About to order ... X200T users please look !

Hi,

My name is Chris. I live in Europe and fully loaded laptops are very expensive and hard to get here. You pay a lot more than in North America.

The thing is that I would like to order fully loaded X200T. But I cant decide on few things. I hope you will help me


1) The Display.

WideView SuperBright LED vs WideView MultiTouch + MultiView

** Some: 12.1″ (308mm) WXGA (1280×800) TFT color, anti-glare, LED backlight, 285 nits, 16:10 aspect ratio, 500:1 contrast ratio, IPS, frameless screen

** Touch: 12.1″ (308mm) WXGA (1280×800) TFT color, anti-glare, LED backlight, 230 nits, 16:10 aspect ratio, 500:1 contrast ratio, IPS, MultiView (indoor/outdoor), MultiTouch (touchscreen via finger and pen)

Im not sure if I would use touch a lot. It isnt capacitive touch like iPhone so it wouldnt be a big deal for me to dont have it. Sadly on x200t there is no nav dial to scroll pages down... but I would use finger instead of a pen if I would be that lazy to dont take it out ?

Now tech aspects...

MultiView ? I have no idea what does it ...

The diffrence is 285nits vs 230nits ... are 55 nits a big deal ? Im not sure. This is pretty hard decision to make. I would use this tablet a lot outisde like at school or in bus. The ratio for usage would be like 80% outdoor and 20% indoors at home.

I dont really care if it is frameless or it isnt.

I dont know any other tech aspects about this ... if you have any please let me know !

2) Operating System

Im old XP user/fan. My only experience with Vista is a Basic one preloaded factory on a low spec laptop. Now Im going to order pretty high performance laptop so I hope it would go fine. Im ordering 4GB of RAM so I need OS with 64bit version. I see that Lenovo offers Vista Business 64bit so that would be it. But there is Vista Ultimate so maybe its worth extra 70USD ? They dont give description if its 32bit or 64bit.

3) Buy By Lenovo or by Reseller ?

I would like this notebook to be sent to a good friend of mine in Canada.

I see that shopping with Lenovo would be pretty expensive. I read some horror storries about long waiting for laptop to arrive from them. I also see that they dont accept NON-US credit cards ... thats bad. But what other payment methods they offer ? I see paypal but when I logon to my paypal acc they say it needs funds from my credit card ...

On ebay I saw two resellers. Both have almost top spec models but some of them appear to dont have Intel WiMAX/WiFi Link 5350 or Vista Business 64bit.
Prices are very nice about 2400USD incl Ultrabay with dvd/rw drive.


I hope you have understood some of my crappy english skills

Thanks for help !

 

I'm usually the kind of guy that buys directly from the source, but if the reseller it offers a warranty (new) and it's basically the same then it's also good to know. Don't buy it just yet, wait for other people's opinions.

 

Thanks for your reply.

Of course Im talking about getting brand new notebook. Funny thing is that resellers offer 3 year warranty and Lenovo offers standard 1 year. I think this is shame on them because company makes thinkpads should have at least 2 years as a base warranty.

 

Make sure you get a machine with IWS and it's valid where you're at. Otherwise you'll be without any warranty. A machine either has it or it doesn't. You cannot add it later. The CTO machine purchased directly from Lenovo do not have IWS. In the sticky you check the tabook to see which machines have it and the IWS look up link to see if it's valid where you're at.

 

You should probably go with the Multiview high-nit screen, since most of your usage is outdoors. Multiview means wide viewing angles, and both screens look very good, from fairly large viewing angles. In fact, my Multitouch is plenty bright enough for outdoor use, for me. Lenovo Multitouch is not like 'true' multitouch screens, with multiple-point gestures. It is also not as responsive, as you have indicated. It is useful for basic navigation and starting programs, and I do use it for that. It is quick and easy, and you don't have to get the pen out. But overall, probably not worth it, especially if you need the brighter screen.

 

Multiview is with the touch one.

I think you meant Super bright one (285nits)

But both are Wideview !

 

You are absolutely correct. Evidently, Multiview means:
"12-inch MultiView indoor/outdoor, anti-reflective/anti-glare display, dramatically helps increase viewability in multiple environments."

So, it also claims to have viewability outdoors, not because of higher nit, but because of the screen coating. Like I said, it works fine for me outdoors. I guess you will have to decide if you want a brighter screen, or a touchscreen with a coating that helps when you are outdoors....

