ThinkPad on vacation... using a Latitude... meh

Alright so my ThinkPad T410s is going to Lenovo for a special trip (details about that in an upcoming post!). In the meantime I have borrowed a Dell Latitude E5410 from work… and don’t get me wrong it’s a decent machine, but I am already missing so many aspects of ThinkPad engineering.

1. Keyboard… ugh I want my ThinkPad keyboard back! The keyboard on this Dell is “mushy” feeling. There is no sharp click and I have to press harder on the keys. Also the Ctrl and Fn keys are in positions I am not used to.

2. TrackPoint… I want my TrackPoint! Never thought I would use it at first, but now I find myself reach for it once and a while… and it’s not there on this Dell! =/

3. TouchPad… The touchpad on this is okay, but the one on my ThinkPad was slightly textured and larger… I miss it.

4. Touch Screen- I find my self taping the screen at times to try and access things quickly… nuff’ said. It’s not working.

5. Multi-Touch TrackPad Gestures- This Latitude has two finger gestures, but I want my three finger (back and forward) flick and my three finger program launch!

but… I will deal with it for a week

via My Blog

 

Ah yes, yet another reason to go for the 1600x900 upgrade rather than the multitouch upgrade. It's a cool idea and all, but it would be better if it actually worked and if it were offered with the HD+ display.

EDIT: oh, whoops, you were talking about an E5410 not one of the newer ones

 

Well that Latitude is decent but yeah they can't really compare to ThinkPad. The new mushy Latitude keyboard is easy to get to. Trackpoint has always been better on Lenovo/IBM. Dell's touchpad has always been better than Lenovo IMO.

Only the older D series Latitudes can really compare to the older ThinkPads.

 

I agree, the Dell Latitude is a decent machine but once you get used to a ThinkPad for a while then you find it hard to adapt on the Dell. I used to have a Dell Latitude E6410 but I had a real hard time using the "TrackStick" as I find it too shallow and notchy to use. I always have to correct the cursor as it doesn't go exactly where I wanted it to.

It was a real dealbreaker for me so I traded it away (hence it's retired in my sig). My sister was the lucky recipient of the Dell and in return I got her ThinkPad R61e and I couldn't be anymore happier, it just felt like home and I was able to become more productive as a result.

 

I suppose ThinkPads really did keep their form factor over time. Dell radically changed from D to E series. D series Latitudes are as durable as the older T/x/Z series ThinkPads, just thicker. IMO I've always though ThinkPads were just SFF Latitudes.

 

Yeah thats why I won't do anyone but Lenovo Thinkpad models. Lenovo Thinkpad is best of breed in the notebook PC Windows 7 world.

 

I think you misunderstood my post. There is no touchscreen on the latitude, but there is one on my ThinkPad. I miss the touchscreen on my Thinkpad. LOVE the touchscreen! Works great.

 

Fixed.

 

They are hardly noticable on my matte display.

 

E5410 is a lower end machine, it is cheaper than the T410 (and definitely cheaper than the T410s).

 

The Latitude E5410 isn't really the proper comparison to the T410s; the Latitude E6410 is.

The E6410 has a Trackpoint. I think it's a little twitchy compared to the ThinkPads, but it's tweakable.

The E6xxx keyboards are probably a closer match, though of all keyboards, I find my T60 keyboard added to my T400 beats out both my T61 keyboard and my original T400 keyboard.

The E5410 is a great laptop in its price class --but it's more comparable to the L-Series ThinkPads than the T-series.

 

E5410 is more comparable to the R series of the old.

 

Yeah never meant to compare the two. Just stating what I'm dealing with at the moment. ^_^