Thinkpad X120e .... too bad no USB3.0

Lenovo ThinkPad X120e snatches up AMD's Zacate, aims to right all of the X100e's wrongs -- Engadget

YouTube - Lenovo ThinkPad X120e laptop tour

look like near perfect netbook with value price.... just too bad lack of USB3.0

i wish powered usb port can replace to USB 3.0, i think cost just about USD $20 , With USB3.0, can used this netbook much longer

maybe will consider buying MSI U270 with USB3.0

anyone plan to bough it？

 

I wish it had more powerful CPU and expresscard slot, then I could consider it as future laptop among other choices from X series
Ultraportable ThinkPad for such low price sounds tempting indeed.

 

that X120e already used higher AMD Zacate cpu.
i like Express card slot too.

 

According to benchmarks E-350 is less powerful than its Turion counterparts, namely the K or L model 625, dont remember which exactly was correct one.
Point being, while more energy efficient, yet not more powerful than current X100e dual core offerings, the same or even weaker according to early benchmarks.

 

i read review too， E-350 acceptable, just about 10~15% slower than i-3xxUM processor， but Graphic performance is 2x faster than Interl HD graphic, it quite good already.

 

LOL, having expresscard is 'future proofing' a computer, no less a cheap netbook-notebook hybrid?

I remember the good old days when some people keep nagging manufacturers that keeping RS232 serial and parallel ports future proofed computers, maybe because their dot matrix printer need it. LOL.

Think about it, of the entire population of computer users today, how many people actually take advantage of the expresscard while factoring in the actual time spent using the expresscard if they do, and then weigh in the fact that you are sacrificing valuable volumes of space within a notebook for the expresscard standard, then you may realize the expresscard probably isnt worth it.

 

Most mobile users don't need a ton of power. I think most X100e users would be more happy with a cooler machine than more CPU power.

 

My guess would be that less than one percent of laptop users actually use ExpressCard. Most people don't really know what it is. They only discover it when their PCMCIA card won't go in. Fortunately, that is becoming a rarer event now, too.

 

The past few notebook refreshes I have had, I had to carry the empty space that was the expresscard slot. It does look like however, that expresscard is being phased out as predicted by many people in the past because of faster I/Os from USB3.0 and later maybe lightpeak over that.

See news
Official Home Page for ExpressCard Technology from PCMCIA

 

expresscard is a dying standard.   look for it to disappear even as soon as 2012 thanks to USB 3.0.   heck, i wouldn't be surprised if USB eventually becomes the only expansion port on notebooks besides audio and ethernet.

 

What I like about expresscard is ability to stuff internal pro level audio card into notebook or add additional usb 3.0/esata or firewire port, which is important to me. Tho I understand that perhaps for most of home users it just sits there and has no actual use. Plus as already mentioned - it takes up pretty much of precious space which is really important these days with laptop getting slimmer.

How I would like to see things happening is some sort of SD card-expresscard hybrid port that would have the same dimensions as current SD cards and thus SD cards themselves would adopt new technologies, but that seems like future quite far away to stuff for example pro grade audio interface into SD form.
Either way I see laptop ports staying in laptops for quite some while.
Docks are another option which seems acceptable to me, but I would like to have some minimum on my laptop anyway and expresscard or equivalent expansion would be nice to have aorund still present in laptops.

 

Well I wouldn't be purchasing too many expresscard devices from now on if I were you, just saying. Expresscard will be in the history books next to the likes of PS/2, RS232 and parallel port connectors.

The most important thing in general is I/O data transfer speed and latency. New standards have highly improved characteristics of both, making any old standards useless. Everything you are mentioning, be it TV tuner graphics dock sound card, all rely on I/O capability with devices connected to the motherboard. These consumer level services are not provided only via I/O technologies in the form of the expresscard. They can be provided via newer I/O standards and technologies.

In other words, you wont lose your firewire or whathave you capabilities you rely on, so long as companies continue to make adapters for them, and you will get to use them via external docking solutions that uses say USB3.0 as the I/O with the motherboard. The only difference is the devices will not be 'internalized' in the laptop. However, even EC devices are hardly internalized. Overall, it is a move in the right direction to get rid of the expresscard.

 

Thats why I like - ability to stuff something into laptop instead of lugging around external device with cables and adapters
Thats what matters to me, audio card inside laptop and not one to plug into usb port as either a dongle or external box with cable to connect to fw/usb.

 

Expresscard devices are unfortunately not very internal either. The only exception seems to be their SSD and the NI data acq card. Not even the remotes or the mogo mouse are that internal and sticks out a bit.

