i.shui.tech

Shortly before getting hold of the Fujitsu (see previous post) I was given time to evaluate the new Thinkpad Tablet. The system configuration was, like the Fujitsu, ~1.3 GHz Centrino with 512MB RAM and 60GB hard drive.

The X41’s sharp black lines really caught my eye. I do like the look and feel of it in my hands. The stylus is neatly kept in a slot accessible from the side of the case, making it easy to access even after closing the LCD. I really like the positive response of the keyboard, which is something that really impresses me about any of the thinkpads. The 4-way rotation button of the screen is very handy, making it easy wetter you are right or left handed.

There are a couple of concerns I have. One, the system seemed slow to boot or wake up. IBM seems to have some very handy utilities that start up on boot, but I wonder if these slow the system a bit at boot time. I also experienced some quirky behavior with the mouse pointer. It would suddenly jump down to the start menu and another open program would be selected. The behavior seemed as if I must have inadvertently hit a keystroke, but I couldn’t figure out what I was doing.

Overall, I was happy with the system. I do wish it could be a bit faster. I presume the quirky mouse behavior may have been some setting that could be dealt with. I’m giving this system a B+. For Thinkpad’s first tablet, it’s a good system, especially for those already familiar with the Thinkpads.

~ by Quyen on October 31, 2005.