Thinkpad X300

While I am a big fan of Panasonic Toughbook/My Let's series, the Y7 is not in the same market segment as X300. The Y7 has the 14.1" display that puts it in the same size class as ThinkPad T series 14.1" models. The T7 and W7 with 12.1" display is more in ThinkPad X series' league. W7 for those who want an optical drive and T7 for those who don't. My personal favorite is the R series.

There are also some nuisances about Panasonics. Some models use Micro-DIMMs that are rare and expensive.

 

http://www.businessweek.com/magazin...2350389.htm?chan=magazine+channel_top+stories

 

That was a great article. thanks for the link.
The envelope test lol

 

Very interesting read. Now that we know the X300 inside and out through all of the coordinated leaks Lenovo has orchestrated and every precise date in its timeline development from this article, I can't wait to find out more information when it launches on Feb. 26th. The suspense is killing me, lol.

 

The Y5/Y7 are not that different from the X300 if you consider size and weight.

Y5/Y7 dimensions: 31 x 24,6 x 4,8 (cm)
X300 dimensions: 31,8 x 23,1 x 2,3 (cm)

Y5/Y7 weight: 1,5 kg
X300 weight: 1,4 kg

However, the Y5/Y7 have the "bulge" located at the screen end but the machine is thinner on the front-end and thanks to this construction (among other things) can withstand 100 kgs of preassure.

On the other hand you get a significanlty faster CPU (up to 1.8 GHz C2D) and longer battery time (up to 6 hours) with the Panasonic.

If it were not for the "bulge" at the screen end of the Y5/Y7 and the memory configuration, I would argue that the Y5/Y7 would be a better choice in almost all aspects compared to the X300.

 

I kind of want this laptop but I don't know if I can handle only a 3 cell battery.

There are also more pics on LenovoBlog's Flickr stream.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38381753@N00/with/2265476245/

 

But the X300 will have an LED-backlit screen, and from what I remember the Panasonics have fairly dim low-nit, quite washed-out looking screens. Also, they only have wireless G. Do you agree?

Andrew

 

Now the specs are almost confirmed. I'm really eager to know what kind of wxga+ LED panel the X300 carries. I don't know why anyone hasn't realized that is very special. Some questions like who manufactures it, where is going to be built and if is going to become a standard in 13.3 inches. I would love to see the same LED panel in M1330's or SZ's.

 

You are correct.
I have heard of NOBODY using a WXGA+ 13.3" panel.
Internet searches for a possible manufacturer come up with nothing.
Lenovo appears to be uniquely sourcing whatever panel this will be.

Andrew

 

I have not seen a Y5/Y7 in real life so you might be right. On the other hand, so far the x-series have had the worst screens among peers (which very well might change with the X300).

I do know that some Toughbooks have extremely impressive brightness (over 800 nits) but could not find the specs for Y5/Y7.

 

since the macbook pro has the most brightest screen on the market (ca. 330 cd/m²~300 nits) i do not believe that the panasonic has over 800 nits.

 

IMHO the lack of a true docking-station/port-replicator is quite puzzling. Even smaller notebooks such as the X61 and TZ have docking ability. And most of the direct competition (such as the SZ) have it.

I would find it infuriating to spend 3K+ on a the "perfect" notebook and still have to plug in power+video+usb everytime I get to the office/home.

 

then don't buy it. mankind always has to complain.... :/

 

The Macbook Pro does not have the highest nit screen. 300 nits isn't even close to the brightest.

The Panasonic CF-30 has 1,000 nits.

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3276

Even the Dell Latitude ATG has 500(+?) nits.

 

Do you know the nit rating on the LED-lit screen for the Dell M1330?

 

ok..now this is just plain retarded....they are trying to use a LV processor to lengthen battery life..yet they only put 3 cells in there???

