Notebook Design That’s Just right
Andrew Fishkin at Low End Mac comes up with his criteria for choosing a notebook, or for manufacturers, how to design a notebook just right. His guide is kind of reminiscent of my own “perfect laptop” guide I came up with last April, but Andrew chose to focus on two things: the keyboard and the display.
Laptops are, after all, built for productivity while on the road. And one is at his peak when the keyboard feels just right, and the screen looks just right.
First and foremost for me is the keyboard. Think about it: You carry a laptop for a number of reasons, but unless you view and enter text, most of those reasons could handled with a cheaper and more convenient device. Be it watching movies or playing games, laptops, while adapted to such tasks, were not designed for them from the beginning.
Andrew includes examples of keyboard ranging from the cheap, to the good, to premium, to best, with the ones that use sturdy bases and scissor-spring mechanisms for guiding each key. IBM (now Lenovo) Thinkpads are great in this regard. higher-end Apple notebook keyboards are likewise great.
Next is the screen. It’s a choice between heft and portability. Choose a small screen, and your laptop will be portable at the expense of readability. Larger screens are for multimedia and graphics work–you have to sacrifice portability though, especially when you’re going 17-inches and higher.
In the end, a laptop is still a personal choice. It’s up to you, the end-user, how you intend to use the laptop, and whether the design of a particular brand and model fits your needs.
So the next time you go laptop shopping, do yourself a favor and focus on the keyboard and the screen. Look at the materials and assembly. You’ll not only be more productive, but get a lot more enjoyment from a laptop that satisfies your own subjective standards.
I agree that you should consider build quality and usability of the user interface (screen, pointing device, keyboard) as your primary considerations. After all, it’s your productivity we’re talking about!
Sony Aplogizes for Battery Problems
Sony has publicly apologized for the woes consumers and laptop manufacturers have experienced because of faulty Lithium-Ion batteries sourced from the company. Worries over battery packs over-heating and catching fire have led several laptop manufacturers including Dell, Apple, Lenovo and Fujitsu to conduct major recall and replacement programs for affected laptop batteries.
AP reports that Sony seems to have been reluctant to admit its faults. This is apparent with how the company executives acted during the press conference, in which they bowed lightly while seated. In contrast, it is a practice by executives of Japanese companies to bow deeply while standing up when they make public apologies.
In particular, Sony claims that the battery problem is not actually a safety issue, but it has grown to be a social one. The company stands by its earlier statement that the battery packs only overheat in rare cases, and when handled a certain way, and that they have launched the voluntary recall program to show their willingness to ensure the safety of laptop consumers.
Still, for avid laptop users like ourselves, any possibility of danger being caused by potentially flammable parts deserves attention by the manufacturers.
Meanwhile, Sony expects this issue to hurt the company’s bottomline, affecting the Japanese economy in general, too. Sony has offered other concessions, too, such as slashing prices of its upcoming PlayStation3 console in the Japanese market. Analysts predict, however, that Sony will be able to weather this storm and still come out to be a strong player in the portable power industry, especially because there are only a few competitors in that field.
Living With My ThinkPad: Part Two
A comment from David on the first post of the Living with my ThinkPad series mentioned that I should upgrade my RAM on my ThinkPad and that I could load OS X onto my machine.
I jumped around online looking for the specifications of the RAM I would need, and my first stop was Kingston.com which has a great RAM search tool. I selected IBM and then found my machine. It said that I have one slot open which I could put upwards of one 1024MB DDR2-533 Module per slot. The prices listed at Kingston.com for the one gigabyte stick were from PC Connection, Kingston Technology, and Buy.com with Buy.com having the lowest price at $159.93 USD. I live in Canada though, so that makes things a little different and a little more difficult.
Browsing over to the site where I buy a fair bit of my technology, NCIX.com, I found that they had a variety of RAM sticks that say DDR2-533. I needed to make sure I limited it to SODIMM, which is the shorter stick that laptops take and I found I still had many choices.
