People really have the NMB keyboard?

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danda821 · #31 Post by **danda821** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 11:28 am

I have used T60 with NMB and T60 with Alps. There is not much difference. Except the function keys on Alps are higher. I can say both of them are good.

For the T42/T43 I tested, NMB is better than Alps, but both are much better than Chicony. Chicony feels too hard and noisy.

Still I feel the NMB on my old T23 is better than NMB on T60. It is softer and quieter.

darrenf · #32 Post by **darrenf** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:41 pm

NMB is a keyboard manufacturer. They have made good desktop and latop keyboards for some time and make great rollerblade bearings.

-darren

Kamika007z · #33 Post by **Kamika007z** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 3:32 pm

Thank you for the response guys. So which one should I opt for? ALPS or NMB?

Also, (I know this is off topic) which LCD should I opt for? Samsung or Hydis?

darrenf · #34 Post by **darrenf** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 3:34 pm

Right now Lenovo is out of stock on the NMB (as of a couple days ago) so you can order Alps now or wait on NMB. My opinion is that either is better than the Chicony but the NMB is best (for my style of typing).

-darren

donking! · #35 Post by **donking!** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 7:21 am

Kamika007z wrote:Thank you for the response guys. So which one should I opt for? ALPS or NMB?

Also, (I know this is off topic) which LCD should I opt for? Samsung or Hydis?

You don't have an option when ordering the notebook. Lenovo has different manufacturers for the keyboards and LCD. But you just get whatever is put in there when it's assembled.

Once your unit has been shipped and you know the serial number (appears on the web page for your specific order), you can look up which parts shipped in that unit.

After you receive the unit, you can try calling technical support and telling them you want a different keyboard. Sometimes they'll send you one. But you might have to purchase it.

Generally, if you read around in this forum, the keyboard manufactured by NMB is considered to be the best keyboard (best made, best touch, best key travel). The ALPS is considered to be a close runner up. And the Chicony not so good (with a fairly noticably different touch). But they are all pretty high quality. And some people do prefer the Chicony. So you have to see for yourself, probably.

I doubt they'll send you a new LCD, since this is a very expensive part. You're probably stuck with what you get there, unless you want to spend a lot of money to trade it out. On the other hand, the differences with the LCDs, I believe, are not as significant. Generally the Hydis is considered to be slightly better than the Samsung. There is a new LCD on the T60 from TMD which hasn't gotten many (any?) comments yet, but could be very good.

csioucs · #36 Post by **csioucs** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 5:45 pm

Well, I have found out that I have a NMB keyboard, the 39T0958 one.
Didn't expect that (and a samsung LCD).

kd78 · #37 Post by **kd78** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:26 pm

csioucs wrote:Well, I have found out that I have a NMB keyboard, the 39T0958 one.
Didn't expect that (and a samsung LCD).

Likewise, I didn't expect to have an NMB after reading this thread but it did come with it.

Teerex · #38 Post by **Teerex** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 3:09 am

kd78 wrote:
csioucs wrote:Well, I have found out that I have a NMB keyboard, the 39T0958 one.
Didn't expect that (and a samsung LCD).
Likewise, I didn't expect to have an NMB after reading this thread but it did come with it.

what do you mean you didn't expect it ... because your kayboard doesn't feel good?

Rex

kd78 · #39 Post by **kd78** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 11:16 am

Teerex wrote:
kd78 wrote: Likewise, I didn't expect to have an NMB after reading this thread but it did come with it.
what do you mean you didn't expect it ... because your kayboard doesn't feel good?

Rex

No, it feels great. I meant I had read so many posts saying that the NMB was out of stock around the time I ordered so I didn't expect to have received an NMB. This is my first thinkpad so I can't really compare this keyboard to the performance of any others.

hoya · #40 Post by **hoya** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:04 pm

csioucs wrote:Well, I have found out that I have a NMB keyboard, the 39T0958 one.
Didn't expect that (and a samsung LCD).

csioucs - your signature reads "2326-D6U" - did you mean to say "2623-D6U?" Can you tell me when you received your machine?

that's what I have - the 2623-D6U, and I got an NMB keyboard and a TMD display.

