X201/X201s ?

[Nubulin]

Anyone have any bets or inside info on a refresh of the 12.1" X series?

The X200 is about perfect for me right now with 2 exceptions:
1) No 1440x900 LED backlit screen and WWAN
2) No touchpad.

Sure I can get an X200s with the 1440 screen or a X200 with WWAN, but like a lot of people I want BOTH.

I am ready to upgrade my aging T60p and cannot find a notebook at any price that gives me what I want. Come on Lenovo!

[blackomegax]

No room for a touchpad.
That's never been an x series thing till the x300 anyway.

1440x900 on such a small screen is hit or miss.
While i would personally love to have that, i find the 1280x768 to be pushing the DPI barrier.

[Puppy]

Sure I can get an X200s with the 1440 screen or a X200 with WWAN, but like a lot of people I want BOTH.

Yep. The 1440x900 screen resolution is the lowest acceptable (the panel quality is horrible of course but what to do ... ?), I would go for even higher. Ultraportable notebook without integrated WWAN is useless for me. I don't understand this limitation of X200s either while there are 9" netbooks with integrated WWAN module. DVI/DisplayPort/HDMI would be also nice.

[martin255]

At first I too was disappointed in the lack of WWAN in my X200s (I even considered modding it to add antennas and a WWAN card), but after a few months I don't really mind. I just tether my phone, and it works pretty well. If you really need to use another SIM card, why not just use an ExpressCard modem or something?

[Puppy]

why not just use an ExpressCard modem or something?

It is not very portable solution, I want to have it built-in. Asus does, Acer does, HP does, Sony does ... Lenovo can't ? Or ... why there isn't X200 configuration with better display resolution than WXGA available ? I don't get it ...

[martin255]

I agree Lenovo could do it and I don't see what's stopping them, really. My point was that in the end, I don't see it as a real problem.

As I said, I briefly considered modding my X200s to add WWAN. I discovered that the screen assembly of the WXGA screen is quite different from the WXGA+: it requires more screws, so there is less space for the antennas and the webcam. But if you really want it built-in, it seems possible to do it yourself (adding a webcam seems impossible, though). You have to buy a WWAN card and a new set of antennas, replace your current antennas with the new set (requires disassembling most of the laptop and forcing them in a bit), and install the WWAN card.

[Sine]

The 1440x900 screen on my X200s was a little much when I received it, and for the first couple of days I endured some pretty serious eyestrain (coming from a 1024x768 X40). It was just like getting a new eyeglass prescription though, and once my eyes got used to it, I love it! The screen is gorgeous, and the LED backlight makes a big difference. I never realized how yellow-tinted my old CCFL X40 was until I got the X200s.

About the WWAN, I'm not missing it. Whenever WiMAX gains more widespread distribution, all you'd need to do is switch out the wireless card for an Intel 5350. Problem solved!

[Nubulin]

It's great that you guys don't miss the WWAN, but you are missing the whole point of the question.......

I am a HIGHLY mobile person that uses his notebook as a portable computer. I.E. on the go, in and out of my bag 5 times a day at different locations and no internet makes the computer useless. I have a corei7 workstation in my office with dual 30" displays, so the laptop almost never uses AC power, WiFi, or Ethernet, and I will never own a docking station. You can see why I am not willing to compromise.

So, what do I do? I am looking at a X301, but it is not that much smaller than a 4:3 T60 (yes thinner and lighter), the performance is worse, and its way expensive. The X200 is a sweet spot in the size/cost arena and still has a real processor. There are other options HP 2510P, 2530P, Sony Vaio TT and Z, etc. that have LED displays, WWAN, and touchpad. Unfortunatly I am not really looking for a consumer PC and they are all WXGA.

[EOMtp]

So, what do I do?

