Has Lenovo created the “perfect” laptop?

[BigWarpGuy]

http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36179/128/
"Analyst Opinion - Apple’s MacBook Air may be the coolest notebook to have these days, but early reviews revealed some downsides many of us may not want to live with. That may be different with Lenovo’s X300, another ultra-thin laptop, that is the first Thinkpad in a long time you could lust for. Is it the perfect laptop? ... "

[blackomegax]

short answer? no.

long answer?

The proper way to make an x series widescreen would have been to keep the WIDTH, crop the front end to the mouse buttons, and stick a 16:9 screen in the tiny space left, and call it a sub compact.

Havnt had a good one of those since the S's

[BillMorrow]

i think the current technology limits what can be done to make the display use all the available width and height..

lets face it, theres a small antenna farm in this lid and its very very thin..

while i would like more display real estate i would want an IPS display as much..

so given that a larger display is probably not possible at this moment in time an IPS display should be available..

perfect..?
nothing is, but VERY close in most all criteria..

quiet and long battery life..
silky finish and the usual great keyboard..
and for those who complain about the touchpad, it is very nice being almost flush with the palmrest and it can be turned off in the bios (which is what i did)..
this X300 is simply a slick thinkpad..
smooth..
gosh, what DO you guys want in an ultra portable that this will not provide.. ?

[onkeldunkel]

I think it's almost the perfect laptop - I like the size, weight, screen, resolution, battery life and even the design However I'm uncertain as to whether the processor will be to slow for my requirements

Regarding the touch - I've also disabled it on my Z60M, because I always use the trackpoint...

-Jacob

[bin.dong]

If the answer is no. Is anything else better than this? examples?

[radioactif]

Being the best never meant being perfect.

Why is it not perfect ? Battery life (good, but just good), no ExpressCard (well, it's true that 3G and GPS can be integrated, but you cannot read flash medias). Hum, that's it, it'es not perfect, but will fit for me.

[rek]

I remember making a wishlist for a "perfect subnotebook" (either here or on Ars Technica), and with the X300, the Lenovo engineers seem to have followed almost it right down to the letter..

Nice keyboard.. check
13" wide, using that space for a full width KB... check
A good resolution on the screen.. check
High performance solid state disk.. check
Great wireless connectivity.. check
Lightweight.. check
Ability to run without internal optical.. check
Multiple battery options.. check
Full docking support with DVI... d'oh!

When details come out of the X200 that will be very interesting. I'm hoping it too can tick a lot of the above boxes.

[gunston]

answer: no,
because of business competitiveness nowadays, many parts and quality had compromised due to cost reduction .

Don't expect the similar quality similar to the old IBM models.

[qviri]

It's not perfect. No PCMCIA/ExpressCard, memory card slot, or a proper docking connector grinds the gears for me.

[snife]

answer: no,
because of business competitiveness nowadays, many parts and quality had compromised due to cost reduction .

Don't expect the similar quality similar to the old IBM models.

Gunston, I simply believe you are wrong, this is one of the most robust ThinkPads I can ever remember - it is solid and the underlying structure is very strong, cost was not much of a consideration when they were designing this system.

[pim]

I dont't remember where exactly i read it (on Engadget?), but apparently the initial x300 design included the return of the butterfly keyboard, which isn't nescessary in the eventual form factor because of screen size.

I hope Lenovo designs an ultraportable 11" (or so) with all the connectivity, external ODD AND a "fullsize" butterfly keyboard. And who needs a trackpad on a Thinkpad?

[mazzinia]

It's not perfect. No PCMCIA/ExpressCard, memory card slot, or a proper docking connector grinds the gears for me.

I agree with him. I've been reading about this model since the first rumors.. and to be honest I think that the designers have made a mistake.

There are 2 things that mainly can compromise the sales of this notebook.
1) no pcmcia/expresscard
2) no docking connector

Now, I guess it's reasonable to say that at least point 2 could have been added, as is reasonable to say that I don't feel someone would have cried if a dock connector would have added another 80 grams.

Space is indeed limited, but I do wonder about reusing the touchpad space....

As for point 1, once having a real dock connector.. would have been very easy to make an X3x/X4x kind of dock, very thin, with no ultrabay 2000 but maybe a bay to fit the form factor of the x300 dvd (to add a battery...) and also an expresscard slot...

This could have permitted something like what was possible on an X31... main battery, 2nd battery and ultrabay battery all at the same time.

More weight, yes, but an optional up to the owner's needs.

[cj3209]

If the answer is no. Is anything else better than this? examples?

OK, I'll play:

Here's the Panny R7:
http://icube.us/product_detail.cfm/prod ... /CF-R7.cfm

PROS: 2 lbs, 10.4" LCD (NOT widescreen), up to 250 GB HD, able to withstand short drops on concrete, and 7-8 hour battery life;
CONS: No SSD HD (but huge SATA HD) and slightly smaller keyboard.

