ThinkPad X220 (i/T) Owners Thread

The technician said that the the f keys should not be much higher then the rest.

It did not sound like he knew the x220 key layout. I am going to try and find some videos of others, maybe it is a design decision.

Any other owners care to chime in and tell us about their keyboard?

 

The Fn key has the same height as the other key, unless the keyboard wasn't fitted right when it was assembled.

 

Are you sure they're at the EXACT same height as the number row? On my X220, it looks like the framing around the Fn keys is slightly raised... and so the Fn keys are raised as a result.

It definitely looks intentionally designed. If I had to guesstimate the height, the Fn keys seem to be 1mm - 2mm higher than the rest of the keyboard.

 

The keys above the number row are ever so slightly raised. I can see under them slightly.

 

Yep, that's exactly what I see -- raised every so slightly.

Well I guess we can classify this as (poor?) design decision by Lenovo, but not a defect in the X220.

 

Oh, you are talking about the F1, F2, F3, F4 Fx keys.

I was talking about the blue Fn key in relation to the keys next to them.

The Fx row keys + Esc, Del, etc keys are slightly raised (they also have shorter key travel too) compared to the other keys (number, and letter keys).

http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg44/scaled.php?tn=0&server=44&filename=py6vl.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640

 

Could someone post pics of the X220 showing the 9 cell battery in great detail? I did see a X220 on youtube with the 9 cell battery but i didn't see the batt in detail...all i know is that the battery sticks out.
Thanks!

 

Could someone tell me if you actually kill your neck if you work with this machine for say 3-4 hours a day, and leave it docked otherwise? 12.5" is not THAT much of a difference from 15.6" when it comes to bending of the neck, but still. It's small.

Thinking of getting some sort of stand so I can at least elevate it a little , if I buy it.

 

how much detail do you need?

 

It's not bad as long as you practice good posture... as with any prolonged computer session... obviously. I do occasionally use the 12.5 screen all day and I have no problems. Normally I'm on an external that is raised on a stand. I actually came from a 15" laptop so the transition wasn't bad. However if you can get something to elevate the computer and possibly use an external keyboard, I'd do it. Generally I have nothing elevating it when I use the 12.5. But I have put a bunch of books under my notebook cooler and it works great.

 

themperature are ok in office , internet , film use ?

 

Okay, thanks!

Next question: How is the X220 with 125% DPI? I have a 12.5" HP atm, with 1024x768 which I find OK (I have even upped the DPI in linux). Do you think I could get by with 125% DPI in W7 when there's even more horizontal pixels?

 

Is your eyesight so bad that you need to use 125% DPI on a 1366x768 12.5" screen?

 

If I'm to work with it for more than the occasional hour every other day, yeah. I don't like eye strain.

 

I don't think the machine would be too productive for you then. You'd definitely lose a bit of space working at 125% DPI. The X220 has a lot of power though, so if you're getting it for the mobile power and plan to use an external monitor most of the time, then you should be okay.

I've read somewhere that the MB's lose the excellent battery life when running Windwos, but if that weren't the case, I'd steer you in that direction as you'll get more usability out of a MB that has a bigger screen and is as light/thin as the X220.

 

What about just making fonts larger?

 

I'd hate for you to make the same mistake I did when I bought the T420s, especially considering that Lenovo has a 15% restocking fee.

Here are some screen shots (in in album) for the two DIP settings.

First up is 125% DPI: 125% DPI

Next, is at default 100% DPI: 100% DPI

You're probably going to want to download the images to view them in full size and then compare. One thing to note though is that increasing the DPI will not affect fonts in a browser. For that, you'll have to manually increase the size of each page you visit or increase the size of browser fonts via it's usability settings.

 

What was your mistake? 1600x900 on a 14"?
X220 has 125DPI while T420@HD+ has 130DPI if I'm not mistaken. Not that much of a difference )=

 

Yeah, that was part of the problem. While 1600x900 is a good resolution on the 14", it just didn't seem to work on the T420s. I think part of the reason for that was due to the horrible quality of the T420s screen.

