 Post by **CantStopNow** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 3:18 pm

I've been doing similar microcontroller development on a laptop. USB->serial adapters work fine - I've been pretty happy with them. Parallel ports on the other hand are more difficult. There are no USB->parallel adapters that work under XP (Win2K may be different). It mostly has to do with the mapping of the PP registers to I/O space, which doesn't happen with a USB adapter. The only way I've found that works is to get a PCMCIA parallel port adapter, which worked fine.

A parallel port seems like a silly thing to have on a modern laptop, but there are still enough of us that it's helpful for...

apoll0 · #11 Post by **apoll0** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 3:25 pm

admsteiner wrote:
Right, but I wonder if many people ever use both at the same time. You use one for your memory card reader and the other for...
Just a question of use really.

--Adam

business card holder

RoadHazard · #12 Post by **RoadHazard** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 3:35 pm

Add
- a serial port
- a firewire port
- a Windows key

Move the monitor connector to the back and I agree that replace one of the PCMCIA slots with a card reader.

Everything else is good. Keep the rest of the design.

#13 Post by **jdhurst** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 3:45 pm

The T41 has its ports on the sides for the most part and I have gotten used to that. So the one thing I need is a real Serial Port. There are products that need a serial port and real DOS. The only practical way that I have found for one client is VMware and a Windows 98 guest machine. But the USB on a T41 is USB 2, so there is no way to install a USB-Serial converter in Windows 98 (no USB 2 support in Windows 98 and not likely ever to be). So a real Serial Port is a necessity and was a loss in moving from a T30 to a T41. Otherwise the machine is excellent and a keeper.

When I add up the comments about Flexview and divide by nine, the comments are not altogether complimentary. Why would I want Flexview when what I have works perfectly well? Any thoughts here.
... JDHurst

admsteiner · #14 Post by **admsteiner** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 3:51 pm

jdhurst wrote: When I add up the comments about Flexview and divide by nine, the comments are not altogether complimentary. Why would I want Flexview when what I have works perfectly well? Any thoughts here.

I'll have to go back and reread the flexview comments. Based on the pictures that I had seen posted, and the user comments I remember (admittedly, I didn't follow them all that closely as I don't have a Flexview monitor) it is brighter and has better contrast. I wouldn't mind that, although, as you mentioned, the 14.1 works perfectly well.

--Adam

s0larian · #15 Post by **s0larian** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 4:01 pm

I would like to change the harddisk position, because the palm rest gets pretty warm on the right side (and I just have a 40GB 5400 rpm Hitachi). Flexview 14'' would be nice as well and most important is of course a not pulsating quiet fan.

apoll0 · #16 Post by **apoll0** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 4:37 pm

We need to place something under the two palm rest, here's the dilema:

option 1) PCMCIA cards
pro: does not heat up (hardly used)
con: palmrest becomes weak and flexes ---> build stronger palm rest on that side.
con: i prefer 'heavy' devices at the front, makes it easy to open laptop with one hand. (but this is only a small problem)

i think the pcmcia slot is fine where it is right now, it just needs stronger palmrest material and construction.

option 2) Optical Drive
pro: good weight to put at the front.
con: really heats up when the drive is in full operation.

option 3) HDD
same dilema as optical drive, weight and heat.

option 4) battery
pro: good weight for the front, and gives good palmrest support.
con: can too heats up when battery is in full used.

my personal preference: have the battery under the right palmrest, and pcmcia under the left one. HDD to the back-left, CDR to back-right.

Daniel · #17 Post by **Daniel** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 4:49 pm

There are some very good points made here. I completely agree with this one: -Swap the Function and Control keys. I'm used to the Ctl key being all the way on the left, not the second from the left.

It irritates me that almost every other keyboard has the ctrl in the very left. I'm used to using my Thinkpad now so when I go use a normal computer I end up hitting the Windows key.

The PCMCIA slots just need additional bracing.

The addition of a Firewire port would be nice.

Upgradeable graphics would be good because IBM takes a long time to verify compatibility and are usually one generation behind in this field. Other than that, the notebook is great.

spotter · #18 Post by **spotter** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:50 pm

I think IBM's concept w/ the ctrl and fn keys is "which one is used more often".

the ctrl

hence make it easier to hit.

akeskira · #19 Post by **akeskira** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 6:07 pm

stgreek wrote:Printer port is VERY useful, as every business-oriented office has laser printers, which usually have parallel connection. I completely agree with the other points, I think ditching on of the PCMCIA ports for a CF or other card reader might also be a nice idea.