And it even comes in pink!

Or how about the Panny Y7 (in metallic blue - ooh...):
http://icube.us/product_detail.cfm/prod ... /CF-Y7.cfm

14.1" SXGA+ (NON WIDE-SCREEN) at 3.3 lbs WITH a DVD-RW drive...

CJ

[domi]

what DO you guys want in an ultra portable that this will not provide.. ?

I like almost everything in the X300, except the lack of a standard 2.5" SATA HDD.

Dominique

[erik]

...and the lack of a cardbus or expresscard slot.

[epbrown]

OK, I'll play:

Here's the Panny R7:
http://icube.us/product_detail.cfm/prod ... /CF-R7.cfm

PROS: 2 lbs, 10.4" LCD (NOT widescreen), up to 250 GB HD, able to withstand short drops on concrete, and 7-8 hour battery life;
CONS: No SSD HD (but huge SATA HD) and slightly smaller keyboard.

Okay, then:

The Sony Tz150N: http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/sony-va ... ml?tag=txt

PROS: 2.5lbs, 5+ hours battery life, 11.1" LED backlit 1366x768 display, ExpressCard slot, SD slot, Memory Stick slot, built-in DVDRW, fingerprint scanner, AV-mode, 2GB RAM, docking port, iLink, 2 USB 2.0 ports, WWAN, WLAN, Bluetooth, webcam.
CONS: keyboard simply not in ThinkPad's league.

[cj3209]

WOW.

The only issue for me is the overall quality of SONY notebooks (it's questionable), overpriced batteries ($300+), and the fact that one SONY division I know locally has employees that predominantly uses macbooks for their work, which is telling for me...

CJ

[domi]

...and the lack of a cardbus or expresscard slot.

Just curious: what would you use a CardBus/ExpressCard slot for? I mean, the connectivity of the X300 is pretty impressive. Aren't three USB ports sufficient? I'd be hard-pressed to find a use for the CardBus slot in my X60s.

Dominique

[cj3209]

The express card slot is the future of the PC card slot so having one would make your notebook 'future-ready.' Of course, how many of us have taken advantage of this slot?

It's supposed to be used for Firewire 800 (1394B), SATA external disk drives, wireless cards, soundcards, additional memory and memory card readers.

CJ

[erik]

Just curious: what would you use a CardBus/ExpressCard slot for? I mean, the connectivity of the X300 is pretty impressive. Aren't three USB ports sufficient? I'd be hard-pressed to find a use for the CardBus slot in my X60s.

i use it for a compactflash card reader -- expresscard on my T61p and cardbus on my X61.   you might not use it but it's something i use 10+ times per day.

[epbrown]

WOW.
The only issue for me is the overall quality of SONY notebooks (it's questionable), overpriced batteries ($300+), and the fact that one SONY division I know locally has employees that predominantly uses macbooks for their work, which is telling for me...

That's several issues.

Reliability and quality of Sonys seems to be something that people that have never owned one are nervous about. This is my 8th VAIO, and mine have held up as well as my ThinkPads. They're ranked pretty well among manufacturers.

The extended battery for my TZ150 was $200 from Sony but they quote higher MSRPs, where the average for Lenovo seems to be $179 for one. The AC adapter is cheaper ($79) and the port replicator exists, while there isn't one for the X300, and it seems in line with what docks and slices costs from Lenovo.

I can't speak to why the dept you mentioned uses Macs, but I wouldn't just assume it's because they don't trust their own products. Large corporations are frequently uncoordinated about such things.

[amardeep]

Missing things :

* dvi out (possibly on dock)
* conventional docking
* express card slot

Of course not everyone wants all of these. This is a wonderfully small system and a great achievement, but inevitably not everyone is going to be satisified by its compromises.

I think some would trade the dvd drive for some / all of the features above.

I'd like the conventional dock with dvi out. I think I can live without the optical drive, and the card slot (though if the drive went it would be nice to gain a card slot). The screen size is already as small as I'd want to go.

Alternatives will be T400 (or whatever) for more features but a bit bigger, X200 for an alternative set of compromises but a bit smaller (I'm assuming that it's featured more like X61 etc, but I know nothing concrete).

I guess the major selling point of the X300 is the small size with an included optical drive, so if that doesn't excite you, you're the wrong customer - even if it is annoyingly close to what you want :-)

[milstein]

I was considering also the Toshiba R500 due to its light weight
But I found that the screen and the keyboard of Toshiba R500 have a great deal of flex... I saw that here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gKMchnIfWM

So, I'll be considering X300, or the future Thinkpad Tablet if they implement capacitance touch sensing

[epbrown]

I was considering also the Toshiba R500 due to its light weight, but I found that the screen and the keyboard of Toshiba R500 have a great deal of flex... I saw that here...

