best keyboard on a thinkpad?

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georgeb · #1 Post by **georgeb** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 11:32 am

looking for something to do *a lot* of typing on (data entry in an archive) and i'd like a nice, reliable, comfortable, and full size keyboard to do it on. normally i'd just plug my trusty ergonomic external keyboard but it's not exactly practical to carry around.

i'm looking for a thinkpad with a good keyboard. while i don't need a lot of processing power (anything that can run XP will be fine), i do need it to be portable (5lbs and under) and affordable.

from reading around the forum i'm targeting a 600 series but being new to thinkpads i'm not sure those would be the best. i'd appreciate any suggestions, thanks

georgeb

Stargate199 · #2 Post by **Stargate199** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 12:32 pm

The 600 has a nice keyboard, but I like the performance I get from the T2x series. If you want something with a little more power, get a T2x, but get one with a keyboard that was made in China. Those are very similar in feel as the ones on the 600. I have the other make of keyboard on my T21. It may not be one of the best keyboards, but its still pretty good. Thankfully it is not as bad as the ones of the 760s

BlueDevilTide · #3 Post by **BlueDevilTide** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 1:19 pm

A T23 is a superb machine, IMO. It will run XP just fine and give you more than enough for quality internet browsing and all the rest. It's just great, especially because parts and support (via this forum, especially) are very abundant. They'll set you back from $250-$350 most likely.

georgeb · #4 Post by **georgeb** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:37 pm

thanks for the suggestions. i'll think about the T23 as a possibility but the allure of the 600's keyboard is still more important than a little more power and a slightly lighter format. in terms of what i'm looking for, keyboard outweighs power. really, i'm looking for the best keyboard attached to a thinkpad.

btw, on the T23, other than asking the seller, is there any way to tell what sort of keyboard is on a given machine? (does the machine type offer any clues?)

georgeb

Stargate199 · #5 Post by **Stargate199** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:51 pm

There is no way to tell by the model number, but the keyboard on those Thinkpads is held in by 2 screws. It will say on the bottom of they keyboard where it was made.

Website · #6 Post by **tfflivemb2** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:53 pm

The 600 series...HANDS DOWN.

I personally prefer the 600E, because it is a perfect blend of the 600 series keyboard, but lacks the hefty price tag of the 600X.

The 600E will run WinXP just fine with 288MB or more (up to 544mb). If you are adventurous, you can even tweak it and add a PIII Processor.

#7 Post by **gator** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 7:27 pm

My vote for 600X - it is powerful enough to run windows xp and might be a good value for you money if you want to do anything else with the laptop. If you have enough $s to spare, I'd suggest a T23 after reading stellar reviews about it (ray and tfflivemb2 are T23 gurus on the forum, amongst others).

#8 Post by **BillMorrow** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 7:50 pm

Memo to: georgeb

lpease email me your new email address..
meanwhile, since this is your second email failure, your account is, regretably, suspended..

thanks for your kind attention to this matter..

#9 Post by **gator** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:01 am

A nice 600X for sale on the marketplace:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=39624

#10 Post by **K. Eng** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 12:20 pm

tfflivemb2 wrote:The 600 series...HANDS DOWN.

I personally prefer the 600E, because it is a perfect blend of the 600 series keyboard, but lacks the hefty price tag of the 600X.

The 600E will run WinXP just fine with 288MB or more (up to 544mb). If you are adventurous, you can even tweak it and add a PIII Processor.

Another vote for the 600 series here. The 600 series are hands down the best IMO. The T2x keyboard is ok, but feels mushy compared to a 600 keyboard. The T30 and T4x have more of a 600-ish feel to them, but they are not quite as good.

#11 Post by **AlphaKilo470** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 3:13 pm

FWIW, the ThinkPad 560Z (not the 560, 560E or 560X though) uses the same exact keyboard as the ThinkPad 600. In fact, if you disasemble a 560Z, you'll even find the third mouse button hidden under the wrist pad.

boon · #12 Post by **boon** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 1:09 pm

how about the butterfly keyboard

JHEM · #13 Post by **JHEM** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 2:49 pm

boon wrote:how about the butterfly keyboard

Springy/flexy of necessity.

James

alfio · #14 Post by **alfio** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 12:48 am

AlphaKilo470 wrote:FWIW, the ThinkPad 560Z (not the 560, 560E or 560X though) uses the same exact keyboard as the ThinkPad 600. In fact, if you disasemble a 560Z, you'll even find the third mouse button hidden under the wrist pad.

any chance this goes for the 570e too?

#15 Post by **AlphaKilo470** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 8:23 pm

No, the 570 and 570E has a different keyboard.

best keyboard on a thinkpad?

best keyboard on a thinkpad?

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