X61 tablet screen options questions

Hi,

I started to think about getting X61 tablet and even though it will be at least half a year before I actually get the machine (I need it for university which I will more than likely start in September) I already begin to read about it.

Machine looks impressive but I was wondering about the screen options available to pick from Lenovo US website while customizing your purchase. It seems to be either XGA (1024x768) with Multitouch or SXGA+ (1400x1050) withouth Multitouch. So I will either get lower resolution screen and be able to use both stylus and fingers or higher resolution screen and be limited to stylus only. Is this correct or am I missing something?

Can somebody explain me this, please? Thanks in advance for your replies.

P.S. Sorry if there's a thread about this on the forum already - I just could not find this particular information.

 

Even though I just asked this question days ago I got a reply fast.
You can check it out here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=3008176#post3008176

 

I'm still confused are they the same then except for the resolution?

 

Directly from the thread that nobrains posted:

Your statement about the inability to use fingers on the SXGA+ screen is correct.

 

That kind of sucks. You have to trade touch sensor, and having a regular cpu instead of low voltage one just to have a small upgrade to resolution. I've been looking at the x61 to go smaller if I sell me sager. I obviously wanted the better screen, but now I'm thinking the less res screen is the better one.

 

whtvr, how much is the X60 tablet going to set you back? I'm in university right now, and you might be dissappointed with a 12.1" screen. It really doesn't give you much to work with... unless you're strictly planning on using the machine as a note taker/word processor/excel spreadsheet cruncher/and portable movie machine, I would suggest you move into the 13.3" screen size.

Depending on your price range, I would definitely take a look at the Sony SZ. It is a reliable brand/machine, with a larger screen, possibly just as long battery life, and a much more useable gfx card for those very occasional gaming stints (btw, it has a 8400gs that can be toggaled to a intel 3100x gfx to save battery life on the go)

Anyway, unless you're 100% sure you need the touchscreen feature, then I would reconsider buying a 12" laptop because it isn't really practical (plus, you are only sacrificing 0.5lb for a 1"+ bigger screen which isn't a big trade-off at all, imho) This is all coming from a business student... So unless you are planning on enrolling in architecture or graphics art, then the "drawing/writing" feature isn't that useful, and fyi, typing notes is much faster than writing notes.


Cheers,
Travis

 

It's actually X61 tablet and considering current price and the fact I won't buy it in next couple of months I'd say it'll be around 2000 euros (I don't think I'll be able to go to US for shopping... ). As for 12" screen right now I use Thinkpad X30 with such screen and physical dimensions are fine - screen it's not too small. It's the resolution I'm more concerned about. 1024x768 is just not enough and that's why I looked on 1440x1050 (or sth like this) on X61t. I don't really need widescreen, I just need more screen real estate.

As I am going to start an engineering course I'll use the machine in many possible ways, including but not limited to word processing, spreadsheets, programming, web browsing, occasional photo editing as well as some multimedia entertainment such as watching movies.

I definitely won't be playing any demanding 3d games on this machine and for all other 2d/3d purposes intel x3100 card will be enough.

Price is not my primary concern (meaning I wouldn't hesitate to spend more if there's a good reason) but IMHO VAIOs are a little bit overpriced for what they offer. I am also big fan of Thinkpads (especialy keyboards but looks as well) and Trackpoint is a must for me (I hate touchpads)

To be honest it's not a touchscreen I looked on but the hi-res. They don't offer regular X61 with 1440x1050 screens. And as for 13" X300 just came out but I don't think it'd be my next machine unless it'll be offered with regular SATA drive - 64GB is just not enough for my needs.

As a touch typist I'm well aware of this but it also depends on what sort of notes you're talking - diagrams, charts or drawings obviously can't be done fast on keyboard...

 

Go for the higher resolution option. The advantage will be clear when you do your engineering diagrams. As for any possible concern of text being tiny, it is possible to enlarge or zoom-in.


rgds.