The point of the video seems to be how much you can flex the display without damaging it, which is pretty impressive.

[Radioguy]

It beats the MacBook Air (no replaceable battery or ethernet?), but that goes without saying.

The X300 does suffer problems that I wouldn't think would be allowed, though...

No dock connection? That's a critical error in my opinion. For a series of business laptops, this being even more for the traveling exec, to leave out a dock connection is unthinkable.

The lack of an onboard flash card reader is also a killer. I could live without ExpressCard, and PCMCIA is practically a legacy format, but a multi-format card reader is a must in this day. Many cards are used for file storage other than images, and don't forget ReadyBoost. Having an SD card dedicated is far better than a USB stick that could stress a USB port. SD really least gives USB thumbdrives a run for their money now.

Visually, I also don't care for the speaker grilles. They should have gone for holes like in older TP series'. The inset grille look makes it look like a bad user mod. In general, the speakers should be set back further to the screen to avoid clogging. Even with holes, the position they're in means more skin contact.

Also, (and this isn't meant as a dig at Lenovo taking over) IBM wouldn't put that large a logo on the exterior of a TP. I wouldn't mind a Lenovo branded laptop on its own, even one that big, but IBM has always put black before branding. Sleek and black like a stealth aircraft was always the way they went, and what I have come to expect. That massive embossed logo is almost disgusting when they could just make it part of the corner TP logo. Even a IBM logo of that size and in that place would hurt the style.

I do like the fact most I/O connections are in the rear again (yahoo!). In my opinion, aside from an optical drive/ultrabay and a USB port, nothing but audio should be available on the side. Most connections, including USB, Firewire, Ethernet and Modem, should be in the rear. The battery should be in the front or side, and the card reader in the front. (Firewire is so misplaced on the front of the T61) That's just the most convenient location for those ports in common usage.

I think I would pass on this in comparison to other current X series models given the choice of an ultralight, but I'd take a TP over most brands in general. Hopefully the next X will improve upon this.

[JaneL]

but IBM has always put black before branding. Sleek and black like a stealth aircraft was always the way they went, and what I have come to expect.

I beg to differ.

The lid to my 600X.

[Radioguy]

but IBM has always put black before branding. Sleek and black like a stealth aircraft was always the way they went, and what I have come to expect.

I beg to differ.

The lid to my 600X.

That still bugs you? The palmrest branding made it to the cover a while ago. You must be more of a purist than I. Even a SR-71 had some external markings.

I've become so used to that small IBM/TP logo, that if it wasn't there, I'd be a little sad. (It's not like I don't want to brag at all that I own a TP)

My issue is clearly with the larger separate lenovo branding which is impossible to ignore. (Not even if you squint) Even dropping the IBM, and sizing up the TP logo itself is OK by me.

[JaneL]

Well, no, it doesn't bother me. You're the one that declared that IBM always made it pure black. I just showed you that that was not true. And on the fabled 600X, no less.

The Lenovo logo on the lid is small and discreet. Many of the pictures that I've seen still have the plastic protection in place on the logo which gives it a silver look, and it shows up as being larger and more visible than it really is. Once I took that plastic off the one I have, the black logo blends in with the black background quite discreetly.

Now, would I prefer it not be there? Yes, if they wanted their logo on the lid, I would have preferred that it be incorporated in the existing logo above or below the word ThinkPad (and smaller than Thinkpad, too). But is it a reason not to like the X300? Not in my opinion.

[dietpepsiaddict]

As in the you tube viseo up there, I don't like Toshiba and I never did. What a craptop. Waaaaay to much flex and cheapiness in my eyes.

I do infact LOVE the x300. The docking port thing doen't bother me at all. ( I'm not a business man so I don't need a docking station.) I do understand why a lot of people do miss it. The abcense of a cardbus port (or whatever they call it) does bother me though. I do use it quite often for various things. I don't understand the need for a touchpad... they suck. I ALWAYS use a trackpoint. ( the one I have on my 1300i is almost worn right through!)

So to make this clkear and simple...congrats Lenovo!

[Aroc]

gosh, what DO you guys want in an ultra portable that this will not provide.. ?

This device is a nearly perfect piece of kit. Given it's target audience of high-priced executives and the most productive of roadwarriors, I don't see the lack of a proper docking solution to be that big of a drawback. But a lack of a dock would hold it back from fleet use (as would the price tag). But it's a perfect one-off device for the priviledged elite. I would have liked to have seen a screen similar to what I see in the 15.4 inch and 17 inch Macbook Pros. The MBP has a screen that is very bright with good contrast. I would have liked to have seen something comparable in this X300.

for fleet use, obviously, we'd want a proper docking solution as well as 2.5 inch SATA drive to keep costs down.