I like the thailand NMB on my T43 better, but I plan to try the ALPS and Chicony keyboards before settling on this NMB.

otherwise, this T60 is a HUGE upgrade over my T43.

donking! · #41 Post by **donking!** » Mon May 01, 2006 6:37 pm

Just an update on the NMB keyboard availability.

I called tech services today and they again showed that the NMB keyboard is out of stock, their computer cross references it to the FRU # for the ALPS keyboard. Because of this, the tech person I spoke to speculated (as others did to me when I called a month ago) that perhaps this keyboard is going to be discontinued.

I explained to the tech service person that people are receiving brand new T60 units with NMB keyboards in them. Since this is a redesigned keyboard on this unit, NMB must currently be manufacturing the keyboards. He told me, "I know when you think about it, it doesn't make sense. But we see it all the time."

So it's not sounding good. I'm trying to contact NMB themselves now to see if I can find anything more out.

Anybody want to trade and NMB keyboard for an ALPS one? I have an extra brand new ALPS keyboard.

bmfyxpp · #42 Post by **bmfyxpp** » Tue May 02, 2006 4:26 pm

Has anyone noticed a difference in the Trackpoint mouse buttons between NMB and Alps? I'm very happy with my Alps keyboard, but the right Trackpoint mouse button is rattly.

csioucs · #43 Post by **csioucs** » Tue May 02, 2006 4:35 pm

Hi. Sorry for having been out of here. Been busy and stuff.
Yes, I misspelled in my signature. 2623-D6U is the number of my machine.

I have received it in the first days in april. Perhaps 5th or 6th of April. I don't recall exactly. Was ordered from Euclid Computers. About 3 weeks it took from buying to delivery.

BTW I am in Eastern Europe.

astro · #44 Post by **astro** » Tue May 02, 2006 4:44 pm

csioucs wrote:I have received it in the first days in april. Perhaps 5th or 6th of April. I don't recall exactly. Was ordered from Euclid Computers. About 3 weeks it took from buying to delivery.

How long did it take to get from the US to Eastern Europe?

donking! · #45 Post by **donking!** » Tue May 02, 2006 7:01 pm

csioucs wrote:Hi. Sorry for having been out of here. Been busy and stuff.
Yes, I misspelled in my signature. 2623-D6U is the number of my machine.

I have received it in the first days in april. Perhaps 5th or 6th of April. I don't recall exactly. Was ordered from Euclid Computers. About 3 weeks it took from buying to delivery.

BTW I am in Eastern Europe.

Not to be a nudge

, but this is a thread about the T60 keyboards. Did you mean to post this in a different thread?

bmfyxpp wrote:
Has anyone noticed a difference in the Trackpoint mouse buttons between NMB and Alps? I'm very happy with my Alps keyboard, but the right Trackpoint mouse button is rattly.

I've definitely noticed that the TrackPoint keys on the ALPS are rattly. I don't have a NMB (sadly) so I can't compare. But in one of my posts earlier in this thread, where I compared the ALPS and the Chicony at length, it was the one area where I found the ALPS to be inferior to the Chicony. The Chicony had firmer, quieter, TrackPoint keys. Still, overall, the ALPS is far superior, I think, to the Chicony.

sanjoy · #46 Post by **sanjoy** » Thu May 04, 2006 10:48 am

donking! wrote:By the FRU number. You can find that either by removing the keyboard and looking at the labels on it. Or by doing a parts lookup on your model and serial number, on the IBM web site (see the forum FAQ for the parts lookup link).

I tried the parts lookup by model but the chart of keyboard FRU's (languages along the left and NMU/Alps/Chicony on top) doesn't tell you which keyboard make is in which model. Do you also have to know the serial number? In which case, it'll have to be done once I have a T60 in hand -- if I can be sure to get a good keyboard (one of the most important features of Thinkpads for me).

-Sanjoy

#47 Post by **archer6** » Thu May 04, 2006 11:54 am

donking! wrote:Just an update on the NMB keyboard availability, it's not sounding good. I'm trying to contact NMB themselves now to see if I can find anything more out.

Anybody want to trade and NMB keyboard for an ALPS one? I have an extra brand new ALPS keyboard.

This is beginning to sound like the last of the NMB keyboards are being used on new ThinkPad assembly. So the value and desirability of NMB is skyrocketing!

