For comp engineering student worth it to get the T?

x230 vs x230t

Seems like the price difference is about $200 not that much

But it doesnt weight a bit more...

Besides weight and price

1) reason as a student to get the x230t instead of the x230?
2) reason as a student to get the x230 instead of the x230t?

Also i guess te 230 has an IPS display the 230t does not. Not sure how big of a deal that is... at least for me

 

Do you have a need for tablet PC functionality?

No? Then don't get the X230t.

Are you unsure if you need tablet functionality? You probably don't.

 

i dont, but it may be nice to take it to class, and write notes on it.

 

I agree, if you don't need the tablet functionality, don't get the tablet. The standard x230 is just an overall nicer laptop.

It's also the vanilla x230 that doesn't have the IPS screen as a standard feature. All tablets have the IPS screen stock.

 

I would say get the tablet. Those who don't are going to regret not having touch when Win8 launches. No reason not to.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

There is a BIG size and weight difference between the two, among other issues. Think long and hard about whether you will really benefit from pen input. The touch input is relatively useless imo, it's just too big and heavy, not like using an iPad.

The picture below is a X220 w/ 9-cell on top of a X220 Tablet w/ 6-cell. Imagine the X220 with only a 6-cell and nothing sticking out the back and size difference becomes even more ridiculous.

I had an X200 and X201 Tablet last year and ultimately didn't keep them. Apart from size, the hinge doesn't wear as well. It develops much more play in both axes over time compared to Thinkpad notebook hinges in which it's a negligible issue. The other thing is that a portion of your palms are inevitably off the edge of the palmrest in X-series. Whereas this isn't an issue in the notebooks because it's rounded, the sharp edge in tablets becomes uncomfortable.

For light note taking it will work well. The X220/X230T digitizer accuracy is very good. However in terms of practicality, for the amount of notes you take as a college student nothing beats pen and paper and flipping through pages. The other aspect is that with the narrowing aspect ratios it's become less useful, compare the screen to a standard size paper notebook. I say all this as an engineering student.

In the past getting an X tablet was the only way to get an IPS screen. Now the notebook can be spec'd with it for just $50.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

I wouldn't say the convertible feature is useless, but I wouldn't expect to use it as an efficient note-taking tool for most college purposes. Unless you're very quick with LaTeX, pen and paper is probably still the best way to take notes in mathematics, and a regular laptop would function just fine for CS notes.

Screen-wise, the two are identical if you opt for the IPS screen in the X230.

Do note that the X230t is bulkier and heavier than the X230, and that the X230t tops out at a 6-cell battery, while the X230 can be equipped with a 9-cell battery.

 

Lol, my picture. As mentioned, do note that is with a 9-Cell x220 and a 6-Cell x220t. When both units are equipped with 6-Cells, the difference is even more drastic.

 

It's a pretty shocking picture. Can't imagine the size difference for what are supposed to be essentially the same product until you see it.

 

Just get an X230t with a 3-cell battery and add a 6-cell at checkout for like $81. I'm using mine now with the 3-cell and it's very light and portable. I actually carry it in my bag with my T400 (9-cell boat anchor). Can hardly tell it's there.

But then again if you want to save a few ounces and forego the touch feature, X230-it all the way. I've used Win8 on my T520 and I consider a touch option essential. That's just me though.

 

The only reason i was considering the tablet was to take notes, but i heard alot of people have trouble with it... But it doesnt look like you guys are using it for that

 

I use it as a notepad at my desk, but writing on the tablet is too slow to take notes. I usually ended up typing when I needed to take notes in class.

 

Am I the only one that has had nothing but good things to say about transitioning to all my note-taking on an X220 Tablet? I am a math grad student, so you might be able to guess at all the crazy lectures with crazy notation I've had to take notes on, and I've done so flawlessly since January of this year. It beats all the papers and 3-ring binders I'd fill up with course notes and just straight up study notes. Working out problems has lead me to getting dozens of scratch paper that I simply can never refer to because of how scattered and messy they are.

