Any other acadamic shops in EU other than ok1.de that ship in Europe?

Strange. I have enabled email from other members now. That should do the trick, i guess.

 

Well if I click on your username it dont say "send a private message" like it does with other users, not sure what you need to change.

But when you figure it out just PM me, as I might not see your response in this thread.

 

Did you read the stickies and forum rules here?

 

I have now. Seems I need 5 quality posts inorder to open for permission to PM system.

 

I found a little gimmick considering lapstars.de and ok1.de - neither of them seem to accept PayPal/credit cards online. We will have to add the international bank transfer fees to the bill.

 

That's a problem with Germany in general. They have yet, as a country, to realize that credit cards are a pretty neat thing and that accepting them at - I don't know - online shops, McDonald's or major train stations is a Good Idea(tm). I almost got stranded at Düsseldorf Intl Airport a few months ago when I had no cash with which to buy a train ticket, and the ATM was out of service. I ended up taking a cab for 10 times the cost (luckily on a business trip)...

Are you sure? I believe EU regulations require intra-union transfers to be free of charge (and you're in Poland, right?), provided you have the IBAN and BIC numbers (which at least lapstarts.de provide). I just registered the transfer for my order half an hour ago, and I, at least, did not have to pay my bank anything.

Speaking of which - I pulled the trigger yesterday and ordered a T420 4180-W1G (which is, as of today, in stock). It comes with the i5-2520M, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Intel graphics and a fairly maxed-out spec aside from those components. Lapstars will mount a Swedish keyboard and install an English preload for me (confirmed via e-mail today). I also upgraded to 8GB RAM (only cost me €8 more than buying it locally, i.e. spare change in the context), added the Ericsson 3G card, bought a separate 9-cell battery (not the slice - I don't like those), bumped up the warranty to 3-year on-site NBD and threw in an Ultrabay travel bezel. All in all, €1365 including shipping.

Hopefully it'll be delivered within a week, after which I'll be able to finally lay this (very) old and (very) faithful X40 to rest. =)

 

jazdc, so you used the student discount? What did you have to do to prove you are a student? I'm still debating between X220 and T420, will wait until X220 is officially available and lapstars seems a good place to order.

Like you, I'm looking to replace my X40 Funny, only yesterday some one saw my X40 for the first time and couldn't believe how small and light it was, pretty good for a 6 years old laptop.

 

Ouch. That was unexpected. I was pretty much sure Germany would be much more accustomed to card payments, since I tend to pay for a single donut here in Poland, and we aren't exactly the most developed nation around.

No, I'm not. I will check this thoroughly - thanks! I just looked up my bank fees and assumed that international transfers are all charged equally. It would be really great if inter-EU transfers weren't charged with these humongous fees.

Congratulations! It seems like a really neat machine! Post some photos and feelings about both the machine and lapstars.de ordering process & customer services when you get it!

My X220 is not yet in stock, I will wait with my purchase till it will be.

By the way, I second the question - what did you have to use to prove your student discount elligibility?


Best regards!
M.

 

I just scanned my Swedish student id (and a photo id, though not sure that was really necessary) and sent it with a reply to the order confirmation e-mail.

I would have gone for the X220 without hesitating, had it not been for one thing: the screen size and resolution. That was a dealbreaker for me. I need more vertical real estate. As for choosing the T420 and not the T420s, that was a question of battery life trumping weight.

It's a truly excellent piece of hardware that has served my well for almost seven years, despite some rough handling. =)

Yeah, you'd be surprised. Poland's way ahead by now.

Will do! So far, I'm a little annoyed that I never got any replies to my e-mails to lapstars, but as soon as I actually placed an order, they got back to me quickly. Also, I really like their upgrade and accessory options. Not to mention the fact that they're giving me an English preload at no extra cost.

 

Same here.. because of the X220 1366x768 screen I decided to get a T420 with 1600x900 (instead of T420s, battery being more important then weight). After reading a few owner reviews of the T420 and specifically the screen quality (Grainy) I'm back at square 1.. X220 or T420..

If only I could see them side by side, but the only place I found sofar is Munchen, which is a 10 hour drive from where I live.