Hmmm....... I ordered an extra (when I ordered my T60) but that was in the very beginning of T60 series manufacturing, way before deliveries began.

So lets think trade here as you suggested. However since I have no need for an Alps, here is an idea.

I trade you my brand new in the sealed box NMB and you give me a .......uh......hmmm......new in the sealed box Rolex. Yes...that's it.

donking! · #48 Post by **donking!** » Thu May 04, 2006 1:29 pm

So you actually got a T60 NMB keyboard before the T60s were shipping? Sigh, I wish I'd thought of that.

Army Chief · #49 Post by **Army Chief** » Thu May 04, 2006 2:14 pm

2007 76U here with NMB.

Chief

creed_mty · #50 Post by **creed_mty** » Fri May 05, 2006 1:43 am

hello every one CAN SOMEONE TELLS ME WHAT BRNAD OF KEYBOARD AND DISPLAY HAS THE 2623 DDU 15"SCREEN?? WICH I'M PLANNING TO BUY ANY ANSWER WELCOME THANK'S!!

darrenf · #51 Post by **darrenf** » Fri May 05, 2006 2:20 am

creed_mty wrote:hello every one CAN SOMEONE TELLS ME WHAT BRNAD OF KEYBOARD AND DISPLAY HAS THE 2623 DDU 15"SCREEN?? WICH I'M PLANNING TO BUY ANY ANSWER WELCOME THANK'S!!

My ears are ringing!

Welcome to the forum.

You won't know what keyboard and display come with a particular laptop until you have ordered it and have the serial number. Two copies of the same part number could have different brands of component parts.

-darren

Scratch · #52 Post by **Scratch** » Fri May 05, 2006 7:19 am

I ordered early (which had nothing to do with it) and got lucky.

The trial 2623DDU that I received consisted of, among many other things, 15" Hydis, NMB keyboard, Seagate 100/7.2k and Panasonic DVDRW.

The machine and software have some annoying "eccentricities", but I've no desire to try my luck by passing this one on and ordering another.

#53 Post by **GomJabbar** » Fri May 05, 2006 8:36 am

donking! wrote:Not to be a nudge , but this is a thread about the T60 keyboards. Did you mean to post this in a different thread?

If you had followed the thread, csioucs was answering specific questions posted to him on this thread by hoya.

stephenaron · #54 Post by **stephenaron** » Fri May 05, 2006 10:03 am

i ordered an extra keyboard (NMB) from lenovo. Then got an email saying it wasnt availbe and that they were cancelling my order.

donking! · #55 Post by **donking!** » Fri May 05, 2006 1:10 pm

GomJabbar wrote:
donking! wrote:Not to be a nudge , but this is a thread about the T60 keyboards. Did you mean to post this in a different thread?
If you had followed the thread, csioucs was answering specific questions posted to him on this thread by hoya.

I looked but I missed that somehow. Now I see it.

darrenf · #56 Post by **darrenf** » Fri May 05, 2006 6:33 pm

Scratch wrote:The trial 2623DDU that I received consisted of, among many other things, 15" Hydis, NMB keyboard, Seagate 100/7.2k and Panasonic DVDRW.

Are you sure about the Seagate drive? I've never heard of a ThinkPad shipping with a Seagate drive. Has anyone else received a Seagate?

-darren

rschauby · #57 Post by **rschauby** » Fri May 05, 2006 8:32 pm

I just received my 2623D6U from Costcentral (ordered on May 2nd). Doing the parts search revealed that I have the ALPS keyboard and a TMD 14.1" LCD. I'm very excited about not having the Chicocrap keyboard.

Army Chief · #58 Post by **Army Chief** » Sat May 06, 2006 1:59 am

Chicocrap? Aren't we getting a bit carried away here boys?

This conversation is starting to remind me of about 1,000 other threads I've read on BMW M3 forums about getting OEM Continental tires instead of Michelins. Everyone seems to prefer the big-name Michelins, but the fact of the matter is that the Continentals perform every bit as well, and 99% of drivers wouldn't even know the difference, were it not for the fact that a bunch of wonks on the internet claimed (incorrectly) that one brand was far superior to the other.