Simple; here is what you do:
Get the X200s with the 1440x900 WXGA+ display, spend $15-$20 on the antenna set for the X200 WXGA unit (includes WLAN and WWAN antennas), open the LCD panel of the X200s, and replace all the antennas with those from the new set. Then add the WWAN card of your choice, and you have an X200s with WXGA+ and WWAN. All you need is one Phillips screwdriver!

[Nubulin]

I would do that if it is possible, but I don't think they will fit. There are a few posts on that already. Can anyone confirm?

Still missing the touchpad though...

[EOMtp]

I would do that if it is possible, but I don't think they will fit. There are a few posts on that already. Can anyone confirm?
Still missing the touchpad though...

I would not have told you to do it if it were not possible. I don't know what other posts you saw that tell you otherwise, but they are wrong. By shaving a few millimeters of plastic with a small blade from a couple of "studs" inside the LCD back cover, the WXGA antennas will fit in the WXGA+ case.

As for the touchpad ... well, once a person gets used to the Thinkpad's trackpoint (not HP, Toshiba, or any other), there is no going back to a touchpad! Still, that's a matter of personal preference.

In any case, the antennas fit, in case that matters to you, i.e., an X200s can have both WXGA+ and WWAN.

[Nubulin]

Well, that would pretty much be 99% of what I am looking for.

Do you know anyone that did this (or did you)? What about parts, where to get them? Sim card holder?

Could I just buy the LED screen? There is a $500 price difference to the X200s and I don't want the LV proc.

I do hate the touchpoint, but might be the one thing I have to compromise.

Thanks!

[martin255]

The X200s already has a SIM slot and, as EOMtp said, forcing the antennas in does not seem too hard. I read several posts of people who did it (will post you the links if I find them again) when I thought of doing it.
Now, modding a X200 to add a WXGA+ screen will be more difficult and way more expensive. General consensus is that the easiest way is to swap the entire screen assembly, because the inverters and the way the screens are attached are different (see the HMM and here : http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-71340 ), AND you would need a hacked BIOS because there is no WXGA+ X200.
Finally, if you are such a road warrior, you need a LV/ULV CPU for the extra battery life. Maybe I am missing the point again, but with a regular CPU, the 6-cell battery won't last your typical day as you described it and you'll have to carry the heavy 9-cell.

Edit: sadly I don't think there is a good solution for the lack of touchpad. You would have to either get used to the TrackPoint, or carry a mouse.

[EOMtp]

Now, modding a X200 to add a WXGA+ screen will be more difficult and way more expensive. ... you would need a hacked BIOS because there is no WXGA+ X200 ...

Absolutely -- apart from the Bluetooth module, there is not a single other part that is common between the "top" of an X200s with the WXGA+ LED-lit screen and the "top" of an X200 with WXGA CCFL-lit screen. However, the X200 and X200s use the same BIOS, so there should not be a need for a BIOS hack.

Finally ... you need a LV/ULV CPU for the extra battery life. ... with a regular CPU, the 6-cell battery won't last your typical day as you described it and you'll have to carry the heavy 9-cell.

Totally agree with martin255 here. One can get 5-6 hours on a 6-cell battery with the LV processor; 10+ hours with the 9-cell battery. Why would anyone want the regular processor?

To Nubulin:The simplest route is for you to get an X200s and add the antenna set from the X200.

Note: the base cover of the X200 is different than the base cover of the x200s because the footprint of the X200 motherboard is different from the footprint of the X200s motherboard. I mention this in case you were thinking of swapping motherboards from X200 to X200s or vice versa. X200s motherboard will fit well enough (although not perfectly) in an X200 base, but an X200 motherboard will not fit an X200s base.

[martin255]

Thanks for clearing that up, EOMtp, I didn't know the X200 and X200s used the same BIOS.

I just remembered something for the touchpad problem: when i first got the X200s I used my iPhone as a touchpad for a few days, because I thought I would have trouble getting used to the trackpoint. Maybe you have an iPhone or an iPod Touch, Nubulin?

