New to Lenovo

Hi All,

I'm a real estate agent and am in the market for a good laptop. First off, it should be noted that I am one of those people (women) who are blissfully happy being somewhat ignorant when it comes to all things computer! I did, however, speak with our IT guy to get suggestions as to what would work best with my MLS and office programs. I don't want to spend a small fortune ($1,200ish max) and because I am on crutches for a very long period of time, I need something on the lighter side so it is portable.

My IT guy recommended a Dell Latitude 13, and also mentioned he really liked the Lenovo. I've had Dell's, and I'm replacing a Dell. I wanted different this time and it seemed my dollar went a lot farther with other manufacturer's.

Below is what I've put together with my son. I have a copy of Outlook Express so I didn't need to add it into the Microsoft package I was having put on the computer. Do the following specs look like something that would be okay for me to use this soley as a business computer. Lenovo was running free upgrade specials when we configured this:

Also, it has an estimated ship date of 6/7. From your experience, does it usually take that long, or is there a chance it might ship sooner? I'm anxious to get all my work stuff onto one computer!

Thanks for any thoughts. Please remember... I know veryyyyyy little about computers!!! Thanks again!!

CONFIGURED SYSTEM
06/07/11
0A68267 SBB 2NDGICI5-2520M IHDGR200
45M3090 VBB GENUWIN7PROFES.64
0A68355 SBB GW7 PR64 US ENGLISH
0A68251 SBB 14.0HD (1366 X 768) LED
0A68248 SBB INTEL HD GRAPHICS 3000
45M4572 VBB 4GBPC3-10600DDR3 1333SODMM
45M4839 SBB KEYBOARDUS ENGLISH
0A68253 SBB FINGERPRINT RDR
0A68288 SBB 720P HD CAMERA I MCR
0A68283 SBB 500GB HDD7200RPM
0A68277 SBB DVD RC8XMXDLLRULT E ATA
0A68292 SBB EXPRESS CRSLT4IN1CR
45M4815 SBB 6CELLLI-ION BATTERY
41W1787 SBB CPK NORTH AMERICA
0A68261 SBB BLUETOOTH 3.0
0A68264 SBB IEEE 1394A PORT
75Y1724 SBB THINKPADB/G/N
44C7950 SBB INT WRLSSWDAREANTWRK UPGR
0A68293 SBB LPUS ENGLISH
75Y1544 SBB MOHST2010NA ENGLISH
0A21264 SBB NORTONINTSEC2011-15MONTH

 

I have a Latitude 13, very thin and capable notebook but the main drawback is the woeful battery life in a ULV thin notebook.

I'm assuming you purchased a T420 ThinkPad? You should consider the x220, or the x series in general as they are the ultraportable series from Lenovo.

 

the spec you let out didnt really mention which model did you ordered, but giving it has a 14" HD display i presume it's a T420.. if you are on the go most of the time i would suggest you getting the x220 with 9cells plus the slice battery option for a 20hrs battery life.

 

Did you order the T420 yet? if not I highly recommend you get the 1600x900 (HD+) display upgrade before you order. It makes a huge difference because it will allow you to fit more on the screen. It's the one most important upgrade on the T420.

In fact I think it's even possible to call lenovo and modify your order if you did buy it already, because it's well worth the upgrade.


EDIT: Though I'd suggest you take a look at the Lenovo X220. I'd suggest you get it with the Premium HD display upgrade since it's only $50 and is a much better quality screen. It's an IPS display, which is the kind that does not color-shift when looking from an angle, and is very rare on laptops these days. Get 4GB of RAM, but other than that I don't think any more upgrades are absolutely necessary, unless you want the Webcam.

 

Anyone looking for a bad laptop raise their hand?

I would second the X220. It's very mobile, well built, offers plenty of performance and excellent battery life. I personally would go for the X220i with the i3 processor. It costs less and given the usage, it's unlikely you'll notice a difference.

Lenovo tends to be conservative in their estimates, but if a part you ordered goes low or out of stock, you'll wait. There's not much you can do about it.

 

Would you consider buying an apple macbook? or even macbook air if you have no need of optical drive? Since you said you dont know much about computers, I assume you'd want a computer that is intuitive to use and only used in a way apple wants you to. No offense to apple fanboys here (but what's an apple lover doing in a lenovo section?).

 

Hello, welcome to the forum.
Nice to see your son is helping you out. How old is he?

Questions for you:
1. Will you be carrying it around alot or leaving it at home?
2. How long of battery life do you require?
3. What size screen do you want? 12", 13", 14", 15"
4. Does it have to be a Microsoft Windows PC, or can it be a Mac? Have you seen the 11.6" and 13" Macbook air in person? Like OMG girlfriend, they are so slim and sexy.

-----------------------
Some comments:
Size:
If you are leaving the notebook at home or at the office, 14" is fine. But if you are carrying it around alot you might find it too heavy.

Screen size
T420: 14"
T420s: 14" the s here means "slim" (I think). it is thinner, lighter than the T420 but has less battery life.
X1: 13" new model, read reviews, battery life is shorter than other Thinkpads.
X220: 12"

Battery:
The T420, and X220, have batteries at the back. You get a choice of size of battery. the larger 8cell (9cell) stick out the back a bit and are add weight. but they give you longer battery life.