I found it hard to read text on the T420s after using the machine for a little while... If it didn't have that damn screen door effect, the text would have looked sharper and I think I would have been okay.

 

What do you guys use to clean the screen on your X220?

1. No solution -- just wipe with lint free cloth

2. Breath onto screen and then wipe with lint free cloth

3. Screen solution (Monster screen cleaner)

4. Windex

5 Pure (100%) alcohol

 

Do NOT use windex on an LCD screen.

I don't know about other people, but I usually use just a bit of distilled water and a soft, lint free cloth.

 

Microfiber clothe and cleaning solution specifically designed for LCD screens. You don't want anything remotely abrasive.

 

quick question, does the tablet version of the X220 also use an IPS screen?

 

Yes, it does, but keep in mind the touch surface does effect PQ. Make sure it's something you want before getting one.

 

Windex is a no-no.

Care and Maintenance of LCD Screens

http://www.photodon.com/Screen_Cleaning_Tips_Photodon.pdf

 

The reason I'm asking about the cleaning solution is I have one of those blue bottle of Monster screen cleaner that I got from BestBuy way back when and I used it the other day on my old Dell LCD and I found that it leaves a bit of a residue.

I've never used Windex, and don't plan too, but there are quite a few Windex recommendations floating around the net.

I've found that breathing on the screen works quite well as the every so slight moisture created by the warm air of one breath and the cold screen allows you to wipe off a lot of the fingerprint marks that can show up on the LCD.

Isopropyl Alcohol seems to work well too - (and is one of the recommendations in the links above).

 

Hey that's a pretty good idea for places that have cool weather!

 

Pure 100% alcohol is a no-no too. I have made that mistake once on a high end screen with AR coating, and after the alcohol hit it, the AR coating smeared all over the screen.

 

Son of a b****. I got a call from the depot today saying that they can't fix my unit because it is considered a DOA. What the hell? I was told to send it to the depot in the first place after clearly explaining the problem!

So now, they say that they'll get me a replacement but that I have to wait 3-5 business days for a call from a "senior representative".

I'm really not impressed with Lenovo right now. I hope I'm able to get a defect free x220 without too much additional hassle but I don't have very high hopes for that. It's pretty sad that so far my experience with Lenovo has been worse than my experiences with Dell, even.

 

As far as I know the depot is outsourced. I stopped sending machines to them a while ago because it's run by a bunch of monkeys, probably cousins of the ones that run the Lenovo main and outlet sites.

Next time find yourself a local service center and save yourself the down time and aggravation. Fyi, a machine that comes back from the depot also usually has something broken that was fine when it went in.

 

Keeping in mind the person above me probably doesn't have a clue about how the service depot works.

 

If I'm wrong then point out what's incorrect. No one, including me, learns anything from this useless post.

 

Do you think I could get them to send me a new screen, free of charge, so I could replace the damn thing myself?

I'm an electronics technician (or will be very soon - I graduate this December)...I can fix things like this as long as I have some instructions (or maybe even without instructions too ...but I would prefer to have them).

 

They absolutely won't send you something like a screen. A replacement fan is about the maximum they'll send you to do yourself for a non-CRU.

Where do you live? What I've been doing is using local service provider. They set up a new case with Lenovo or use one you give, and the parts get sent to them. If you go this route you might be able to work something out with the local place.

At this point from the sound of it, getting the machine back will probably be a hassle in itself. Are you sure you don't want to just have a new one built if they're offering that? It will have the updated screen with certainty and you can skip all this trouble.

http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/product-service/service-provider/default.page?

 

If repairing it myself is out of the question then I'll probably just get a replacement, if possible. I hope the replacement comes without hassle or defects though; if I get another defective machine I'll probably ask for a refund.