With OneNote everything is where I need it, ready to be converted to pdf if necessary, and since I carry my X220T with me at all times, all of my (now digital) 3-ring binders and text books come with me. It's ridiculously awesome. Here is an example of a typical quarter's notes for me:

Winter 2012 Full

Winter 2012 Pages

Note how small the scroll bar looks. EVERY tab in the right side is filled with notes like that. I don't think I can ever go back to pen and paper.

 

funny how you all buy expensive laptops to take notes on, LOL.

 

I've always preferred pen and paper for my math notes. It allows for a lot finer resolution than a digitizer.

It's either that, or I can try to learn to transcribe LaTeX in real-time.

 

Notes aren't the ONLY thing a tablet pc are good for, nor is that the only reason I'd invest so much into one. They are fully-powered laptops (this gen), but with the added benefit of being able to write on the screen. Tablet pc's are more for versatility IMO.

I was already carrying an X201 around all day every day, but with the added bonus of having to carry a couple of textbooks and a binder or two (notes + homework + scratch paper...oh god the scratch paper) for each course I was enrolled in. With the tablet, I've eliminated the books and folders part of all this. The problem is that I'd never know when a certain set of notes or book would come in handy so I'd either be stranded without the right notes or I'd have a bunch of extra stuff I didn't need with me all the time.

If you know how to use it, and have a real use for it, a tablet pc can be really helpful.

 

how fast are you writing those notes? do you have to be really carful with it?

 

Very fast, but not insanely fast (albeit sloppy) like I'm able to get away with on pen and paper. There's no need to be all that careful, either, but it does take a little getting used to inking on a tablet. After that initial adjustment period it feels totally natural.

 

Is that actually your handwriting or does OneNote smooth it out for you? Personally, I want to wait for touchscreen technology in tablets to get really good in terms of multi-touch inputs up to 10 fingers along with palm rejection when using a stylus. Until then, I'll stick with a keyboard and mouse. I personally don't like Windows 8 for a standard keyboard-mouse setup but can see its usefulness for tablets. What I do like is that it will drive innovation in the touch-panel markets for PCs and stylus technology.

 

OneNote doesn't smooth it out. It is my handwriting, which is pretty ugly. That is of course no fault of the hardware. The Wacom pen technology has been good for a few years now, with really good accuracy, despite some ridiculous edge firmware issues that used to plague the X220T. Inking lag was present on my X60T even with an SSD due to Windows 7, the integrated GPU, and the processor (probably due to my undervolting?), but with X200T --probably even X61T-- and higher up models, this has not been an issue at all.

I will admit that I can't ink at all when touch is activated; palm rejection does work but I tend to lift my hand too much while writing, thereby activating touch inputs with it annoyingly often. When I'm not inking, touch is a boon to navigation, and Windows 8 should make touch inputs that much more viable.

 

I believe that's his handwriting. OneNote doesn't really change your handwriting, as far as my admittedly-limited experience with an X201t went.

The Thinkpad X-series tablets with multitouch disable the touch layer when using the pen digitizer (when the pen is within a certain distance of the screen), so I don't think palm rejection is an issue.

 

I've found my palm still activates touch when I lift up my pen for a second (on my X230t). I just disable finger touch when I go to take lengthy notes, then turn it back on later. No big deal.

 

you have the multitouch one i guess? is the exterior one better than the multitouch?for note taking at least

 

I do have the multitouch. I wouldn't say the outdoor model isn't better at all because once you turn off the finger touch on the multitouch model, it's the same thing. With the outdoor model, you can never use your finger, so that's not good (for Win8 at least).

I like to have options.

 

The outdoor screens on the X220/X230 tablets are not nearly as good as they were for the X200 and X201 tablets. Gorilla glass is probably the main benefit you will get, and of course better viewability outdoors, but others can attest to feeling worse off choosing the outdoor over the multitouch.