Expensive, but excellent
Written: Dec 22 '00 (Updated Dec 23 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent build quality, lightweight, everything works out of the box
Cons: Light on application software, expensive
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| anoop's Full Review: Lenovo ThinkPad T20 (264746U) PC Notebook |
OK, I think this is going to be long review, so brace yourself.
I have been researching computers for 2 years now, and have never bought one because I've always had a laptop from work decided it would be too much of a hassle to maintain two machines, not to mention the fact that they become worthless in about 2 to 3 years with advances in technology. I do have a laptop even from my present employer, but nevertheless, I chose to buy one now because I thought I needed a machine to start storing personal data like pictures from my digital camera and other stuff.
Even though this is my first computer, I've used several different laptops over the years that were given to me by my employers. I've used several models of Thinkpads a couple of years ago (forgotten their model numbers), then a Toshiba Tecra, an NEC Versa LX, and presently have a Thinkpad 600x.
When choosing a computer I decided I needed a great screen (1024x768 TFT), portability, good build quality, a good warranty, at least a 10G hard disk, at least 128 MB RAM, and something with which to do backups. I really wanted a CD-RW drive, but I found that it wasn't available with most laptops running Windows 2000... I wanted Windows 2000 because of its stability. So, I decided not to worry about backups for the short term, but I hope to get a PCMCIA microdrive sometime in the future; they are available in sizes up 1 GB so I think that should work.
I liked the T20 because it seemed to offer the best of all worlds. A close contender would have been the Sonys, but they lost out on weight and the tiny 1 year warranty that they offer. I didn't like the Dell's because they're heavy and they lack the aesthetics of the IBMs and the Sonys. I fantasized about the ultralights (like the Sony Z505 series, not Marlboros :-)), but decided that the screen is too small... I didn't want to be squinting all the time. I thought about desktops and the value they offer, but decided to go for a laptop so that I can take it with me on a trip if I so choose. Because laptops are somewhat more prone to problems that are very expensive to fix (such as an issue with the screen, or keyboard), it makes sense to get a long enough warranty that covers you through the expected "useful" life of the machine. The T20 comes with a 3 year warranty. I figure in 3 years technology will have moved ahead so much, that I'll probably need a newer machine anyway. So the 3 year warranty offers an adequate peace of mind.
I've owned my T20 for about 4 weeks now. It took about 2 weeks to arrive from the time I ordered it. The T20 weighs in at 5 lbs, comes with a splendid 1024x768 pixel TFT 14.1" screen, and an excellent build quality of keyboard and chassis. I got a 128 MB memory upgrade (to 256 MB total), and added in the Mini PCI Ethernet/Modem combo card. The machine was easy to use right out of the box. When you power up, it guides you through a setup which should be easy to follow if you're familiar with Windows... I didn't consult any of the documentation so I'm not able to comment on how good it is. I loaded my DSL software on it, and was on the net almost instantly.
One of the things that struck me as odd was that there were virtually no preloaded applications or tools. No tools to zip/unzip files, and even the Lotus SmartSuite that is advertised with the computer was not preloaded, nor were the CDs available. I called IBM and they told me I had to request the CD by phone, and they would ship it for free... but it has to be requested by calling a number that is on one of the sheets of paper that comes with the laptop. I did actually receive the Lotus SmartSuite CD and have installed it and it works great. For the price of this machine, a Dell or a Sony would have had lots more software on it, but I think it's OK to pay a premium for a machine of this quality. It did come with Microsoft Outlook Express.
I liked the way the system had been formatted into one big "C:\" drive. I installed and uninstalled a lot of freeware, because of which I started encountering some weird errors on bootup. So I decided to reinitialize (restore) the machine to out-of-the-box state. They have a bootable CD-ROM for that which worked out great! I was very impressed and pleasantly surprised with how painless the process was. I was expecting to go through hell.
The trackpoint mouse is extremely crisp and accurate, and while I feel that touchpad mouses create less stress in the fingers (the NEC had that), I like the precise control that the trackpoint gives. There's no accidental click and select that used to happen to me with the touchpad. I also like the nifty "ThinkLight" that illuminates the keyboard when turned on for easier typing in darkness. The keyboard is beautiful... it makes me feel like a better typist than I really am !! The "Thinkpad" button just above the keyboard brings up useful tips and help menus, another really cool feature.
One thing that I haven't been able to figure out yet is why I can't connect to my Pacbell DSL if I put the machine into hibernate mode and then wake it up. I need to research the issue a little more, although most of the time, I just shut the machine down, or leave it running with the power cord (the screen and harddisk will go to sleep after a certain period of inactivity). [12/23/00 After researching the issue, I found that it was a problem with the DSL software that Pacbell had provided. Upgrading the software fixes the problem].
Just be prepared to spend your own money for application software because as I mentioned earlier, it comes with virtually none. The only think that I've bought so far is Norton Antivirus, but I haven't had the time to install it. I've loaded some freeware such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, emacs, an SSH client, etc.
I remember calling IBM tech support just once... I can't remember what the issue was, but I was on hold for more than half an hour. So, if you're planning to use tech support, take a few lessons in patience before you pick up that phone! Plus they weren't all that helpful, and I ended up getting the issue resolved on my own. However, from what I've read about customer support for most other brands (Sony, Dell, etc.), the customer support with them isn't anything to write home about either.
All in all, I've really enjoyed the T20 thus far and would wholeheartedly recommend this machine to anybody looking for a performance portable without compromise.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
anoop
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Location: Rocklin, CA
Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 1 member
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