 

You should ask for a refund now. Call Lenovo sales (not customer service) and tell them the depot says your machine is doa. They'll issue a refund off the case # and you'll order another one yourself. Lenovo's policy is that they don't do exchanges on new machines (that's what I've been told by Lenovo on multiple occasions), so if the depot is offering an exchange you're getting some kind of refurb from them.

 

The depot told me to call customer service (or sales, in India or whatever) and I did. I told sales that I wanted a replacement and gave them the case number, and they said that I WOULD get one, but that a "senior representative" would get back to me in 3-5 business days....

 

The reason I said to call sales (North Carolina) is that customer service in India can be flaky sometimes.

 

Tell me about it

I thought that the two were the same thing. With all the phone calling I've done I've either got India or Georgia (tech support).

If I get the runaround with this replacement thing, I'll probably ask for a refund. I'd like to get this all worked out, but sadly I think a refund is the most likely scenario If that happens I don't know if I'll be able to bring myself to buy from Lenovo again, either.

If it wasn't for the magnificent IPS display on this model, I probably would've asked for a refund and got a Dell v131 already...

 

My reply was not designed to inform, but provoke. How does one refute claims that are utterly baseless?

 

I send in maybe 5 laptops a year to depot. If I call on Monday, it goes out on Tuesday and it comes back Friday or earlier.

When I call them, I look for the ESC+ from IBM site and put in the request there. I get a call back from IBM Atlanta and follow through with them for the support. They're quick to understand that I've already troubleshooted the device and it has to go in for service.

I've been using them for the last 7 years as we're a strictly Lenovo (previously IBM of course) company. Not one horror story to share about their service. But again, I use the ESC+ helpdesk from IBM (google it) and I deal 100% with Americans for the service.

 

That's a convenient thing to say a day later. If claims are so utterly baseless they should be all the more easily refuted. But alas still nothing from you so everyone reading will have to continue to go on the baseless claims.

Fyi, correctly or not, I've been told by IBM/Lenovo employees that the 'depot' service is outsourced.

 

I know some of our depot work was done by a local company. It is possible that they're the reason we've had such excellent results with the work performed.

 

The support from Atlanta is second to none. They are always very very professional and usually helpful. I've never been connected to off-shore call centers for support or sales.

The quality of service and repairs from the depot on the other hand is deplorable. The depot all my machines have gone to iirc is in TN or KY? It's been a while since I have sent anything there. I've had issues with their work more often than not. Machines misplaced and forgotten about, parts broken that weren't initially, incorrectly reassembled, etc. There have been more than enough users on various forums with similar experiences. My solution is nearly as good as on-site (even better in my case since the on-site tech serving isn't great), but without the cost. Parts are shipped to a local service provider and the tech calls me when they're in. Down time is only hours instead of days, and I avoid the shotty 'depot' work.

 

I believe ours stay in Michigan. Also a few days of down time, for us, isn't a big deal. We always have spare laptops on hand - though I know for the home user that's not usually an option.

If you can find a local provider that Lenovo will outsource to, I agree that's probably the way to go for a home user. I don't really want to deal with driving anywhere to drop it off though, slapping it in a box and calling UPS is more convenient for our needs.

 

Then how could you possibly know that most machine come back broken?

 

Because most machines I sent came back unresolved or with new issues. It's been about a year since the last Thinkpad that's passed through my hands went there. Has their quality changed significantly in that time?

Apparently not, posted 9/28 in lenovo's forum:

 

I don't think that's a basis for broad generalizations.

 

I've cited my experiences, a recent example and superior solutions to sending machines in for repair. I'll leave it at this since it's not worth any more of my time responding to your feeble posts. Everyone including the lurkers (there's hundreds if not thousands as I found out when we tried to set up the X220 group buy), who's read all this can make up their own minds on how to get their thinkpad's repaired under warranty. Hopefully no one's machine puts them in that position at all.

 

Were that the case, we wouldn't be having this little problem.