Nooob - thinking of getting an X300, but a couple of worries

[jonnyr78]

Hi,

I'm just about to pull the trigger on an X300 in the Uk, but a few things keep stopping me. Am I being silly? I know you must get this sort of thing all the time. Anyway, my worries are:

1. Is the screen THAT bad? I know it's all realtive, and I currently have an 18month year old macbook pro (so the LCD is a bit faded). If the X300 screen is as good I'll be happy - i'm not expecting macbook air screen quality and I know the problems with tn screens, but all the other laptops with better screens fail (to me) on build quality and keyboards (for example the air and sony sz's).

2. Is the trackpad that bad? I really like the trackpoint, but dunno if my wife will appreciate it (and this is as much for her) so I'm worried by the trackpad horror stories! .

3 This is the biggie...

If I am buying one now am I choosing bad time? I have looked at the rumours of the x200 and it seems FAR better specced (bar the screen) so I have this worry that I'm buying a comp that will be seriously obsolete in a short space of time. Indeed, it seems to be the x200 is potentially better in every way?

I know the worry about instant obsolescence is always the problem with new PC's (espeically going from a mac laptop to a PC and windows - but I have my reasons). One thing I do like about the X300 is the relative expandability; i'm sure new drives will turn up eventually and at least you can get at some of the parts unlike macs.

But at the same time I have this fear of getting an x300 then some montevina version crops up six months later with all the bells and whistles (and a better screen

Help!!

[jonnyr78]

by the way - do these specs mean it includes the wwan and gps module? Cheers!

http://www5.pc.ibm.com/uk/products.nsf/ ... eb_express

[adrianaitken]

In a word - no !!!

Added - it seems an announcement is only a fortnight away and the specs read 2.4 Ghz processor rather than the 1.2 of the X300. Can you wait a fortnight to get double the processing power ?

[Zender]

Specs don't mention WWAN (so it's not there). As for GPS, I've bugged Sierra Wireless about it and it seems that to date there's no GSM/UMTS card with GPS enabled (even though hardware supports that function), so you can't have that. For now at least. GPS is only available with CDMA/EV-DO WWAN card, which is no use in the UK.

[jonnyr78]

Thanks, especially about the wireless info - it's not at all clear on the UK site (though I'm probably a bit blind).

Incidentally, with the potential spec of the x200, what exactly is the point of buying x300? I mean, surely the increase in specs and ports on the x200 makes a 13.3 widescreen and trackpad very minor differences?

I want an x300 because today as I type it best suites my needs, but from what I can tell the x200 beats it in every way bar the aspect ratio of the screen. Am I missing something? The only think I have spotted on rumor sites is that I'm not sure the x200 has the same construction (one mentioned it didn't have a rollcage).

Sigh, I'm coming from mac laptop world so I can't complain about 'rumors' but god I wish I had some insider info

[erik]

what do you do that you need a faster processor?   the 1.2GHz SL7100 is fast enough for me to handle 300MB files in photoshop and illustrator while on the road without much grief.   everyone seems to be in a mindset that they need the absolute fastest processor but most people never fully use what they have.   1.2GHz is seemingly slow on paper but the SSD certainly makes up for it in real life.

the X200's specs look compelling but the X300 still has its benefits in a higher-resolution display, full-size keyboard, light weight with integrated optical drive (and ability to install a second battery on-board), larger speakers, trackpoint and trackpad, thinner profile, and higher-quality build.   the X200 looks like it won't be much different than an X61 with an LED display and a smaller hard drive.   plus, the X300 is available today and the X200 might not be available until the end of the year.

with that said, the X300 still may not fit your needs.   only you can decide which one will work best for you.

[gcoin]

I have been using a X300 for about 2 months, here are my thoughts...

For what I use the laptop the screen is actually quite good. The extra resolution you get is very handy for Excel. I use the X300 mainly for business. Don't worry about the screen. Most of the people that have posted criticism have never seen one in real life.