The X1 is new. It's battery is not at the back, it is non-removable. There is also a second battery slice that snaps on the bottom, making it thicker, but giving a little more battery life.

You may want to consider the X120e. It has a 11.6" screen but is more of a budget orientated model. It goes for around $400. I have never used this machine myself, so if you want to consider it make sure to read some reviews, feel free to ask any questions about it.

Outlook Express:
I'm not sure you can even install Outlook Express on Windows7. I assume you're IT guy will be helping you out with this though. Do not buy Microsoft office products from Lenovo. It is better to buy it separate and install it yourself. That way if your computer dies, you can still install office on a new computer, rather than having to buy it again.

SSD:
Given that you are know little about computers I'm hesitant to even mention this, so consider this optional.
Every computer you've ever used probably used a harddrive for storage. Harddrive are mechanical, they have moving parts. There is a newer technology called SSD (Solid State Drive) that is not mechanical, it isn't physically damaged as easily if you drop your notebook, and it make your whole computer run alot faster. You will notice the difference. The downside is that they cost more. If you buy an SSD from Lenovo it costs more than if you buy it from an online store, like newegg.com. But the ease might outweigh the cost for you. Ask your IT guy if he recommends an SSD. If you have questions about it feel free to ask.

Here's the prices of the intel 320 SSD at newegg.com. How much storage space do you need? the 120GB goes for around $210.

 

A couple of corrections here.
• The X220 has a 12.5" display - either basic or Premium IPS WideView, both at 1366x768 resolution.
• The X220 4 and 6 cell batteries do not stick out the back, the 9 cell does.
• The X220 6 and 9 cell battery raise the rear of the X220 about 1/4" or so.
• The X220t Tablet's batteries all stick out the back (different batteries than the X220's).

 

It's nice that your son is helping you. What you have there, assuming it's a t420, looks amply powerful for your needs. Like many of the others said, it might be worth taking a look at the x series. Even the x120e provides good power and is very well priced, though I'm not sure if there is a slice battery available for it and I don't think it offers the option of a fingerprint reader. If I'm thinking of the right thing, outlook express (the email program?) is standard in all issues of windows. It may not be called outlook express anymore but I think that windows ships with an email client regardless of what you pay for in addition.

No offense to apple, but perhaps it'd be wise to stick with windows, especially if you're not familiar with osx. I've used macs before and, while they're pretty and easy once you get used to them, they do take some getting used to. From what I've heard, windows seven is also very user friendly.

Another word of advice- you can knock another hundred or so off the price if you buy with mastercard or visa through their websites, like mastercard marketplace. Doing that, you can probably get the t420 configured as above for less than 800, which would be very much in your price range.

Good luck and I hope you pick the right model! With thinkpads, really, you can't go wrong.

 

Did you FINALLY get yours ZAZ?

 

Ohh ohh, me!

*raises hand*

OP, you kinda forgot to list specifically what you do (Excel, emails, etc). x220 and x120e are both 16:9 and are only 1368x768 pixels only. You could also consider an x200s or x201s, and they offer 1440x900 if you don't need all that extra oompf.

 

which is why I'd suggest the 1600x900 display upgrade if you go for the T420. The extra screen space is really helpful even if you're just doing simple tasks.

 

Hi All. Thanks for all the replies. Okay... so the comment about the "good computer" was silly. I had already taken my pain meds for the night and I can get a little "loopy" to say the least.

First... sadly, my Multiple Listing Service program is not compatible with a Mac. My son has a Mac and loves it, and has been saying for two years that my next laptop had to be one, but as I am buying it for strictly work purposes, it won't work for me.

The laptop I was referring to in my original post is a T420 as you all wise people guessed. I had talked with my office IT guy, who thought the configuration was more than adequate for what I would need it for as a Realtor (email, client contact management, marketing, flyers, etc). I had actually just placed my order last night prior to finding this website.

First thing this morning, however, I called Lenovo and asked if I could make some changes - I wanted to upgrade to the 1600x900 display as suggested, and also wanted to know how much weight the 9 cell battery would add to the computer. The guy who answered said he couldn't make any changes to my order, but put in a request to actually cancel the order (could take 24 hours to get an answer as to whether it can be canceled or not) and then said we could reorder it.

The only reason I went with the T420 is because my IT guy said I couldn't go wrong with it. But now I'm wondering if I should switch to the X220, as many of you have suggested.

This whole deal with buying a computer is way more involved and confusing than I had planned!! I should have just given my credit card to my son and said... "buy me a computer" and then just sat back and been happy with the new computer on my lap.

Thanks for all your help everyone... I really appreciate it!! Here's hoping the guy from Lenovo calls back and I can make the changes I want.

~Jill

 

From the past experiences my father would say otherwise, hehehehe


I would ask for them to cancel and get a x220, portability, I get, is going to be a major thing for you on your day to day activities, and that is one portable machine. I would either grab that or the thinkpad x1

 

UPS came today, but I couldn't be there. I'm hoping I'll get it tomorrow as I can be home most of the day, but the part that sucks is UPS in my area usually comes late in the day, they came at 5PM today, and that's the one part of the day I can't be home.

 

jill0606, how about an update hmmm?