Question:
So the guy in Comp USA got me thinking...
I need to get a new notebook for my sophomore year of college at Notre Dame next year. Last year I purchased a $375 HP at WalMart on black friday to "get me through" the year. That's exactly what it did, and now I have a 7 lb monster with a flickering screen. Lately I have been thinking of getting a convertible because I think the tablet function would be useful, especially in classes where diagrams and graphs are commonly a part of lectures. However last night after talking to a csr at comp usa I am beginning to second guess myself. Aside from pushing macs, he basically said that tablets are not worth the monye, i won't use it like i think i will, and they break easier. I was almost completely sold on the new lenovo x61t until this. Help me out! What should I get?
1) What is your budget?
Well I almost bought a Lenovo x61t configured at around $1800, so I guess I would say that is my limit.
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less... Really looking for something under 4 lbs.
3) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in.
USA
4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
My lappy now is an HP and its toast, so no HP.
5) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Microsoft Office programs, internet, music and movies, no gaming.
6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
I will have it WHEREVER I go.
7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
No.
8) How many hours of battery life do you need?
At least 3 hours, the more the merrier. This is important to me.
9) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Not really, I know there's no way to see the x61t.
10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
XP or Vista I guess, I have heard terrible things about Vista so far though.
Screen Specifics
11) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
I've never had a widescreen anything so I don't think I'd feel like I was missing anything without it.
12) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Doesn't really matter I guess, Most of what I will be doing will be text based, reading and word processing so I guess that would be important.
Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Doesn't matter.
Build Quality and Design
14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
No.
15) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
If I could get 4 years out of it i'd be happy.
Notebook Components
16) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 200GB?
Does not matter, 40 gigs is fine.
17) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Nope, don't need one.
Thanks a lot guys!
Answer:
Re: So the guy in Comp USA got me thinking...
I wouldn't let some CSR at CompUSA dissuade you..... for note-taking, the X61t can be very nice, especially since you could jot down diagrams, etc.
I think you are on the right track looking at the X61t; should be a very nice machine.
EDIT: by any chance, do you have a MicroCenter near you?
http://www.microcenter.com/at_the_stores/index.html
The one near me has an X60t tablet out on display (and not locked down like they do at CompUSA, BestBuy, etc.).
Answer:
Re: So the guy in Comp USA got me thinking...
are your parents livin in wisconsin? the x61t is supposed to be good just fyi
Answer:
Re: So the guy in Comp USA got me thinking...
are your parents livin in wisconsin?
wisconsin?
and no, no micro center near me :(
Answer:
Re: So the guy in Comp USA got me thinking...
The rep has a good point. The screen will either be totally useful or you'll regret it, it's useful, yes, but will it actually see real time usage? Once or twice a week? Not worth it.
However, it's your choice though, I must say it has the potential to be useful to most people(and it does, especially for engineers, architecture, etc.) but it could be useless to others.
If you are looking at tablets, the HP tx1000 or ASUS R1f are options. Check NBR's sister Tablet site for more info.
Answer:
Re: So the guy in Comp USA got me thinking...
If I was going to consider a tablet for full tablet use, I don't think I'd look at the tx1000. It is nice for what it is, but it only has a passive pen, so it is like writing on a PDA........... you have to press down on the screen to even get it to register a stroke, and it seems to be pretty finicky about not completing lines, etc.
After using the tx1020 (the digitizer version) and an x60t side by side, I don't think I could consider anything without an active digitizer. The x60t actually detects pressure sensitivity, when you flip the pen over it recognizes it as an eraser, etc. Just much more pleasant to actually use to write on the screen.
The R1F does look nice, but I haven't been able to use it myself.