This is not a speed demon that should be bought to decode genomics or try to find proof of the Yang-Mills mass gap. However, it is perfectly usable for everyday tasks like making a PowerPoint presentation or reading email or browsing the internet. If you plan to buy the machine to buy games I will strongly recommend to go for something else.

No problems with the machine in any other department. Perhaps the only gripe is that the much-hyped battery life is not very true. I get 3-4 hours of usage, not bad, but not the advertised time either.

It is not very wise to base your decision on timing. Of course that the moment you open the box of your X300, a new model, either from Lenovo or another manufacturer, will catch your eye. The speed at which technology changes is fast enough for any machine to be "obsolete" in a few months. The real questions are: "Is this machine good enough for my needs?" "Do I need it now?" "Can I wait a few months so the price goes down?"

Of course that if you wait some time the price will go down, but chances are a new model will come along that will interest you at the original price of the machine you were looking at the first place.

Cheers,

[jonnyr78]

Hey,

Thanks for all that it really is helpful. I think my problem is not with the x300, it's more to do with coming from Mac's, were on reflection the choice is limited and as a mac user I had always thought the Air would be perfect, but in person I found it so limited. So, looking at PC's had meant i've needed to do some catch up!

Also, it doesn't help that lenovo don't really have any UK high street stockists where you can at least handle stuff. It;s also a bit of a shame that you can't custom build them as you can in the U.S.

I have no problem with the x300 processor speed at all really (I wouldn't consider it if I did) and all that has been a big help - I'll almost certainly go with the x300

[averkiev]

1) I can only compare my X300's LCD to my previous T43p IPS screen and in this comparison the x300's screen loses big time.

2) I use both track point and track pad, the trackpad seems to be just fine.

3) I'm using my x300 as a development pc and it's fast enough to run Visual Studio 2008.

[akao]

If you are a Mac user, I suggest just buying a used Macbook Air off ebay. Used ones with regular hard drives are around $1000k. At half the cost to a third of the cost of a X300, it makes great sense. It also means that you've already saved up (half of) the amount for your next laptop.

[andrewb]

My company has been trialling an X300 for 6 weeks now. Someone gets it for a week and then passes it on to someone else for another week etc. No one has been sad to get rid, I'm afraid. The processing power is fine, as is battery life (very good, in fact). The screen is OK (but not a patch of Flexview) and the WWAN is excellent (much better than using a PC card).

A minor niggle is the keyboard (very poor, nowhere near what one would expect but relatively cheap to replace) but the universal complaint is the screen ratio. As a business spec level machine, the inability to work on documents without going into scrolling hell is proving a killer. I, for one, needed no encouragement to revert to my 4:3 T60.

If the machine was a bit deeper, and came with a 4:3 14" screen, Lenovo would have a winner but, in the Uk, the machine sells at the equivalent of $3,600. I would save your money and see what else is available.

[erik]

As a business spec level machine, the inability to work on documents without going into scrolling hell is proving a killer. I, for one, needed no encouragement to revert to my 4:3 T60.

If the machine was a bit deeper, and came with a 4:3 14" screen, Lenovo would have a winner but, in the Uk, the machine sells at the equivalent of $3,600.

it's on sale for as low as £1700.00 (including VAT) on lenovo's X-series product page.   that translates to $2880 without VAT or $3350 with VAT.   since we don't have VAT in the US, it's more reasonable to compare to non-VAT prices—not like it matters much since we make up for it in income tax.

here is a diagram comparing the WXGA+ and SXGA+ displays for those who may be worried about "scrolling hell".   to me, the 150 pixels aren't a huge difference since i came from a WUXGA T61p and XGA X61, putting the X300 comfortably in the middle.   obviously everyone's individual needs and viewpoints on this subject will differ.

[jonnyr78]

A minor niggle is the keyboard (very poor, nowhere near what one would expect but relatively cheap to replace)

are you saying it could be replaced with a better Thinkpad keyboard, because that would be nice to know

  obviously everyone's individual needs and viewpoints on this subject will differ.