Corsair brand at $139.15 CDN, Mushkin for $150.65 CDN, and an OCZ branded one gigabyte stick for $141.31.
No matter how I looked at it, getting my machine a new one gigabyte stick was out of my price range. So maybe grabbing a half-gigabyte would be better for me at this point. I could get Corsair Value RAM for only $73.78.
Dealing with RAM is one of those decisions, especially for a laptop that you have to really research and think hard about, as some sticks won’t work in some laptops, and there are so many different brands, types and all the different speeds.
I have not placed my order yet, as I am not fully confident that I have the right stick of RAM for my ThinkPad, and rather than making a mistake, I am going to go with David’s advice and join the ThinkPad forum, and ask them what types of RAM they have had success with in their T43’s.
Living With My ThinkPad will hopefully be an ongoing series where I talk about my problems, and enjoyment in having my laptop, which happens to be an IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad T43 with a 1.7GHz processor, 512MB Ram, 40GB hard drive, and an ATI X300 video card.
Living With My ThinkPad: Part One
I disconnect my laptop from its adapter and put it in its IBM branded black leather bag. I am getting ready to go show a client the work I have done thus far on a website for them. My ThinkPad beeps as it goes into a standby mode. I put the bag over my shoulder, and get ready to go out.
Before I bought my Lenovo sold machine, I was all excited. The IBM name meant corporate, durability, and made me feel as though I was deserving of a little more respect than those that had gone with a lesser brand name machine. After I bought the laptop, I figured that I had made the best choice possible. There were rumors that Apple was going to release an Intel powered machine, but I assumed that it would be hardware locked to only running OS X, and while I loved the polish of Apple’s operating system, I was not ready to detach myself from the Windows world just yet.
Getting to my appointment, I opened up my laptop and slowly waited for it to come to life. I tapped the touchpad, waiting for it to spring to life any second, so I could show the work I had done. The laptop eventually rose from its slumber and showed me that I needed to log in. I swiped my finger on the fingerprint reader, and the machine went to the default Windows screen saver. My face cringed at my nearly two thousand dollar machine doing the oddest of things. I moved my finger along the touchpad, and the machine asked me again to log in. I swiped my finger again on the fingerprint reader, and it said that it could not recognize my finger. I sighed and tried again.
On receiving my laptop from Lenovo, I opened it like a child does knowing they are getting the exact present they wanted for Christmas, wrapping, and air filled bags flew left and right as I uncovered my black matte machine. I had wanted a laptop for a long while, and even more since I started blogging, but the excitement quickly died down as I realized it was just another laptop.
Sure there were some cool features, like the fingerprint reader, great Wi-Fi connectivity, and a light attached to the top of the screen, allowing me to illuminate the keyboard for work in the dark.
Getting the laptop working, I finally showed off what I had done on the website. My client seemed impressed by the work I had completed, but I only felt embarrassed by my laptop’s performance. I was having a bit of MacBook envy, as my half a gigabyte of RAM filled up, and my machine lagged. Thanks Microsoft for creating such a wonderful operating system.
I can’t say that I dislike my ThinkPad, but I wish it was a little more powerful, in both CPU abilities, and battery life. I don’t mind Windows, but I would love to be given the choice of using any or all operating systems currently on the market.
Living With My ThinkPad will hopefully be an ongoing series where I talk about my problems, and enjoyment in having my laptop, which happens to be an IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad T43 with a 1.7GHz processor, 512MB Ram, 40GB hard drive, and an ATI X300 video card.
Lenovo and Fujitsu Join Battery Recall Program
Lenovo, maker of ThinkPad branded laptops, and Fujitsu have joined the battery recall that has been making the rounds of tech news of late. The same problem has been cited–possible defects in the manufacturing of Lithium Ion cells made by Sony. While Fujitsu has not cited any problems affecting its laptops, it has decided to participate in Sony’s voluntary recall program.
