Well, Epinions lack of new categories strikes again. This is a review of the IBM ThinkPad X20, but I'm placing it in the T20 category since there is no X20 category. If you notice that one has been created please drop me an e-mail and I'll move this opinion to the correct location. Thanks!

I received an IBM ThinkPad X20 laptop just before Christmas. It's a loaner from work so I didn't have to pay for it. Of course, I'm expected to do work from home now, but that's another story.

In this opinion I'll describe the pros and cons of the laptop from my end-user perspective. There won't be a lot of technical specs here, and keep in mind that some of the accessories I mention need to be bought separately.

BASIC CONFIGURATION

My X20 has a Pentium III 600 Mhz processor, 20 GB of hard drive space, and a 12.1" screen. Windows 2000 Professional is installed as the operating system. In addition to the basic laptop, I've added a docking station to provide a parallel port (for printers, scanners and CD burners), a floppy drive, and a place to plug in a proper mouse and keyboard. My employer also installed an ethernet card, and a PCMCIA Cisco System wireless LAN card. I use the ethernet to connect to my Internet service when I'm at home, and the wireless to surf the web when I'm in boring meetings at work.

SIZE

Without exception, the very first thing that everyone notices about this laptop is it's incredibly small size. The surface of the laptop is about the size of a typical 8 1/2 x 11" sheet of paper, and only 1" thick. This machine is so small, in fact, that many people don't even realize when I have it in the docking station and assume that the docking station is part of the laptop. Once, I grabbed the whole thing, docking station and all, and walked off to meeting without even realizing until later. I don't know how much the X20 weighs, but it is very light and can easily be tucked under your arm.

SPEED

This machine flies, compared to my Pentium II workstation and the old Pentium 166 clunker I had at home. I can open multiple applications and flip between them without delay. My Internet connection is much faster and more stable than it was on my old computer. The only complaint I have about this machine (speed-wise) is the amount time it takes to start up. I'd estimate the average start up time at about 2 to 3 full minutes. After I logon it requires another full minute or so until I can start launching applications. This is a minor annoyance, however, and I understand that this is a common problem with many laptops versus desktops.

CURSOR CONTROL

The X20 has a small red "push-stick" in the center of the keyboard that is used much like a joystick to move the cursor around the screen. The stick takes some getting used to at first, but after a few days of steady use I was able to confidently navigate around. I still do occasionally click on the wrong things when I'm in a hurry, but the control is adequate for most uses. Most importantly it doesn't take up a lot of space, and I prefer it to the finger pad style controls on other laptops I've used.

THE KEYBOARD

The keyboard is small, compact, and well laid out. Luckily, I have small fingers so I don't find it that different from typing on a full size desktop keyboard. However, I don't think I'll ever be able to type as fast on my X20 as elsewhere, and because the keys are small and sensitive I do occasionally hit a wrong button while stretching for the numbers or function keys.

Along the top of the keyboard are four "special" buttons. The first is a "Thinkpad" button that is supposed to pop up a menu of Thinkpad-specific options. I never use this button, and it doesn't seem to do anything when I press it. I suspect this might due to the configuration of my operating system (and the fact that I only skimmed my X20 user's manual!) The three other buttons along the top of the keyboard are used to decrease, increase or mute the sound volume.

SOUND

The sound that comes out of the built-in Thinkpad speakers is acceptable for bleeps and bloops, but you won't be using them to host any dance parties with your MP3 collection. Thankfully, the Thinkpad has a line-out jack for audio, and when I connect the audio through to my portable Sanyo stereo the sound is quite good. To my untrained ear the MP3s I play on my laptop through my stereo sound just as good as CDs I play on the stereo itself. Excellent.

DISPLAY QUALITY

The display quality on my X20 is crisp and clean. As long as I take a moment to place the screen at a correct angle to my line of sight the colours and details are excellent. In general, I find laptop displays to be easier on my eyes than conventional monitors--the images seem more stable and less flickery. However, the screen is only about 12 inches in size, so I find myself scrolling frequently when reading large documents or web pages.

BATTERY LIFE

Battery life is an important topic, especially when you are using your laptop for meetings, or on an airplane. When the battery is fully charged my X20 will last through about 3 full hours of moderate use before it dies. If desired, you can configure the machine to conserve energy by dimming the screen when running from batteries. You can also configure the machine to go into "standby" mode after a certain period of time with no activity has passed. In standby mode the machine appears to be off, but recovers quickly to it's original state when you tap the power button. My only complaint with this feature is that I usually lose my network connection (wireless or ethernet) when the machine goes into standby mode, and I may be required to reboot. I've occasionally received the dreaded "blue screen of death" when I try to reconnect to the Internet after coming out of standby mode. Not too friendly.

One further note on battery life: as the machine ages, the battery life will reduce. Some of my co-workers have trouble surviving 30 minutes on a fully charge battery. I assume that this is a simple fact of laptop life, and they simply need to invest in a new battery.

SECURITY ISSUES

Laptops are a hot commodity on the black market, especially little ThinkPads like this one. To deter thieves the X20 has a security slot on the body of the laptop and the docking station that allows you to lock it to a desk or bolt with a security cable. The cable unlocks with a key or combination, depending on the type. In order to remove the cable without a key a thief would have to practically destroy the body of the laptop--not too inviting to a pawn shop. Fortunately, if the machine is stolen or lost, the contents of the hard drive can be protected with either a power-on password, a hard drive password, or both. This is a good idea if the machine contains confidential work-related information.

CONCLUSION

I love this laptop! It's tiny size, powerful processor, and large hard drive won me over right away. The only complaints I have about it are minor, and they are probably more a criticism of laptops in general than the X20. This machine is quite expensive, but if you have the money then it's an excellent investment.

Note: Prices are very approximate, since I didn't pay for mine and I'm not sure about the Canadian to US dollar price conversion.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): $3000-$3600
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 601-700
RAM: 128