Plus, if you are going to end up with wires tethering outside of the notebook, it probably doesnt make any difference that there is a dock sticking out. Its like how nobody seems to complain the power adapter is not integrated into the notebook body but instead tethered because of heat issues due to power adapter being a high power electronics device, but you cant get rid of it. It has become the de facto standard that you tether along the power adapter with your sleek looking and cool laptop. Perhaps you may do the same for whatever product or service you want, e.g. audio or video, but using a dock that tethers to the USB port.

 

I still want my audio card to be inside laptop even if its protruding a little bit.
See, expresscard audio interface is about mobility and thats where it delivers, all I need is to plug in my headphones into it and thats it. I dont want to lug external usb/fw audio card with firewire or usb cable when Im on the go or sitting outdoors with my laptop doing work
You wont convince me otherwise

 

We have to define the goal first. Are you talking about maintaining the usefulness of old technology, or are we talking about the better direction of future notebooks.

For old notebooks, then you have to accept there is only so much you can do by way of addons before eventually requriing a complete equipment overhaull to get the better specifications you desire. Old technology is old techology. The audio quality in your example then goes to notebook manufacturers implimenting better sound hardware into their products. In fact, there is discussion that the concept of sound cards are a thing of the past, as digital output via the microphone jack standard on any notebook or computer should provide as high quality of sound as the original recorded medium permits. Sound cards are going to be obsolete like the PhysX cards and maybe later even graphics cards.

And so, if you are talking about current old technolgy, well the current offerings do have the expansions for you to catch up to some degree. But the future notebooks shouldnt have these clunky standards just because a few people want to add 'sound cards' or similar, when the device themselves may be capable of better. Anything else would not hurt with an external wire tether as the fact that wires will be tethered to electronics is seemingly going to be a fact for at least the forseeable future.

If we are talking about new notebooks, it makes no sense to keep something that is not only not the best technological offering (as USB 3.0 is very good), but further, something that is not very popular from a consumer demand standpoint. Ultimately you are talking about sacrificing valuable notebook space to benefit very little of the population. However, the bottom line is, only time can tell what will happen, but I can see notebook manufacturers finally realizing ECs are kind of useless and via cost/benefit analysis will phase it out eventually for future notebooks. By then in the far future you will be getting a new notebook that can likely perform everyrthing you had wanted without need for expansion. If not, then suck it up or use a I/O solution based on the very high speed USB3.0 or lightpeak that themselves outperform the EC standard you are advocating.

 

AMD only offers one notebook chipset right now with USB 3.0, it is the Hudson M3 and it is for Llano.

 

now, all PC/Notebook USB 3.0 port using third party controllers chip from NEC/VIA/Fresco.

 

I bet that if people wanted to do things with professional audio, they'd likely have a higher-end model than this. Besides, USB 2.0 is fast enough for things like backups to an external hard drive. I don't think you'd really need USB 3.0 for that. Consider the price - around $400. Most laptops for that price have crappy build quality and only USB 2. It really does look like a great ultraportable, and I'm planning to get one. Does anyone have any idea how much exactly the base price is and what specs you get? I keep hearing "under $400" and either an AMD Fusion E240 or E350, but I don't know the price for either.

 

Not everyone needs expensive backup/satellite sketch machine for on the go audio sketches, neither everyone can afford one.
Some people like to keep it low, both price and machine size wise
Ideapad S10 had expresscard slot in 10" form factor.
Truth to be told, I find it quite useless to explain to people what others are willing to do with their laptops and listen to arguments about why THEY dont need expresscard slot versus mine why I NEED.
Its simple as that, if ES goes, so be it, but if it stays on select models, thats great.
If no one used EC slots, there would be no accessories and devices made.
Its fashion might be fading, but Im quite sure that its here to stay for another refresh or two on 14" and up laptops

 

manufacturers cant satisfy everyone with a diverse population of needs and opinions. But they can satisfy the majority as there is often a trend in popularity or dislikes. The trend for ECs is that not very many ppl use them. Getting rid of them might be a good move.

I gotta say tho that suggesting having expresscard slots for machines that are gunning to be ever smaller and thinner like for the x120e models and beyond is complete fail and misses the point entirely. Why dont they have bluray drives too and the entire assortment of I/O interfaces from the past 20 years of personal computing?

However, the X120e may benefit from an expansion port module e.g. the ultrabase for the X200 to allow for more expansion ports.

 

I second about dock for x120e, it would be great to have unified docking solution for all X series, not just 12" models.

 

If so, the dock better have the same form factor as the x120 itself, similar to the x200 ultrabase to the x201 and not like the docks for the T series and what not that are wider and connect only to the back portion.

Unfortunately I dont think theres gonna be a dock for the x120e. Hopefully, for the x130e!

 

If you want dock, you should buy X 12" series thinkpad.

For x120e it is obvious that it's the laptop for different audience than people who are using thinkpads docked.

I'm 100% sure that there won't be any dock for those 11" thinkpads.