That is ridiculous..im sorry..but Ill be sticking with the x series..which I can stick a 9 cell on there and the best cpu

 

I couldn't agree more. When I first read about this laptop, it made me rethink my x61s purchase. But assuming the specs discussed are true, my x61s is a bargain compared to this in terms of performance/size.

 

Um, you could always upgrade to a larger capacity battery.

The only downside to this laptop right now is price and processor.

I'm thinking there will be more processor options available in the future. It's too soon to be condemning the X300.

I like it quite a bit.

 

Quite true, there's a 6 cell option + another 3 cell for the bay.

 

didn't know that..my t61 only has a max of a 7 cell..so 6 is not bad

i would not recommend getting the ultrabay battery..it causes more problems...and it gets burnt out quickly

 

Here's the podcast talking about the X300.

http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/qt/podcasts/cover_stories/covercast_02_14_08.mp3

 

I would agree with you, except that I am one of the few that want a trackpad and don't use the trackpoint.

Andrew

 

Comments and more pictures:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=57395

 

Link to great picture of the disassembled X300 from the businessweek article:

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_08/b4072042352896.htm

 

Is it possible to insert one of the new 45nm penryn processors when they come in may?
(some ultra portables have the processor integrated into the motherboard)

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/15/intel-releasing-15-montevina-cpus-in-may/

For example the SL9400?

 

How many college students are in medical school?

JI'm just saying....

 

Review by Walt Moss: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120355033462481317.html?mod=technology_main_promo_left

 

Hmm, battery life isn't as much as I'd like it to be.

The SSD I don't mind since I could attach an external HDD.

All around great notebook, but could've been better IMO.

 

Walt Mossberg is a gigantic douche bag.

First of all, since when is the MBA the gold standard to which sub-notebooks are compared and judged?

Second, that review is so biased in the MBA's favor it is ridiculous. He conveniently fails to mention the differences in the quality of SSDs included in the MBA vs. X300 as well as the fact that the X300 has an optional HDD which brings the price down significantly. Also, he fails to mention the optional drive bay battery which adds yet more battery life and should have been taken into consideration. One of his main arguments for the MBA seems to be the thinness factor which is really useless in terms of portability anyway.

I'll read my *objective* reviews on notebookreview.com, thanks.

 

I agree that he's a douche, but if you check the video review, he does mention the mediabay battery.

Whatever the opinion, when the thing releases on the 26th, my CC is gonna take a hit, if for no other reason, it's a thin and light thinkpad, with a widescreen display.
I wanted a Toshiba R500, but I found the display a touch small, and the display looked crappy with all the light leak from the top and bottom, and I found the speed lacking.
I tried out the LG P300, which was also light, but a touch too thick for my tastes with the raised backside for "ergonomics", It had a great display and super fast processor, loads of storage and ram, but I found it lacked the security features that I prefer to have, battery left quite a bit to be desired, and the external optical drive is something I can't get used to.
From what I'm reading, the x300 addresses all of my issues with the one unit.
5-7hrs of battery life, internal optical, beautiful screen, TPM security with encryption, loads of ram capabilities and SSD drive to offset the slower processor, which by design is still faster than the R500. Add to that it's a Thinkpad, with it's timeless design which won't show signs of wear as fast as a silver keyboard/palmrests, it's rugged design which should last longer than both the LG and Toshiba, to me, it's a no-brainer.

 

edit: never mind

 

I believe it's an LED Matte.

 

Okay...who bought one today?
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...-category-id=AB685843BDD4412BB8FAB17D26FADACF
Price starts @ $2,548.00

 

Am I the only guinea pig?

 

I'm resisting as well as I can...the x200 may be a better machine for me and I don't want to jump the gun! After all, my X61s is only 6 months old...

What config did you buy, how much $, and how did you order it (normally, epp, etc)

 

I picked up the DVD/RW model with 6 cell battery. I have an EPP discount so the total shipped was $2150 ($2250 w/tax). I have 2 2GB DIMMs waiting to go in so I skimped on the RAM.

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