Lenovo
Lenovo’s Battery Recall Program site cites the following models purchased between February 2005 and September 2006 as affected by the recall:
- ThinkPad R51e, R52, R60, R60e
- ThinkPad T43, T43p, T60, T60p
- ThinkPad X60, X60s
Also, users who purchased additional battery packs during the same period for the following laptops may be affected.
- ThinkPad R50, R50e, R50p, R51
- ThinkPad T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p
If you own a Lenovo or ThinkPad laptop, you should check your battery serial number, and if the starting characters matches any of these, you should confirm with your dealer or with Lenovo if you are eligible for a replacement:
ASM P/N | FRU P/N
92P1072 | 92P1073
92P1088 | 92P1089
92P1142 | 92P1141
92P1170 | 92P1169, 93P5028
92P1174 | 92P1173, 93P5030
Lenovo even provides a downloadable application that will automatically check your battery (direct link here). Alternatively, you can remove the battery itself and check the serial number against the ones listed above. You can then input your serial number into the form provided on the Lenovo battery recall page for instructions on how you can get a replacement.
If you are affected, Lenovo suggests using your laptop solely on AC/DC power until the time you receive your replacement.
Fujitsu
Meanwhile, Fujitsu advises users of the following laptop models to await further news of how to have their battery packs replaced.
Laptops sold in Japan
- FMV-BIBLO LOOX P70R, P70S
- FMV-BIBLO LOOX T50M, T50R, T50RN, T50S, T50SN
- FMV-BIBLO LOOX T70M, T70M/T, T70MN, T70R, T70R/T, T70RN, T70S, T70S/V, T70SN
- FMV-P8210
Laptops sold outside Japan
- LIFEBOOK P1510, P1510D, P7120, P7120D
- LIFEBOOK S7020, S7020D, S7025, S7025D
- LIFEBOOK C1320, C1320D
Lenovo X60S Tablet PC Rumored Specs
Engadget got wind of some rumoured specifications for the upcoming Lenovo X60S Tablet PC.
They have heard that it will have an Intel Core Solo or Core Duo Low Volt processor, SATA hard drive, up to 4GB of RAM, 802.11 a/b/g, optional Bluetooth, gigabit Ethernet, a 12.1 inch screen, and maybe even the ability to accept stylus or fingertip inputs.
Now normally we might think that these are just fantasies of someone who’s a sheet to the wind — but the fact that Lenovo has removed the X41 from its site indicates that perhaps there may be an element of truth to this rumor. Still, like all rumors, take it with a solid shaker-sized amount of salt.
Living with my ThinkPad T43
I have had my laptop for a while now, and it has been mostly a positive experience. I had many reasons behind my choice to get a Lenovo/IBM machine, but now I am wondering if I should have just waited to see what Apple did (they released an Intel series of machines that can run both OS X and Windows).
Some things I am noticing about my ThinkPad T43 are worth mentioning though, so if you are considering purchasing one, you will know all of the pitfalls I have noticed.
The first thing I have noticed is that its battery life still seems too short, while that is very subjective, since it gets around three and half hours per battery, getting me seven hours for the two batteries I received. I still hope to see a real all day laptop sometime soon, but it seems like every time there is an increase in battery technology, they increase the size of the screen on the machine or something.
Another thing I notice is that the fan noise gets a bit high sometimes when the computer needs to cool down. The fan, hard drive, and optical drive make a fair bit of noise. The cooling fan leads me to the next point of contention with my laptop, it gets hot. I don’t mean like battery exploding hot. Thankfully neither of my batteries are part of the exploding battery recall. But it still gets to the point where I don’t want to put my laptop on my lap.
Also, when playing wide screen movies, you can really notice a while bar near the bottom of the screen, you don’t notice these brightness inconsistencies when doing other tasks, but it can be a bit distracting sometimes.