Another issue, you might want to consider - apparently the CCFL backlit models are Hydis AFFS panels, whereas the LED backlit screens are Samsung PVA panels.

 

The PVA issue is still unconfirmed. I have the 285 nit LED frameless display and it is fantastic (great angles, superb contrast, very bright, energy efficient, minimal grain), so I would recommend that one if touch isn't a concern.

It is unfortunate that the x200T doesn't have a Nav dial. However, you can reprogram the other buttons to give you a similar effect (I re-program the lock and tablet shortcut menu for PgUp and PgDn).

One possible issue with the touch screen. This is really a dual mode digitizer. There is a resitive input available as a default, and it is automatically disabled (and an active digitizer enabled) when the pen is detected (about 0.5"). The frameless models are Active digitizers only.

Multi-View is supposed to imply a special coating for outdoor usage. I'm not sure how much this improves usability (i.e. is it better than an extra 55 nits), but my 285nit LED model works fine outdoors.

I would recommend Vista Business 64-bit. Ultimate is a waste of money in my opinion. The only reason to go for ultimate is if you really want Windows Media Center, Bitlocker drive encryption, or the ability to switch to a non-English language for the OS (Ultimate includes dozens of language packs). Also, if 64-bit is not explicitly stated, you should assume that Ultimate is only offered as 32-bit.

Buying from a reseller is fine if you can find a configuration that is reasonably close to what you want. In addition to eBay you should also check ProVantage, CDW, and other resellers. The best method is to look up the part number in the tabook, and search by the appropriate model. The 7449-EKU is a good model if you are looking for a "loaded" configuration (SL9400, LED Touch, WWAN, 8 cell, 4GB, Vista Bus 64, Webcam, Bluetooth, Fingerprint, Turbo memory, 160GB 7200RPM, Ultabase, DVD+RW, Wi-Fi 5100).

 

Thanks for your reply guys !

I see that jonlumpkin has a super bright screen and bsodder has screen with multitouch.

At lenovo website they say:

Code:

The MultiView/MultiTouch screen lets you take handwritten notes with the digitizer pen, or use your finger or the pen to interact with the notebook, open applications, etc.

For those whose work is conducted anywhere and everywhere, our new X200 tablets feature display options like MultiView SuperBright LED backlit panels for improved outdoor viewing.

I cant find any info, description about Multiview on their site. I aggree with you about extra coating for viewability but cant find Lenvo's description, their commercial talk

I think I will pass on multitouch but before I decide I would like to ask you guys how about viewing outdoors with a direct sunlight on screen ?

Hydis or Samsung ? Well Im going for a LED backlight screen so I guess the manofacturer is one ?

Is there diffrence between those companies about quality of screens ?


Thanks for your input guys !!!

 

I have used mine outdoors with direct sunlight on the screen. It certainly remains usable, but you do lose some contrast. As a result, it is perfectly fine for doing text based work or inking. However, playback of video (particularly video with lots of blacks) is not ideal in direct sunlight due to the reduced contrast. I'm not sure if the touchscreen is any better in this regard.

There have recently been some questions as to the manufacturer of the LED displays on the x200 Tablet. The CCFL variant is almost certainly a Hydis FFS display. However, some people have reached the conclusion (albeit on very limited information) that the LED displays are Samsung S-PVA displays. I still believe that the LED screen is a Hydis AFFS+, but official confirmation has not yet become available.

All I know for sure is that the 285nit LED display is of extremely high quality. Viewing angles are great, contrast (when not in direct sunlight) is superb, black level is very good, grain is minimal, whites seem very natural, and the color temperature seems very balanced (not near as cool [blue] as most laptop displays).

 

@jonlumpkin:

Here is my thread on X200T panel identification at the Lenovo forums. In it, there is a member, jwinn9154, who has this panel--the same one you and I do--and needed it replaced. He can confirm, after Lenovo twice sent the wrong panel via onsite service, that the panel we have is made by Samsung.

For reference, here is the information reported on that panel by available software that does such things, and it matches what you've posted:

Manufacturer: LTN121AP03001
Product ID: LEN4011
Manufacture: Week 45 of 2008
Video Input Type : Digital in 0.7/0.3v
Max. Horiz./Vert. Size : 26 cm / 16 cm
Monitor Size : 12 inches (estimated)
Aspect Ratio : 16:10
Gamma Factor : 2.2
DPMS Active-Off : Yes
DPMS Suspend : Yes
DPMS Standby : Yes
EDID version : 1.3

I'm disappointed this isn't a Hydis panel, but it's very nice nonetheless.

