Wobbling battery - how bad is it?

Hi,

A lot of reviews and threads mention this "wobble" of the Lenovo batteries - which quite frankly makes me think twice. I'm gonna place this laptop, well on my lap, so I dont want to feel that it isn't "firmly" laying on my lap if you know what I mean.

So how bad is it? And is the problem on all Lenovos or just some Thinkpads? I'm currently considering Thinkpad T400, SL500 or 3000 N500.

Thanks.

 

The wobble is a result of manufacturing tolerances. The exact amount varies with each individual unit.

All of my ThinkPads have had little to no battery wobble (in fact some were too tight and hard to remove).

The problem is not severe, and does not make it feel unsteady on your lap. You only notice it when you pick up the notebook by the battery as it may slide by a few millimeters and feel unstable (it's not going to fall out though). Basically, I wouldn't use this as a reason not to buy a ThinkPad as most other brands will feature this same problem as well.

I would probably recommend the T400 for its balance of features, quality, and price. However, without knowing your needs it is a little difficult to specify exactly what you need.

 

Thanks for the clarification.

I'm after quality, low noise, battery life, good keyboard and mouse pad. Office usage only - however I need to use the laptop outside on occasion so I guess I will be having some backlighted screen. 14" or 15" doesnt matter as long as the keyboard isnt smaller. All of this suggest the T400 which I really really like in all aspects - besides the lack of hdmi and webcamera which are needed. I like this T400 so much Im thinking of disregard the hdmi requirement and buy external usb camera But if this is a good idea I dont know - I dont know what to expect using integrated camera/mic versus external solution.

I have read about the keyboard light being able to blind the user - is that still an issue with the T400 (or is it a problem with all thinkpads?)?

All this could lead me to the SL500 which has all the nice stuff like 2MP camera, hdmi etc. But I'm afraid that the battery life etc is so much worse that I will regret it...

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Let yourself go with a nice w500 and and forget about worrying. I did and never had any battery wobble with a nine cell.

Renee

 

Don't get the SL, it has inferior build quality/keyboard than the other ThinkPads. The SL is also the only ThinkPad with a gloss screen so it will act like a mirror if you take it outside.

I was always pleased (and never blinded) by the ThinkLight on my T40 and x200, but I have not used a T400 so I can't verify.

The T400 DOES OFFER A WEBCAM (it is built into the bezel next to the ThinkLight). HDMI would be a nice touch, but it is not required in most cases (a lot of newer LCD/Plasma HDTVs have VGA inputs) and the dock offers DisplayPort (HDMI compatible with adapter).

The T400, T500, W500 all use the same keyboard. I would generally recommend the T400 because it is lighter and available with a 1440x900 LED screen (brighter and lower power usage). The T500 is a good choice if you need DisplayPort (on the notebook) or want 1680x1050 resolution. The W500 is appropriate if you run CAD or other applications accelerated by a FireGL card, or if you want 1920x1200 resolution.

 

Thanks, nice to know. However the W500 is way overkill for my ordinary Office usage. I'd rather focus on low noise - now that it is possible e.g. with the T400.

 

Woa - I was recommended the SL500 by a IBM/Lenovo partner/dealer. Hmm. I never thought of checking the sceen. Of course I do not want to see my smiling face in the mirror.

Ok this is great. I must have missed the webcam on the T400 site. I see now that it is there is such a T400. However theres no mention on the resolution. My HP has 0.3MP camera and it is really too low to use for communication. Do you (or anybody else) by any chance know what res this T400 has? And if there is a microphone built in?

I would ask Lenovo myself if I could - but its not possible from their website. Theres only reference to local dealers, and they dont seem to know anything other than what I can read myself on Lenovos website.

 

My x200 has a 1280x1024 webcam (1.3MP) although I tend to only use it at 640x480 (0.3MP) for video conferencing as anything more kills bandwidth. I would assume the T400 features the same camera.

The T400 has an integrated microphone but I am unsure of the quality. My x200 Tablet has a dual array microphone for noise canceling, but I think it is unique in that feature.

 

1.3MP would suffice. Somehow I'll have to get some more info on that microphone through the dealer.

Thanks.

 

The T400 has a microphone to go along with the 1.3mb webcam. I use them both frequently for video and voice, and they work well. The webcam is fine for video conferencing, and the microphone is quite good; it picks up my voice extremely well when I'm sitting in front of the laptop, and has relatively good range.

 

tabook

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I have a 9 cell Sanyo battery for my T61p with no wiggle at all. I am very pleased with it. Also I agree with jonlumpkin, don't go for the SL, go for the R or T series machines.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it does not have the rollcage. That would definitely be a deal-breaker for me.

 

Correct. No it does not.

 

Yet another good news. Excellent. Now I can start looking for a dealer that has the right T400

Thanks