PortableOne SX -vs- Thinkpad T60

I'd really appreciate it if you could comment if your name isn't ivan AND you have seen both asus & thinkpad laptops before...or have used a transflective laptop screen outside. You could really help out with my decision a lot! ;-)

Here's the situation: I'm a student, and I've been looking at laptops forever, right? And I've virtually settled on 2 extremely good laptops, but it's too tricky for me to decide without being able to examine both of them side-by-side...instead, there is no store or person i know of in my hometown that has either a Thinkpad or an ASUS.

Let me just jump to my 4 overall options...which one would you pick and why?

1) $ 960 IBM Thinkpad T60 w/out Transflective screen
2) $1200 PortableOne SX w/out Transflective screen
3) $1360 IBM Thinkpad T60 with Transflective screen
4) $1600 PortableOne SX with Transflective screen

Pretty difficult choice for me considering I can't see either one of these in stores but will have to use this laptop for at least 3 more years...and i feel like the transflective screen is something I'd just have to see and test around with outside & fluorescent lighting. I just dunno.

Durability, build quality, screen quality, overall feel, & linux compatibility are prolly the largest factors for me but, I have never seen an ASUS laptop, so I have no sense in comparing the two different laptops.

What should I do, guys?

 

From everything I've read, people on this forum are big fans of the Thinkpad T60...that would be my choice!

 

But you haven't seen the ASUS laptops? This is exactly why I'm trying to find someone who's seen both too compare directly on build quality...

Ya know, lots of people on this forum are big fans of ASUS notebooks too! I need facts, not a popularity contest!

 

please don't post more than once regarding the same topic... can't decide where to reply so that others can have the "forum"

i have used a T43 14in (much like the T60) and its great. nice quality. very superb. not that heavy, has the mass that tells you its not a crappy notebook and is built tough (not a toughbook that is)

i forgot the model of the asus i have used... great feel too, but am still for the T43 (T60). i don't like the mirror-like screen of asus.

if you're gonna use a laptop with transflective screen outdoors.. hmm can't say anything about that. just use it if you're within a shade so that no glare can get to it. you'll hate it if your typing documents and suddenly see a white light spot on the screen

 

That's the whole point of transflective screens...is to not have to find shade! It's basically the best of glossy & matte screens, from what I gather at least. I love glossy screens unless I'm on the run, and I don't particularly care for matte screens too much....so I probably will go with the transflective screen actually. I don't think it could hurt to try, at least hurt anything other than my wallet.

 

hurting your wallet will mean not hurting your precious eyes

by the way guys.. go into the GAMING (SOFTWARE AND GRAPHICS CARD) section... under " Why PC Gaming is Gonna DIE" hehe just sharing the fun

 

good tip...I'm going to buy the transflective screen because it apparently is better than both transmissive and reflective screens. And I do like to be a trendsetter, hence me not wanting a Thinkpad but an Asus with transflective screen.

I liked your first tip, but this was was just plain silly. PC Gaming will never die and for too many reasons. You will always find 2 to 4 times as many pc games in stores as you will pc software, and that's not going to change. PCs are very modular/upgradable; consoles are not. Sure they might converge...like PCs will get smaller, and consoles will gain more advanced computing features...but THEY WILL COEXIST for at least a few more decades.

Heck...If anything, I'd say that console gaming would die before PC gaming. Once PCs get small enough, why buy another computer when you could just buy a controller (with IR & accelerometers like the Wii-mote of course).

Really, it always comes down to developer support. ALWAYS.

 

I am familiar with both the Thinkpads and the Asus machines; while I don't own the current models, I bought a precursor of the T60, the T42, for my older daughter and the Portableone UX, which was a modified Asus, last year for my younger daughter. I don't think there is a comparison- the UX is MUCH better.

The Thinkpad is nicely built but does not have a rock solid feel. The keyboard is nice. The screen is adequate but not stellar. I also helped a friend set up a T60 this summer for her daughter for school, so got to play with one and had the same so-so impression. It is a nice machine, don't get me wrong, but after using the UX the T60 was disappointing.

As I said, the UX I have is a modified Asus. The machine is incredibly durable. My daughter uses it for law school, so it is in and out of a messenger bag crammed with books all day long. Law students put laptop durability to the test because they are used constantly and are on the go. We bought the machine in October of 2006 (long story, but she started law school with a Fujitsu which was returned after 3 months; now that was a very poorly constructed and unreliable machine), so it has been used for 14 months. Aside from a few scratches on the wristrest from her watch/bracelets and a high sheen on the keyboard from extensive use, the laptop looks and feels new. The hinges are rock solid; there is no creaking when the case is pressed on. It just has a real durable feel and has held up beautifully. You would think that it was a few months old, rather than the extensive use it has been given.

Performance-wise it has proven to be very reliable. Aside from having to reinstall the video driver when new (which was a minor inconvenience) the unit has been a solid performer.

As for the screen- I can give you a lot of input here. The Thinkpad screen is a matte screen- nice but a bit dull looking. I opted for the transreflective screen upgrade on the UX and I have posted before about it. I am extremely visually-picky and this is, by far, the BEST screen I have seen on any laptop- and I have looked at just about everything out there in several of the computer stores. As I mentioned, this replaced a Fujitsu S7020 laptop with a Crystal View screen; many feel that the Fujitsu CV screens are the best glossy screens on the market. I had the opportunity to compare the CV screen to Portableone's screen upgrade side by side. The CV screen is a very nice screen (much nicer than the Thinkpad, btw), but there is an issue with glare with overhead lighting and even indoors if by a window. The transreflective screen combines the best of both worlds- it has the clarity and color richness of a glossy screen, but the eye comfort, esp. working with text for extended periods, of a matte screen. Overhead glare isn't an issue and you can sit under a skylight or in front of a window comfortably. While I didn't take it outdoors in full sun, I did work with it under a skylight with the sun streaming in.

If you can afford it, there is no question as to what I'd pick. And- I know you didn't want Ivan to chime in- but I have to tell you, talking to him is a pleasure. Portableone's service is unparalleled- if you have a problem a real person answers the phone within a few rings and will work with you to resolve it. They are never too busy to help, even after the sale. You won't be sorry if you buy from them; I can't recommend them highly enough!!!

Good luck in school and enjoy your break!