Cheers,
~tdr.

 

The Samsung LED screen has now been confirmed by a service disassembly:

http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board/message?board.id=X_Series_Tablet_ThinkPads&message.id=4642&jump=true#M4642

There was actually little doubt based on the part number. And no, I don't think it matters. Samsung has made some terrible screens in the past, and they have made some great screens. They are a huge company, and offer panels at every price point in most sizes/ resolution. It is up to the manufacturer to decide how much they want to pay and what quality of screen they get. The Samsung PVA LED screen is very good, as is the Hydis AFFS.

 

It is such a pity though. I used to own a T2010 with BOE-Hydis HV121WX6 screen, and I loved the screen to death. The white color was much better than it is on my X200T. Here's to hoping Lenovo go back to BOE-Hydis. I'm contemplating replacing the screen on my X200t with the BOE-Hydis HV121WX6 panel.

 

Are there reliable sources for this panel? What about pinouts, BIOS issues, and the like? I love Hydis panels as much as anyone and would perform this modification to my tablet, but I'm skeptical that what's in place in the X200T is point-for-point compatible with this Hydis panel.

Cheers,
~tdr.

 

@zephir what display you got on your x200t ?


I have question about WWAN:

If I select Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable will I have WWAN modem built inside or not ?


System expansion slots:
3-1 Media Card Reader without Modem
5-1 Media Card Reader and Modem

What do they do ? Whats the diffrence ? What kind of modem ? :O


Whats the best way to go with HDD ?

I saw on X200s (as I remember) they offer High Performance Intel SSD. I think it would be better go than 64 or 128 SSD Samsung. I also read somewhere that Samsung series what are offered curently are slow or something ...

Thanks for help !

 

If it's "WWAN Upgradeable" that means you will have the antennas but NOT the modem. You can add the Ericsson F3507g or another compatible modem at a later date (if you think you want WWAN, it tends to be cheaper to get the modem upfront).

The 3-1 reader supports MMC, SD, and SDHC. It does NOT include a legacy 56k modem (dial-up).

The 5-1 reader supports MMC, SD, SDHC, Memory Stick, and MS Pro. It DOES include a legacy 56k modem. You should choose this option if you have any Sony devices (Camera, PSP, etc.) or you want to have a dial up modem as backup. Aside from the potential for a slightly hihger cost and a few grams of weight there is no downside.


It is often best to get your hard drive upgrades aftermarket. It is usually cheaper (at least in the U.S.) and it's the only way to get exactly what you want. I would recommend an SSD if you can afford it and make do with the reduced capacity. The lack of moving parts is a big gain for a tablet style device and you also substantially improve energy efficiency, heat/noise management, and system performance. See my SSD effects link in my sig.


The Intel drive is an 80GB MLC drive with a very aggressive controller. It is either the x-25m or x-18m (same drive, just different physical size). It performs very well, but there have been some concerns about internal fragmentation due to write combining long term ( read this).

Lenovo is currently selling Samsung MLC SSDs. These are comparable, albeit marginally slower than the SLC drives they used to sell. I have the 64 GB SLC drive in my x200 Tablet. You can get the 1.8" drive for a good price off Newegg ( they appear to have deactivated the listing ), and you will also need FRU 42W8019 to convert the drive to a 2.5" form factor (see the pics n my SSD thread).

 

Sorry to bump the thread here guys but I was just wondering if the older Multi-Touch screens were Capacitive or Resisitive. I just bought a unit of eBay which advertises as the Multi-Touch unit but noticed the warranty expires on Aug 31 2010 which leads me to believe I have the older Multi-Touch unit. Is there any way I could send this unit back and get the new 2 finger input with the capacitive screen. I would've PMed some members about my question but Im limited till I hit 25 posts.

 

The old screen is a dual mode Wacom resistive digitizer. The pen input is active and the finger input is single point resistive.

The new screen is a dual mode Wacom capacitive digitizer w/ two finger support.

You'll have to figure out the return/exchange on your own.

 

First of all, sorry to revive an old thread but my question is important.

Can that be done? If so, please let us know if you've done this!