Lastly, the speakers are a disappointment. I sometimes wonder why laptop makers even put speakers on the machines when they are really so useless in all but the quietest of areas. Sometimes the optical drive is louder than the highest volume setting. This can be very frustrating.
Despite all the negatives of owning my ThinkPad T43, I still recommend it. It is fast, easy to use, and for the most part, very reliable. I can’t say I would not trade it in for the world, but I can say that most laptops don’t even come close.
Core 2 Duo MacBooks
Just buy a MacBook? Was it Core 2 Duo? Probably not yet as Apple has not launched their Core 2 Duo MacBooks yet. In a world where even Lenovo’s lower end machines are now fitted with Core 2 Duo processors, can Apple let themselves fall behind in the market?
Don’t be surprised if you see the MacBook you just bought get an upgrade you wish you had.
Source: Engadget
Lenovo 3000 V100 Review
I have an IBM branded Lenovo T43, which I think is way better than anything Lenovo has put their sticker on, but Laptop Magazine has their opinion on the Lenovo 3000 V100, and say it is not too bad.
Highly mobile users who don’t want to sacrifice performance or comfort to travel light should consider the Lenovo 3000 V100. This 4.3-pound dual-core system provides nearly everything professionals on the move need for work and (a little play) at a reasonable price of $1,649. Thoughtful touches like an integrated webcam, fingerprint reader, and Lenovo Care, which offers quick links to everything from wireless network settings to data recovery, help this thin-and-light stand out.
In the end they give it a three and a half out of five. They like its fast performance, integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam, and superb keyboard. The negatives include the lack of a PC Card slot, and a bulky machine for its size.
My Laptop History
I have been interested in the developments of laptops for as long as I can remember, but my real passion for them started when my mother’s work gave her a company laptop. This was only around ten years ago now, which honestly shows how young I am. It was not a very good laptop, but I got to play with it and I really enjoyed it. It was too heavy to be all that portable in my opinion, but the idea of portability. Moving computer power from place to place. Being able to use a computer in a park. The battery life on her laptop was dismal as well, so taking it to the park was no a reality either, but again, the idea of it was amazing.
Before my current laptop, I have only ever owned one other laptop, and it was not something you could just carry around from place to place, as its screen was broken, and the laptop was in Chinese. It was a Pentium II around three hundred megahertz, slower than many of today’s smartphones. It was running Windows 95. The screen was busted, but I could hook it up to a 15 inch CRT monitor that I had sitting around, and this was my first laptop. I enjoyed toying with it, and seeing how long the battery could last. I tinkered with it, to see what made it tick, and ultimately destroyed the thing as I pulled it apart.
The next laptop I got some experience with was my cousin’s machine. A Compaq from about two years ago now. A pretty nice machine. I got all excited about it, when I started playing with Netstumber. This was my first real wireless internet experience. We were at a gas station, and I remembered that we did not let my family know we were making a two hour drive to come visit them, a day earlier than they thought we would, so I noticed an open access point, opened my e-mail and sent them all an e-mail before my cousin was finished filling up the gas for the car.
Finally, I was able to get my own laptop. I had wanted one for a while, but I never had the funds, and when I bought my machine, I still did not have any money, but it became a need for the blogging that I do. I had a very short list of companies I would trust with my money, and since it was before the whole Intel processor in Apple computers thing, I got myself a nice Lenovo (IBM) ThinkPad T43. I am very happy with this machine, though there are still some bugs to be worked out with its power saving mode and whatnot. It’s performance beats the pants off any other laptop I have ever tried, and I can say without a doubt, other than the Core Duo and Core 2 Duo machines that are out there now, this one is one of the best.
While my laptop history is much shorter than most, I have watched on the sidelines as the industry went from being only for the elite business person, to weighing ten pounds for not much performance, to being able to fulfill just about any need or niche. I am excited to see how things progress from here, as we see everything from small 7 inch screen, almost palm sized, laptops to 20 inch screen multimedia machines that you can barely call portable.
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