 

That's a great news such an ID is enough for them. Theoretically they replied to my e-mail saying that a student ID will do, but having it tested by you is whole another thing. Thanks!

I agree. For those who need more real estate, X220 is not a great option. T420 is perhaps the best bet. I, myself, will plug in my X220 to an external monitor most of the time, so it was not a deal breaker for me.

Their response time is a curiosity for me. They were replying to my e-mails promptly, even instantly. At the same time a friend of mine, from the same university, sent them some questions with no reply till yesterday. It took them literally 7 business days to get back to him.

It's a good news that they care after placing an order though. Their upgrade options are wonderful - I looked at other academic shops, and adding an SSD + more RAM + changing keyboard and English preload was much more expensive than at lapstars.de. So far they are very competitive.

Best of luck with your purchase!


Mateusz

 

I went to Lenovo's Swedish HQ and looked at the entire new lineup (they don't have a showroom per se, but I had a contact). I saw nothing of the graininess that some people have mentioned (but others said they've not noticed). Comparing the X220, T420s and T420 my conclusions were:

1. The X220 screen really feels much smaller, both physically and resolution-wise
2. There is a noticeable weight difference between each pair of models, with the X220 being clearly lightest. Even with one of those in the other hand, though, the T420 still doesn't feel heavy, just not nearly as light.
3. The T420s is definitely the slimmest of the three.
4. The T420 is without a doubt the least sexy of them.

Comparing the X220 to my X40 (which I brought along), they feel very similar in size and weight, except that the X220 is decidedly wider and a little bit less deep, and its screen looks really tiny height-wise.

I think that if I'd gone straight from my X40, I would probably have gone for the X220 (despite the huge decrease in vertical screen size). However, during the past 2.5 years, I had a T61 at my job, and got used both to the luxury of 1440x900, and to the extra weight. Realizing that the T420 had both a higher resolution and a lower weight than that one, the choice was - in the end - not that hard. I'll probably still drool quietly over the X220 and the T420s every now and then, though.

 

If only it had IPS and X220's battery live, it could be a dream machine as well.

It's great you haven't seen the graininess - many will feel reassured because of this. Congrats on your purchase! You'll drool over other models like we all do, but ultimately you will be very happy with your T420, I am sure


M.

 

Hey, jazdc have you already received your notebook? Also thinking about ordering T420, wondering how long it takes.
TIA.

 

No. There were two factors I didn't consider. First, and this won't be an issue for you, I forgot about Easter. 2.5 business days suddenly turned into holiday. Sure, that's nice and all, but it does delay one's laptop shipment.

Second, international money transfers took a bit longer than I thought they would. I missed the deadline Friday before last, so my bank handled the transfer a week ago today. Apparently, it then took two days to reach the destination bank, and one day after that for it to reach the recipient's account. That means lapstars didn't actually get my money until Thursday before Easter, which (at least in Sweden) is a day when most people either don't work at all or leave after lunch. In other words, my order hasn't started processing yet (other than an automated order confirmation and a manual reply that they'll set me up with English Windows for free).

To sum up, expect 3-4 days for your money to get there. How long it takes after that, I don't know yet, as tomorrow'll be the first business day after that.

 

^^ That's too bad jazdc.. I've started mailing with lapstars as well. Might go for a T420 afterall.

Much to my suprise they now offer 19! upgrade options on the HD! Including:

- 120GB SSD MLC SATA OCZ Vertex 3
- 64GB SSD SLC SATA TRANSCEND and
- 480GB SSD MLC SATA OCZ Vertex 3 (Upgrade more expensive then the laptop itself, 1598 EUR)

 

I will be sending my money transfer later this week, so I will make another point of reference for future lapstars.de customers

 

Thanks in advance, where are you located?

 

Poland. I am going to send the money on Thursday, as I am still waiting for one more incoming transfer to arrive before that. Without that, I don't have enough funds at hand.

If everything goes well, I hope to have the order going after the weekend - but I have never transfered money to Germany before, so I am not sure whether it will go that fast.


M.

 

I know! Way better than Lenovo's own options. And a couple of days after I placed my order, they started offering mSATA as well. Myself, I'm not too interested in that, though, as I'll have an HSPA card in my slot.