[Nubulin]

Thanks for all the info. Sounds like that will be the way I will have to go. I really love the size of the X200s, but it will be a real chore to get used to a touchpoint only after 10+ years using a touchpad. I disabled my touchpad on my T60 and will give it a few days and see. If so X200s with WWAN is in my future.

I do use an iPhone, but am not so sure I would want to use it as a touch pad. How does that work?

[EOMtp]

... a real chore to get used to a touchpoint only after 10+ years using a touchpad. I disabled my touchpad on my T60 and will give it a few days and see. ...

Figure out how the Trackpoint works in conjunction with the middle button to provide scrolling functionality. Without that feature, the Trackpoint is worthless. However, with that feature, you may come to agree that nothing beats it.

[martin255]

Nubulin, there are many apps that allow you to use your iPhone as a touchpad. Just search 'touchpad' in the app store. I tried iTap which works great, and RemotePad, which is not as nice but works fine and is free.

As I said, I only used that for a few days: I decided to give the trackpoint a try, at least. In the end it only took me a few days to get used to it and now the touchpad doesn't feel as natural to me.

[ComputerMinder]

I have X200s With 1440x900 LED screen
My previous notebook was an X61s 1024x768.

The first week I was like 'oh my god' the rez is too high for this small screen. [censored] I even wanted to go back to the store and exchange for an X301 (same rez though 13.3)

But guys listen, after a week you'll get used to it and you'll never want to go back. The X200s 1440x900 LED screen ROCKS ! The ability to so so much so clearly is outstanding. I am so content with the decision I made. For those with bad eyesight just enlarge the font if you want. You'l still see crisper images than lower rez screen.

I haven't got the chance to see the specs of the X201s,X201si yet but god I hope they would stay faithful to the 1440x900 LED and not go backwards. About the touchpad I hate touchpads so much, for me only trackpoint, but that's an individual thing.

About wide band internet, I use my phone bluetooth connection, but you can use a USB dongle for that if you want, costs $100 and you can put any SIM inside.

Hope this helps.

[ansible212]

Another vote for the X201s, if my X200s is anything to go on. LV processor and 9 cell battery gives all day computing (and actually with the 4 cell makes for a really light and truly ultraportable system).

Interestingly, the X200s is sold in the UK with WWAN so maybe the X201s will be too. WWAN hits the battery more than WLAN and speed is variable to say the least but at l can be online pretty much anywhere which is what counts.

[Nubulin]

Nothing like resurrecting a dead horse from a year ago here.....

I bought an X200s WXGA+ and the screen was the worst piece of garbage I have ever seen. The LED backlight was unbearable in anything but bright office lights. Great computer, perfect size/battery life/resolution/etc. Just could not use it in the settings an ultraportable is made for. I have had at least 15 laptops in my life and the X200s LED and X301 LED were the 2 worst screens of them all. How is it that Sony and Apple can get decent LED screens but Lenovo buys crap?

I ended up with an X200 and the screen is tolerable (but not great). Overall it does the job. I wish it was WXGA+ and the battery life is barely adequate.

I am excited to see a refresh with a touchpad and a different screen manufacturer. Otherwise I will be doing the AFFS mod on my X200 or getting a X201t/X210t for the inevitable better screen.

[ThinkRob]

I bought an X200s WXGA+ and the screen was the worst piece of garbage I have ever seen. The LED backlight was unbearable in anything but bright office lights.

It's not that bad. I had a 2008-era MacBook that had a far, far worse screen. At least the X200s's screen is capable of displaying a grey/black gradient without including yellow anywhere in the resulting gamut.

[aau007]

Here is some x201/x201s information I obtained

x201 i5-540M 2GB/250GB with BT and FingerPrint win7 Pro - $1199
x201 save as above but seems like to come with base and burner - $1499

x201s i7-640LM/M 4GB/320GB BT and FingerPrint win7 Pro - $1599

Oh. And it looks like mid March if Lenovo is on schedule this time. They are, however, currently in constrain on most of their new Thinkpad models. Having hard time delivering x301, T410, T410s, T510, W510 at the least. The common denominator seems to be the i processors.