And i'm coming from a macbook pro with 1440x900 so quite like the idea of the same res in a smaller footprint.

By the way, having had a look at the UK site what exactly is the difference between these 'Communications' options:

Fax/modem: USMODEMV.90&K56FLEX (no voice)
Wireless standard: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Network card: Integrated Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
Network interface: Gigabit Ethernet- Integrated

and these?

Fax/modem: V90 & K56 Home PNA combo card
Wireless standard: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Network card: Integrated Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
Network interface: Gigabit Ethernet- Integrated

I the UK the second option is about £150 less but i'm not really sure what the difference is.


mod edit: fixed quote above as the wrong person was quoted.

[andrewb]

Why is it that the illustration above is so often used. If one uses Excel 2007, thereby replacing the skinny 2003 toolbar with the more chunky 2007 ribbon, the loss of useable screen height becomes far more apparent.

For rme, the move from 2003 to 2007 on the X300 takes me from 44 (per the illustration) to only 30 rows in Excel default settings. With the same settings, I get 39 rows on my T60, so the X300 costs me just under 25% of my useable spreadsheet height. A lot more, I would venture, than one might think when looking at this diagram.

[erik]

i made that illustration using office 2003.   if 2007 is worse on space then i'd have no idea as i don't use it.

regarding the keyboard, it's my opinion that the X300 has one of the best keyboards since the TP600.   but, like anything, everyone's opinion on this will differ since we each have varying likes/dislikes when it comes to input devices.

[qviri]

You can easily hide and unhide the ribbon in Office 2007.

[Thecla]

Just my 2c.

1. The screen (at least my screen) is not bad at all. I've been using my x300 pretty much continuously since it came out and I've had zero issues with the screen. Perhaps it's not the prettiest or highest contrast screen around, I don't know, but functionally it is absolutely fine.

2. I use the trackpad for the most part, and trackpoint only on occasion, though I also use an external blue tooth mouse quite a bit for substantial word processing/cutting/pasting. I find the touchpad very useable. Scrolling and moving the cursor are fine, but there is definitely an issue with tapping not registering well. I'm a pretty minimalist trackpad/point user so it doesn't really bother me, but I could see that it could bother other people, though I can't tell you how your wife would feel about it!

3. To me, the X300 is a different machine from the X200 (12" screen, smaller keyboard, no DvD drive I assume?) so as far as that goes the question would be which one fits your needs better.

[amestoy]

By the way, having had a look at the UK site what exactly is the difference between these 'Communications' options:

Fax/modem: USMODEMV.90&K56FLEX (no voice)
Wireless standard: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Network card: Integrated Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
Network interface: Gigabit Ethernet- Integrated

and these?

Fax/modem: V90 & K56 Home PNA combo card
Wireless standard: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Network card: Integrated Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
Network interface: Gigabit Ethernet- Integrated

I the UK the second option is about £150 less but i'm not really sure what the difference is.

I was similarly puzzled when comparing the 2 UK models so I asked Lenovo sales and this is what they told me:

The X300 with part number N1215UK comes with Vodafone Wwan already installed and ready to use. The other part number is WWan ready but does not have the vodafone cards already pre-installed for operation.

Not sure why they didn't make that clear in the specs, but hope that helps.

[jonnyr78]

Thanks everyone!

I made the plunge and received an x300 today - it was a bit of an impulse purchase as I found an online UK store charging the same for the pc with the wwan module as without. Overall, I'm very impressed! Here's a few points / comments (as the pc is currently updating!)...

The build quality is excellent, but it does flex in places more than I imagined - the keyboard and whole wrist pad area flexes a bit - but it still feels quality and is lovely to type on. I was a bit scared when I wiped the base of the screen and that flexed quite a bit, but I assume this is a consequence of the carbon fibre? Nevertheless, the fit and finish is in my opinion better than mac notebooks I've had since the powerbook g4 era.