 

Excuse my complete ignorance, but will this 'special image of Ubuntu' negate the need to use a virtual machine, such as VMware?

Is there a link to the Ubuntu download on Lenovo's site?

 

With it, you can probably:

- Install instead of Windows
- Install next to Windows (dual boot)
- Install as VM.

'special image' and 'certified' should mean that all T420 hardware is working out of the box.

Haven't found it yet, you might wanna call them or send an email with your question. If

 

Cool, it's the X220 (with i5-2410) I have but I guess they may certify it for that sometime, as well.

 

Acoording to the X220 datasheet it already has "Linux® Certifications for Redhat®, Novell® & Unbuntu"

The harware used on both T420 and X220 seems similar so I see no reason why a T420 'special image' would not work on a X220.

In this topic: T420: Fan runs all the time on Ubuntu 11.04beta2 you'll find some people that actually use Ubuntu on a T420.

 

Thanks, that's encouraging.

 

I just got an e-mail saying my order's status has changed from open to shipped. In other words, it shipped one business day after the assumed arrival date of the money transfer.

I haven't received a tracking number yet, though, but I guess that's just as well, or else I'd just be spending the entire week refreshing the status page.

 

That's great news! I wonder how long will it take for my order to ship - my ordered X220, according to the website, is not in stock and ships within 4 business days.

M.

 

Lol, also received same message. No tracking number as well.

 

So far, they've been pretty good at updating their estimated availability dates. The T420 model I ended up ordering said 7-14 days for about 7 days before changing to 2-4 days, and then to available 3 days later.

Clearly, the longest phase so far has been waiting for my sent money to get there. Let's hope it stays that way, as that would mean I'll get my machine on Thursday or Friday (which is by no means impossible, as they claim to use DHL or UPS). =)

I see you're also in Stockholm. We should've co-ordered and saved €20 on shipping.

 

Yeah, we could have done this

Anyway got my tracking number already, seems they are using UPS instead of DHL.

Scheduled Delivery:
Thursday, 28.04.2011, By End of Day

Last Location:
Departed - Langenhagen, Germany, Wednesday, 27.04.2011

Can't wait.

 

Ooh! Did you have to ask for it or did they just send it?

 

So the race towards receiving our machines begins! My money transfer went out today. As you have your tracking numer already, you will get your beauty much faster I guess

 

How did things end up cost-wise for you? Are transfers free within the EU or not?

 

For SEPA IBAN transfers there is a constant fee regardless of the amount on both parties, depending on their banks.

On my end I had to pay 5 PLN (~1 EUR) for the transfer - so not exactly free, but really cheap. I asked lapstars.de whether I should include additional fee for transfer processing on their end and they declined.

I am not sure whether they can receive the payment for free or are they taking the fee on them.

For example, I know my bank receives international SEPA transfers without additional fees, but some other banks do have a small processing fee.


M.

 

As previously mentioned, my bank doesn't charge for outgoing SEPA transfers. However, it's also the case that unlike for non-SEPA international transfers, there is no option to include payment of the receiver's fees (if any). This made me believe that there are never any fees for incoming transfers. But clearly, you are correct that there are in some cases; I checked a handful of Polish banks, and at least Nordea (which, incidentally, has its HQ in Sweden) apparently charge for incoming SEPA transfers.

In any case, we're talking <€10 for >€1000 orders, so I guess it's not that much of a problem either way.

 

You're right Anyway, as they said I do not need to add anything to the order amount, I didn't Now I just have to wait for the transfer to go through. Can't wait to receive my new Himari! As I love my T42 and it's a sturdy indestructible beast, it's performance is subpar in today's world.

 

To jazdc and maticomp, I'm almost as exited as you guys, hope you will recieve your T420 and X220 this week!

Lapstars upgrade options and prices (SSD and RAM) seem really good, I might order from them with 8GB RAM and 160GB SSD instead of upgrading myself (buying RAM and SSD somewhere else)

I've asked them it it would be possible to order a X220 'as it is' and ship the Intel without installing it as I would like to keep the HD as backup and install a fresh Win7 .iso in English myself.