Fast forward back to the ThinkPad world and the current T series. I can appreciate that the different keyboards may have different "feel" characteristics to them, but we would do well to keep in mind that IBM/Lenovo would not give a contract to a third-party vendor that was producing an inferior product; especially not for their flagship machine.

In the dozen-plus years that I've been buying ThinkPads, I've used just about every possible keyboard combination from just about every possible subcontractor. Not once did I ever get a keyboard that was unworthy of the machine. We would do well to remember here that ThinkPad keyboards have always been best in class, and the differences among them within a given product line -- even in this case -- are, in fact, pretty slight.

Sure, I suppose it is easy to say all of this when my 76U arrived with a NMB, but I've got plenty of other ThinkPads in the house in other configurations, and I just don't think we've framed this issue as well as we might have. There's nothing wrong with preferring one part over another, but I think it is disingenuous to suggest that someone who got a Chicony (or ALPS) keyboard got ripped off, or should somehow be disappointed or let down. After all, most guys probably wouldn't even recognize a usable difference if we didn't make such a regular fuss about it.

Chief

darrenf · #59 Post by **darrenf** » Sat May 06, 2006 2:08 am

Chiocrap may be over the top, but why would you comment on the quality of the keyboard if you've not used it. Not to be rude, but leave the opinions to those who have used a Chiconey keyboard (like me

).

BTW: Can you post a photo of the German NMB keyboard? How usable would it be to an American? I have the Alps which is really not bad but it is a bit loud. If the NMB is as nice as it was on my T42s then I would go to some lengths to get one or two.

BTW: By ThinkPad T-series standards, the Chicony keyboard is really quite bad. They shouldn't be used in T-series laptops. It's akin to putting Continental tires on a Beemer.

-darren

christopher_wolf · #60 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Sat May 06, 2006 2:18 am

Army Chief wrote:Chicocrap? Aren't we getting a bit carried away here boys?

This conversation is starting to remind me of about 1,000 other threads I've read on BMW M3 forums about getting OEM Continental tires instead of Michelins. Everyone seems to prefer the big-name Michelins, but the fact of the matter is that the Continentals perform every bit as well, and 99% of drivers wouldn't even know the difference, were it not for the fact that a bunch of wonks on the internet claimed (incorrectly) that one brand was far superior to the other.

Fast forward back to the ThinkPad world and the current T series. I can appreciate that the different keyboards may have different "feel" characteristics to them, but we would do well to keep in mind that IBM/Lenovo would not give a contract to a third-party vendor that was producing an inferior product; especially not for their flagship machine.

In the dozen-plus years that I've been buying ThinkPads, I've used just about every possible keyboard combination from just about every possible subcontractor. Not once did I ever get a keyboard that was unworthy of the machine. We would do well to remember here that ThinkPad keyboards have always been best in class, and the differences among them within a given product line -- even in this case -- are, in fact, pretty slight.

Sure, I suppose it is easy to say all of this when my 76U arrived with a NMB, but I've got plenty of other ThinkPads in the house in other configurations, and I just don't think we've framed this issue as well as we might have. There's nothing wrong with preferring one part over another, but I think it is disingenuous to suggest that someone who got a Chicony (or ALPS) keyboard got ripped off, or should somehow be disappointed or let down. After all, most guys probably wouldn't even recognize a usable difference if we didn't make such a regular fuss about it.

Chief

You hit the nail on the head, ArmyCheif; thanks.

I have actually tried what I think are the Chicony and Alps keyboards; they have characteristic features, and not all of them are bad. What it all comes down to, however, is personal preference; one person likes this, the other likes that, etc. Also, *perceived* preference or the halo effect, just because some are in love with something others will start to pick it up and use it more and more then base their opinion off of that experience rather than actual first-time usage of such objects. Which is kinda what happened here.

So to conclude, if you don't have any opinions, get out there, use the product, then form your own; otherwise, don't start coming up with third/second-hand experiences and base everything else off of that. It also gets rather annoying after awhile and decreases the, quite high, signal-to-noise ratio which we *would* like to keep high.

BTW: I have an NMB Thai keyboard and love it.

People really have the NMB keyboard?

Finding keyboard FRU

nmb not available

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