I can't get a hang of the trackpoint sensitivity at all, but I think the trackpad is fine to me and there is something about the click of buttons that is nice. I'm sure with practice I'll get there with the trackpoint - it's instinctively far more comfortable than the trackpad (to me).

Finally i'm very impressed by the speed as it feels absolutely fine, and that's impressive. Also, don't laugh at the noob, but I'm quite impressed with the thinkvantage stuff. From past pc experience, that's a very nice change (I once bought a vaio that came with a virus out of the box!).

But, best of all, coming from my macbook pro, it's VERY quiet (even the fan) and very cool to the touch. Plus, wireless connected first time, far better than the grief I've had with aluminum macs.

I should probably ask this elsewhere and not be so lazy...but any tips and tricks?

[jonnyr78]

Also, I find the screen fine - it has got poor viewing angles so a black background is more gray and this makes one feel it's a bit of a step back, but I like the brightness (could be higher but it's consistent) and it's, well, fine!

What I do like is that although though it's a bit grainy (I guess I have a samsung, unfortunately) it feels 'clean' and best of all I like the resolution. I was for a bit considering a Sony Vaio sz, and whilst the screen is technically 'better' on the sz - brighter, clearer etc I would have really missed the extra resolution.

Overall i'd say this is fine for an office / work PC, but probably a bit rubbish for movies etc. It wouldn't stop me from buying an x300 though.

[barrywohl]

Hi,

2. Is the trackpad that bad? I really like the trackpoint, but dunno if my wife will appreciate it (and this is as much for her) so I'm worried by the trackpad horror stories! .

It is funny how much people vary. I used ThinkPads without UltraNav Pads from mid 1995 through December, 2003 when I got my first R50p. The last computer I had without an UltraNav Pad was my A21p which is still in service today in my office.

It took me about two minutes to realize how much I preferred the UltraNav Pad to the TrackPoint. I find the UltraNav Pad "natural" and the TrackPoint awkward. Since 2003, the little red caps get no wear and tear signs after years of usage.

I won't buy a computer without the UltraNav Pad. For me it is essential, where the stylus based tablets have no attraction for me. The TrackPoint only computers don't appeal to me either.

[garcia916]

I have had my X300 for about 3 months now I can say it is the best built laptop I have ever had. I have had a compaq presario, Dell inspron, and an ASUS V1jp.

The ASUS V1JP had the best display, video card, and processing power. However physically it was not built very well espesially compared to the X300. Not to mention it was heavy and had about 1.5 hours of battery life.

You cannot complain about a 13 inch extreamly light weight laptop that can give you about 5 hours of batter life. The screen can be better but at the cost of power. I just connect mine to an external 22 inch sceen if I need to. I am a software developer so I run many applications and i compile lots of code and I do not have a problem with the processor speed.

Plus, I have never had the kind of support that lenovo offers. I mean they actually have videos on how to take apart your laptop and add internal components. They even sent me an 802.11n upgrade for free since I purchased before it was available.

[mmm]

Why is it that the illustration above is so often used. If one uses Excel 2007, thereby replacing the skinny 2003 toolbar with the more chunky 2007 ribbon, the loss of useable screen height becomes far more apparent.

Then stop using it? I use OpenOffice and I'm quite happy with the configurability of the toolbars and their size for it.

[k3davis]

Why is it that the illustration above is so often used. If one uses Excel 2007, thereby replacing the skinny 2003 toolbar with the more chunky 2007 ribbon, the loss of useable screen height becomes far more apparent.

I don't have an X300 (waiting for 301!) but even on 4:3 monitors I prefer to shrink the size of the Office 2007 ribbon for usable space. It's really not that big of a deal in my case.

auto-hide ribbon

That said, I much prefer Office 2007 to 2003 - I personally like the ribbon, just don't need to see it all the time - but as "mmm" said, there are plenty of other alternatives if it gives you fits.