Laptop Muscle(building!)
Written: Jun 18 '03 (Updated Jun 18 '03)
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Pros: Solid case, nice keyboard, "ThinkLight," trackpad *and* TrackPoint!
Cons: Heavy. Battery doesn't seem to last very long.
The Bottom Line: The ThinkPad T30 is built for business. Tough case, nice feature set. I like it.
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| caradoc's Full Review: Lenovo ThinkPad T30 2366 (2366G1U) PC Notebook |
As my regular readers know, I was laid off from my regular job a couple of weeks ago. After being laid off on a Friday, I started a new contract job on the following Monday (zero down-time - got to love it!)
My new employer has issued me a brand-spanking-new IBM ThinkPad T30, which is a welcome replacement for the Compaq Armada M700 I was carrying for about two-and-a-half years.
The Configuration
The laptop I've been issued to use has a 1.80GHz "Mobile" Intel Pentium 4 processor, 256MB of RAM, a "40GB" hard disk that really has only about 37.2GB, and a CD/DVD-ROM drive.
The "Mobile" specification for the processor means that it supposedly uses lower power while the processor is cycled into a slower state - this could save you some battery life, and possibly give you an edge when you're computing without a power socket, but since I rarely if ever actually run a laptop on battery, I don't know how well that works. I run the laptop at home on my desk, and at the office on my desk there.
The Case
The laptop is made of what looks like a composite black plastic over what feels like a rather solid frame. The screen itself doesn't flex very much, and seems like it offers substantial protection from bumps and shocks. The upper edge of the bezel around the screen contains a small white LED (the "ThinkLight") which is aimed down at the keyboard, and can be turned on and off with a function key. It doesn't offer much light, but enough to see the keys. A reading light it isn't.
At the bottom of the screen are tiny lights indicating power status, with a small moon indicating that the machine has "gone to sleep" to conserve power.
I didn't get a configuration that includes Bluetooth, so there's a small bit of plastic covering the spot where the indicator would go.
The screen hinges are steel. They're visible when the screen is in the "open" position.
On the right-hand side of the case is the CD/DVD-ROM drive, the infrared port, and an LED that indicates when the machine is on. The LED is not visible by a user who's actually working on the machine, though, so I'm not certain how useful it is in that placement.
On the left side are the microphone, audio-in, and headphone ports, as well as a pair of PC Card (PCMCIA) slots. As my configuration didn't come with the wireless 802.11b, I'm using a D-Link DWL-650+ to connect the laptop wirelessly to my D-Link DI-614+ Wireless Router. Yes, the card protrudes from the slot just a bit, but I don't carry the laptop to work that way...
On the far side of the left is a laptop security port, perfect for locking the laptop to a desk with a Targus DEFCON CL Cable Lock or any other cable lock that fits into the standard "Kensington" security hole.
On the back of the unit you will find a serial port, parallel port, monitor output, modem port, ethernet port, two USB ports, S-Video out, and the power supply port.
A "port replicator" port is on the bottom of the unit, with its flimsy-seeming flaps placed exactly where my fingers rest when I'm carrying the laptop in my hand. Fortunately, the flaps are tougher than they look (and feel!)
Also on the bottom of the unit is an odd little rubber bump, which confused me for a bit until I looked it up. It's not a switch or sensor of any kind, but a shock absorber. It holds air, and bleeds the air out on "impact," softening the "thump" of setting the laptop down on a desk back-edge first, then taking your fingers out from under the front edge. This is a well-thought-out feature, I think, as it actually seems to work.
I'm just not sure how durable that thin rubber is, though, and I'm expecting it to tear or otherwise rupture.
The Screen
The ThinkPad T30's screen is a very bright 14.1", displaying 1024 by 768 pixels at 32 bits per pixel, thanks to the onboard ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 video hardware. Screen response is crisp, and the DVD I watched through the DVD-ROM drive didn't show any really bad streaking. Some streaking is unavoidable on an LCD screen, as the response times aren't nearly as fast as most CRT screens.
UltraNav
IBM, in their wisdom (and an attempt to capture more market share, I'm sure!) has included both a trackpad with two buttons, and a TrackPoint with three buttons.
A TrackPoint is a little rubber knob about the size of a pencil eraser that sits between the G, H, and B keys on the keyboard. It doesn't get in the way when typing once you've gotten used to it being there, and I'm fond of it as a pointing method.
IBM's UltraNav software allows you to configure the TrackPoint and the trackpad in many ways, but my favorite is to use the TrackPoint as my pointing device while the trackpad is used for scrolling - like the scroll wheel available on most new mice. If you like, you can even completely disable one device or the other.
The TrackPoint's "middle button" is a scroll activator. Holding down the middle button and moving the TrackPoint up or down scrolls your active window up or down. Handy for looking at long documents!
The Keyboard
The keyboard has a firm feel, but lacks any "click" feedback to let you know that a key's been pressed. If you were a fan of the old "industrial-quality" IBM keyboards that sounded like a set of maracas if you typed fast, you'll be sorely disappointed. I like the T30 keyboard because while it isn't "mushy," it definitely doesn't require as much typing pressure as other keyboards I've used. That lower typing pressure means less effort to type, and no sore wrists for me.
The one thing I find lacking from the keyboard is the now-common "Windows" key. I was used to pressing it once to get the Start menu, then a couple of quick keystrokes to shut the machine down. Other than that, I like the inverted-T arrow keys, and the "Back" and "Forward" keys that are found in that area. They map to the "Back" and "Forward" buttons found in most web browsers.
There's even an embedded 10-key pad on the keyboard, which can be activated with the function keys. Nice.
Usability
I've been using the ThinkPad T30 for over a week, now, and I find it to me eminently more usable than my old Compaq Armada M700.
The M700 had some rather sharp edges and corners, while the "front" of the T30 is "rolled" nicely in a curved shape that doesn't leave marks on my wrists. The bottom still gets hot, though, giving the lie to the name "laptop."
BIOS and hard disk password capabilities and the security port all leave me with the feeling that someone in IBM is looking out for me and giving me ways to protect my equipment and my data.
The machine boots quickly into Windows 2000 (also decided for me by my employer) and wakes quickly from sleep if I've left it alone too long.
While I complained about the M700's speaker placement, the T30's speakers are little better - the speakers are placed under the front edge of the laptop. This is fine if you're using it on a desk, but if you're using it on your lap, they'll be muffled by your pants or other clothing. I wouldn't recommend using it naked because of the heat problem I've mentioned previously...
On the other hand, the T30 weighs in slightly heavier than the M700 did - at a little over five pounds, the T30 feels hefty compared to the M700's four-and-a-half pounds.
Overall, I think I like it. I'm not overly happy with having to use Windows to get to the Solaris and Linux machines that I'm managing, but at least I'm getting paid for it!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1500
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 14 inches
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-ROM
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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caradoc
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Member: John Groseclose
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Reviews written: 182
Trusted by: 133 members
About Me:
System admin, technology addict, knife thrower, and dog "caregiver."
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