[Nubulin]

It's not that bad. I had a 2008-era MacBook that had a far, far worse screen. At least the X200s's screen is capable of displaying a grey/black gradient without including yellow anywhere in the resulting gamut.

Your standards must be a lot lower than mine. Like I said in bright office lighting it was fine. It's everywhere else that it is unwatchable. In any low ambient light situations like laying on the couch at night, working in a vehicle at night, etc, it "burns" your eyes in a few minutes. Most people use thier laptops in thier office desk, so Lenovo puts in adequate panels for that purpose only. I want a premium MOBILE COMPUTER LCD panel and will pay for it. It (along with its X301 sibling) had the worst screens of any LCDs I have seen. Considering I have had 15 laptops and about 8 desktop LCDs, this is pretty poor performance.

[ThinkRob]

Your standards must be a lot lower than mine. Like I said in bright office lighting it was fine. It's everywhere else that it is unwatchable. In any low ambient light situations like laying on the couch at night, working in a vehicle at night, etc, it "burns" your eyes in a few minutes.

Perhaps. I don't think that it's useless elsewhwere though. I've used it on flights before, and even when they turn out the lights it worked fine for my needs. Same for working in a dim room, or in other low-light environments.

I'm willing to accept that it might not be usable for your needs, but I'd disagree that it is "unbearable in anything but bright office lights". For the sort of work that I do (software dev.) it was perfectly usable in pretty much ever environment that I used it in. Great? No. Color-accurate? Not really. Usable? Totally.

[Evil Overlord]

Personally, I'm glad to see the touchpad on the X201, however small it may be. I moved from an X61s (great) to an X200s. The X200s has been great, except that the TrackPoint has never worked properly (cursor drifts after use), despite new drivers, new keyboard, new system board(!), etc. (it's in for service again now). So, I have mixed feelings about the machine. I'm moving closer to just asking for my money back (but what to buy, since this was almost perfect?). In the case this is a flaw with the entire line, a touchpad would help a lot.

[khtse]

I have moved from X61 to X200.

Moving from the X61's 1024x768 screen to the X200's 1280x800 screen, pixel density is noticeably higher and texts are significantly smaller. While I used to want to have a higher resolution screen on my X61, I am pretty happy with the resolution of my X200 screen. Well, at least texts are small enough that I don't want them to be smaller.

[iadorjan]

Does anyone know whether the X201/s has BOTH a bottom roll cage and a top/lid covering roll cage? AFAIK, the X200 did not have these features, while the x200s only had the lid covering one.

Also, any chance that some X200 configurations will still have a CCFL screen? I've read too many scary stories of LED-induced eye strain.

Thanks

[ThinkRob]

Also, any chance that some X200 configurations will still have a CCFL screen? I've read too many scary stories of LED-induced eye strain.

Thanks

There is no difference in eyestrain caused by the difference between CCFL/LED backlighting, provided that 1) the screen is bright enough to match your current environment 2) you are bright enough to dim it as necessary to match your current environment.

[Investinwaffles]

Your standards must be a lot lower than mine. Like I said in bright office lighting it was fine. It's everywhere else that it is unwatchable. In any low ambient light situations like laying on the couch at night, working in a vehicle at night, etc, it "burns" your eyes in a few minutes. Most people use thier laptops in thier office desk, so Lenovo puts in adequate panels for that purpose only. I want a premium MOBILE COMPUTER LCD panel and will pay for it. It (along with its X301 sibling) had the worst screens of any LCDs I have seen. Considering I have had 15 laptops and about 8 desktop LCDs, this is pretty poor performance.

Its not as bad as to be unusable, but it anything but good. Sitting in class, every notebook screen looks better than mine, and my computer is probably the most select in my 600 person lecture class.

When a budget HP screen looks better than my premium ultraportable screen, Lenovo is doing it wrong.