Gotta be a pretty darn backwards office these days (or five years ago in that matter) not to have networked printers. I've never used my parallel port.

Antti

c888a · #20 Post by **c888a** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 7:21 pm

The inkjet printers these days are mostly USB interfaced, reducing the need for the parallel port. I think the idea of swapping the Ctrl and Fn keys is very good; I am so used to holding the outside key for the Ctrl function. And of course give us a better keyboard which does not flex.

admsteiner · #21 Post by **admsteiner** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 7:26 pm

apoll0 wrote:business card holder

That would definitley win the contract. "Let me just give you a business card." Pop the side latch, push in the pcmcia exit button and poof, out comes one business card.

--adam

mdarnton · #22 Post by **mdarnton** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 7:40 pm

Maybe some third party needs to make a business card dispenser for the pcmcia slot!

I'd like to see at least one USB connection on the right side. I don't much care for wrestling with the mouse cord coming around from the wrong side.

taphil · #23 Post by **taphil** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 10:04 pm

Keep:
- no blue lights shining all over the place like other ugly laptops
- backward and forward buttons where they are now

Change:
- replace VGA port with DVI (since DVI->VGA converter cable is easy/cheap)
- make palm rest and plastic surrounding the keyboard of the same polycarbonate material as the bottom casing of the laptop
- switch Fn and Ctrl keys
- add an indicator light for AC adapter connected or not
- one firewire port (6-pin preferrable)
- add two more USB ports on the back
- get rid of parallel port (even though I use it once in a while with my not-too-old HP LaserJet 2100)
- Make the plastic surronding the LCD symmetrical (so the "lip" is either big on both sides like how it is now on the right side, or small on both sides like hwo it is now on the left side)
- make better looking LCD latch that doesn't stick out so much

Hangfire · #24 Post by **Hangfire** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 11:25 pm

Yes, a Windoze key would be nice!

apoll0 · #25 Post by **apoll0** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 12:07 am

taphil wrote: Change:
- Make the plastic surronding the LCD symmetrical (so the "lip" is either big on both sides like how it is now on the right side, or small on both sides like hwo it is now on the left side)

I never minded it, but what's the deal with that.?

Khelmar · #26 Post by **Khelmar** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 1:28 am

I wish they'd get rid of the freaking touchpad - the trackpoint is one of the best things about the Thinkpad! I keep hitting touchpads with my palm while typing, and with focus-follows-mouse mode, that really screws things. =)

I hate Windows keys in general - they're totally worthless to me, so I'm glad they aren't in there, leaving space for keys I do want. =) I sort of like having the Fn key on the side, where it's easy to hit without looking. I never had a problem dealing with the control key. =)

I would like to see a Flexview 14" - I'm waffling between getting a 14" and a 15" screen, and the Flexview 14" might just decide it for me. =)

Leon · #27 Post by **Leon** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 8:45 am

touchpad can be easily disabled or palmrest can be replaced.....

MrStaticVoid · #28 Post by **MrStaticVoid** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 9:54 am

I'm glad there's no Windows key on my Gentoo Linux ThinkPad! I think that everything on my T41p is perfect. I would not change one thing about it ('cept I'd get a freakin Dvorak keyboard if they were sold

). I feel all tingly when I set my ThinkPad down next to my friend's HP monster.

#29 Post by **K. Eng** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 11:18 am

I'd like it if the palmrest on the 14" T4x wasn't creaky. There also needs to be better uniformity in manufacture of machines.

s0larian · #30 Post by **s0larian** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 11:35 am

I wold like to keep the position of the fn and control keys. One of my most used keystrokes is control-c or control-v for copy/paste. And when the control key would be at the fn key position, the distance would be far to long. Probably I would hurt my dumb. Just try it out yourself

And I like my Thinkpad so much because it has NO senseless Windows keys. Hopefully IBM never changes this. By the way, with the IBM Keyboard tool you can define alternative keystrokes for emulating the windows keys, so not a real problem for the windows key lovers.

What I would like to see is IBM using more hardware parts supported by Linux, like a real modem (no win-modem), better support for graphic cards (the linux ATI driver sucks) and better wireless support (madwifi is to unstable). What I like is the APM support which works great under Linux.

T Series Improvements You'd Like to See??

T Series Improvements You'd Like to See??

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