The Best I Found
Written: Jul 04 '05 (Updated Jul 04 '05)
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Pros: Great Battery life, Keyboard, built like a tank, very light
Cons: no firewire port
The Bottom Line: A Light, Stealth Workhorse. I love this machine!
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| theauthorguy's Full Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X40 (2382ECU) PC Notebook |
I travel a lot, with lots of long flights. This is my fourth ultra-light machine, and so far, I'd say that it's the best I've used.(I write books for a living, if you're wondering the type of work I do on the machine.)
In short, it's very light, has a good screen, a fantastic keyboard, and adequate power to get work done (I added a 1GB SO-Dimm of ram out of the box, so I don't know how this thing performs with 256MB.)The case is very sturdy and doesn't flex even when picked up by the corner when open (this can be an issue with thin and lights). The wi-fi works better than any I've had on Acers, E-machines, Compaqs, or Gateways.)The battery life is stellar, even with Wi-fi and the keyboard light on. (It has a keyboard light! Perfect for working on a dark airplane or if your spouse is napping near by.)
I have been using an Acer Travelmate Tablet for two years, and while the electronics worked without a hitch, every time I took a trip a new piece of the case would snap off. You have to think about how your ultra-light holds up under stress, now that you'll be taking it out of the case at every airport security check, and often you'll be stuffing it back in while trying to collect your shoes, keys, and coins so you can get off the table. The magnesium case of the X40 can take a hit, where as plastic cases tend to crack, especially around the PC slot. I was torn between this machine or the Toshiba R-200, which has better performance numbers and looks sexier, but I chose the IBM because I'd read that the Toshiba had "flex" in the case.
As for battery life, you really can get 5-6 hours on the 8 cell li-ion included. I bought the extended life battery from another vendor and now I have 8.5 hours of uninterrupted portable power.
Some things you might want to know because people don't often mention them: it doesn't get hot. You can use it on your lap without sweating or burning your leg. Also, although it says that there's a fan, I've never heard it come on. (My Gateway Ultra-light was a great machine, but it sounded like a jet taking off when the fan came on.)The X40 is totally stealth.
The screen is big enough to get some work done -- I had a 10.5 inch screen before this, and honestly, after about a half an hour it was really hard to work on. The IBM isn't as bright as some other manufacturers, but it's plenty good for working and watching video. (I watch TIVO To Go programs and ripped DVD movies on the X40 with no problems.
This is not a gaming machine, nor will you want to edit a lot of video. With enough memory it runs Photoshop just fine, but I wouldn't want it as my main photo-editing machine. It's a workhorse: great for writing and e-mail. It does perform without any lag with three our four apps open, including a couple of massive text files.
This thing wakes up from Windows hibernation faster than any machine I've ever used (including my 3.2 GB desktop), like fifteen seconds. So you can be in complete "off" mode and be working quickly enough to take advantage of five or ten minutes down time.
You get used to the pointing device instantly, for those who are torn about it. It now has a scroll function, too. (Again, you won't want to use this for any type of gaming or photo retouching but for text and number based work, it rocks.)
I didn't get the ultra-base, so I use USB optical and hard drives that I already owned to load programs and back up.
Cases and sleeves made for the 12" Powerbook fit the X40, so you can find something that fits the way you want to carry it. I got a neoprene Powerbook sleeve from Mareware that's great for padding the X40, but doesn't take up much more room in my briefcase. (It is a little tight, but I suspect it will stretch out in a month or so. I've been using the X40 almost constantly since I got it, so it hasn't spent much time in the case.)
Finally, the X41 has better performance numbers and security features than the X40, but it's a bit heavier, has shorter battery life, and so far there's no extended- life battery for it, so I went with the x40 (which was also a few hundred dollars cheaper).
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1699
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 12 inches
RAM: More than 256
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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Epinions.com ID:
theauthorguy
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Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 1 member
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