Video of ThinkPad X61s in use?

I was wondering if someone could help me track down some video of the ThinkPad X61s in use? Or maybe even record a small clip?

I'm looking for an ultraportable, and although the thinkpad is heavier than the other alternatives i'm looking at and a bit less asthetically pleasing, its much better speced and i hear it has great battery life.

However, my real concern is the lack of a touchpad... how do people find this? I really can't picture having to use the "nipple" as anything other than a pain, so I've been frantically looking for video of someone using the thinkpad so i can see how they manage not using the touchpad. ideally i'd need to see someone maybe clicking, moving, opening and closing a few windows, maybe a bit of scrolling and then clicking and dragging a file... just to get a sense of how it handles basic tasks.

It seems a real shame there's not trackpad, i'd need to be able to use it without a mouse so its really important.

Cheers.

 

The IBM trackpoint has been mimicked and copied all over the place, there is only one trackpoint and none of them are as good as IBM's. The trackpad sux compared to the trackpoint.

Trust me, you will love it

 

I am one of those people who normally finds using both the TrackPoint and touchpads equally pleasant. However, having just bought a X61, I am reminded of how much I like the TrackPoint. One of the main pros for me, is that you don't have to remove your hand from the keyboard. There is also better flow - i.e. you can navigate in one long movement, instead of sometimes running out of touchpad space.

 

It's takes a little bit of learning curve to get accurate but once you learn how to use it you'll love it.

 

i can't think of any advantage a touchpad has over a trackpoint other than ubiquity and familiarity. the trackpoint has better positioning (hands don't need to leave the home row), and requires less movement (don't need to move fingers across, just slight pressure). think of it like a tiny joystick in your keyboard. of course a touchpad has disadvantages: uses space, bad aesthetics.

i've found the trackpoint the best at scrolling: just hold the middle mouse button and move the nipple up or down. it's more responsive than PgUp+PgDown and it doesn't hesitate. It doesn't click and slow down from friction like a mouse wheel. even the vx revolution's free-spinning mouse wheel gets dirty and slows down after a few weeks.

of course, you want to ditch a rodent or rodent-like device as much as possible. learn and/or use keyboard shortcuts: alt-tab to switch windows, alt-f4 to close them, and as many as you can for your most used applications. i've learned a lot of firefox shortcuts in the past week since i got my x61s

the lack of the touchpad sold me on the x61 series over the t61 and any other competitors. i'm actually looking for a keyboard w/trackpoint for my workstation.

 

well that's all but put my fears to rest... but if any of you could do a short video clip i'd be eternally grateful.


I'm very apt at my keyboard shortcuts and all, but i do a lot of filemanagement, comparison, synchronisations, etc which means that there's not always the shortcut there (I use Directory Opus and XYplorer, instead of explorer)... from the terminal i'm usually hitting esc+esc to auto complete though :lol:


anyway, thanks for the info guys, i'm one step away from buying one (okay, two steps, i need to source this particular build in the uk too:
http://www.euclidcomputers.com/frameset.cgi?finditem+laptop+Lenovo+766945U+yes+no+New+0
its going to need a uk keyboard so i can't order from them )... just would love to see some video of it in use so i'm confident i'll like it.

 

Here's a video I made of me using the TrackPoint:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFC8TICsj5Y

 

I'm one who prefers the trackpad. I personally find the stick to be more work, but I'm always for more choice.

 

spamalam, i really can't emphasize what bradmw said enough. i bought a z61t that had both trackpoint and touchpad, and i never had had a good experience with a "nipple" mouse.

however, after finding the beautiful middle mouse button for scrolling, i rarely use the trackpad. (the only situation i think the trackpad might be ever-so-slightly advantageous is if you need to quickly just point and click somewhere, like if you need to click on a button for a survey).

the middle mouse button scroll feature on the trackpoint is dramatically better. if you scroll using the side "scroll region" of the touchpad, you only can go down the distance of one press of "page down." with the middle mouse scroll button, you can scroll down as long as you'd like, at whichever speed you'd like.

also, clicking and dragging (for moving files, or highlighting a box of icons) is MUCH easier with a trackpoint. If using the touchpad, you have to double tap the pad, but then once your finger hits the edge of the pad (usually after just a short distance), that's it. With a trackpoint, it's like a mouse and you have ultimate control.

it might be about a week for you to get used to the trackpoint, but once you're there, it'll be great.

 

Regardless, seeing a video won't give you the real sensation of it all. I suggest you go to the local Lenovo store and try out the TrackPoint on any ThinkPad.

 

local lenovo store? according to their website the nearest is paris, france:
http://www.pc.ibm.com/europe/lenovo/about/locations.html?uk&cc=uk

Which is the main reason i need some video of the device

They don't even list the X61S on their website.

 

In that case, albeit it is not 100% the same sensation, maybe you could find a Dell Latitude and fiddle around with the trackpoint on that. They come with both the nipple and the touchpad.

All I am saying is try it out before buying, as only you can decide if you like it. Even though I am a TrackPoint fan myself, you have to remember that you posted on the Lenovo board - hence you might get biased opinions from the ThinkPad loyalists.

 

Thanks for the video sp00n

Looks like there's a little bit of learning curve to nipple usage but I can see why people start to prefer it



@Jabba, i'll have to try and find one, probably going to be a mare trying to find one though.

 

I know sometimes staples will have a thinkpad on demo for you to try.