Also asked them if they can provide fysical R&R discs in English.

(Final decision will be made later this week, 1300 euro brand new X220 or 600 euro used X200s with 1440x900 res.)

 

No it was sent by email from UPS. Wondering if I have to wait for delivery guy, or they will send me notification to pick it up in the closest shop.

 

The prices for these upgrades are very good there. It's exactly the same upgrades I ordered for myself. I was considering buying them loose locally, but it wasn't cheaper at all, so I decided to order everything at lapstars.

So if you'll wait few days, I will be happy to share my impressions on this particular config done by them

 

I agree that the prices are good. Buying RAM locally would still be cheaper for me, but only by about €8, so I went ahead and bought the upgrade from lapstars. As for SSD, I still find them a bit too expensive in general, so I figured I'll do that upgrade in a year or so, when prices have gone down and capacities gone up.

That would essentially mean buying a separate SSD in addition to the HDD in the machine, as opposed to upgrading, wouldn't it? Then the price'll be higher, but I'm sure they can do it.

Hmm, strange. I haven't received any such e-mail. I'm starting to feel bad about bugging Mario at lapstars again and again, but I think I'll send off an e-mail and ask about it. After all, I need to know how to plan my week.

 

Has anyone managed to find a shop which accepts paypal?

 

Uni-Notebooks-de-Notebooks-fuer-Studenten-de-Lenovo-Notebooks-Fujtsu-Notebooks-Toshiba-Notebooks - but I have never asked them any questions, as they didn't have all the upgrades I wanted and prices were not as competitive. So don't quote me on that one.

 

Also, Uni-notebooks only ship to Germany and Austria. At least those are the only choices in the webshop.

 

As far as I remember they have in their terms that they can ship anywhere, but shipping costs are estimated for each individual order.

 

@jazdc (or anyone else who ordered from lapstars):
I ordered an x220 from lapstars.de . I directly got an email stating that I've made the order, and should wait for the "order confirmation". I returned the email with a scanned student picture/validation.
How long after your order did you get your order confirmation which I am 12 hours later still waiting for? And did you make your bank transfer before or after the order confirmation? (maybe the order confirmation will not be sent until the money is received by lapstars?

 

I never got an order confirmation. Instead, I decided to transfer the funds when I got a manual e-mail reply to the question I had written in the order comment field. In general, it seems lapstars are lousy at replying to e-mails, but work fast on actual orders. I have now sent them a total of 4 e-mails containing direct questions, spread over 3 weeks, and not received a reply to any one of them (though the automated "status changed from open to shipped" e-mail I received 2 hours after asking about when my order would ship may be seen as a reply to that one). At the moment, I am mostly concerned about not getting a reply to yesterday's e-mail asking why I have not received an e-mail with my shipment's tracking number when soharda (of this thread) had got one in conjunction with the shipment confirmation e-mail.

So far, it appears that maticomp is the only person on this forum to have received a reply to an e-mail sent to lapstars (unless I'm forgetting someone). Had it not been for that detail, I would've been very happy with their service. Provided, of course, that my computer actually shows up within a reasonable number of days (hopefully tomorrow).

 

Did it arrive today? Mine did not, and I also have still not received a tracking number despite asking for it.

 

You did forget some one.. ME!

I send them an email and got a reply the next day. Mind you, I did write it in German and included my selected 1368 euro ($2000) config with it, that might have helped..

 

@jazdc:
Thank you for your reply. Hope you get your computer soon. I have in total now sent them 3 emails during the last 2 days, and received answer on all of them quite quickly (even though only short replies). So I guess I am also one of the lucky ones. I was hesitating a little bit before I made the transfer a few minutes ago as it is quite a significant amount of money to transfer without knowing too much of the company. But at the same time you answered here on the forum, I also got a reply from them telling me to transfer the amount to their bank account.
So now I guess it is time to start counting the days (and try to get hold of a tracking number when available)

 

That's right, I forgot about you, ThiPaX40. =) In other words, the trend of this thread continues - some people get really fast replies, others don't get them at all. Strange...

Oh, seve79, if you e-mail them again, could you ask about my tracking number?