When Lenovo launched the ThinkPad X41 Tablet last year, I became an instant fan. The X41 - a lightweight
portable PC that combined the features of a slate-style, pen-driven
tablet PC and
traditional laptop with a full qwerty keyboard - was the first machine based on Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet PC Edition that fully addressed the mainstream business market.
Now Lenovo, which acquired the ThinkPad business from IBM a couple of years ago, has updated its
portable line-up with the ThinkPad X60 Tablet. The Chinese PC-maker hopes this convertible machine will help it retain its leading position in the
tablet PC market.
I have been testing the ThinkPad X60 for about a month and am impressed with a machine that Lenovo says has "portability without compromise".
Depending on its configuration, the X60 Tablet costs from $1,823 in the US (it should be available in the UK shortly) - so it is not the cheapest convertible around but arguably it is one of the best.
The X60 Tablet builds on the success of its
predecessor, adding a number of important upgrades including a much more powerful Intel Core Duo processor, built-in wide-area wireless broadband, several useful and innovative new features and new screen options.
From the outside, the X60 Tablet looks the same as the X41 except for the
small cellular wireless
antenna that lets it connect to 3G wireless data
networks in the US and elsewhere.
Like its
predecessor, the guts of the ultra-
portable X60 Tablet are built into a strong, flex-resistant magnesium-alloy case that measures 1.1ins thick and comes in
classic ThinkPad black.
In a base configuration, the X60 weighs just 3.76 lb, the same as the X41, and delivers an industry-beating seven and a half hours of computing time with its optional eight-cell
extended lithium-ion
battery installed. (It ships with a standard four-cell
battery.)
ThinkPads perhaps are known above all else for their excellent keyboards and the X60 Tablet is no exception. It is a delight to use and, while I still prefer a touchpad to the ThinkPad's mid-keyboard
navigation stick, I have to admit the stick is responsive and works well.
In terms of performance, my X60 Tablet is powered by a low-voltage Intel Core Duo L2400 1.66 gigahertz processor, a
significant power boost from the X41's Pentium M.
Paired with 1Gb of Ram (expandable to 4Gb), the X60 is
noticeably faster than its
predecessor. In its base configuration, the X60 comes with a 40Gb or 60Gb hard drive that can be upgraded to a
massive 120Gb - ideal for users who need to store lots of multimedia files on their
portables.
My test machine shipped with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition but three versions of Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system - Business, Enterprise and Ultimate - come with built-in support for
tablet devices. I loaded a copy of Vista Ultimate on to the X60 and was impressed with how
smoothly the new translucent Aero interface - and improved pen
navigations and handwriting recognition features - ran on it.
Aside from built-in wireless wide-area
network support, the X60 features upgraded WiFi support.
Among other
notable changes, the X60 comes with a choice of three 12.1in touch-screen options - a basic XGA display (1,024 by 768 pixels), an SXGA+ (1,400 x 1,050) display, which enables additional material to appear on the screen, and a polarising display. The latter, designed for outdoor use, is supposed to reduce screen reflections - especially useful when the X60 is being used in slate
tablet mode.
As with other convertible
tablets, the screen swings through 180 degrees and folds flat, locking into position over the keyboard. In
tablet mode, users can navigate and write on the screen using an improved pen-shaped plastic "digitiser". Like the X41, the X60's screen has a coating that makes it feel more like paper and is
reasonably easy to write on.
The X60 also has NavDial, a four-direction
navigation pad with a centred Enter button for use in
tablet mode. In another neat design touch the X60 comes with an ActiveRotate, which
automatically rotates the screen image depending on how the machine is being held.
When Lenovo launched the ThinkPad X41 Tablet last year, I became an instant fan. The X41 - a lightweight
portable PC that combined the features of a slate-style, pen-driven
tablet PC and
traditional laptop with a full qwerty keyboard - was the first machine based on Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet PC Edition that fully addressed the mainstream business market.
Now Lenovo, which acquired the ThinkPad business from IBM a couple of years ago, has updated its
portable line-up with the ThinkPad X60 Tablet. The Chinese PC-maker hopes this convertible machine will help it retain its leading position in the
tablet PC market.
I have been testing the ThinkPad X60 for about a month and am impressed with a machine that Lenovo says has "portability without compromise".
Depending on its configuration, the X60 Tablet costs from $1,823 in the US (it should be available in the UK shortly) - so it is not the cheapest convertible around but arguably it is one of the best.
The X60 Tablet builds on the success of its
predecessor, adding a number of important upgrades including a much more powerful Intel Core Duo processor, built-in wide-area wireless broadband, several useful and innovative new features and new screen options.
From the outside, the X60 Tablet looks the same as the X41 except for the
small cellular wireless
antenna that lets it connect to 3G wireless data
networks in the US and elsewhere.
Like its
predecessor, the guts of the ultra-
portable X60 Tablet are built into a strong, flex-resistant magnesium-alloy case that measures 1.1ins thick and comes in
classic ThinkPad black.
In a base configuration, the X60 weighs just 3.76 lb, the same as the X41, and delivers an industry-beating seven and a half hours of computing time with its optional eight-cell
extended lithium-ion
battery installed. (It ships with a standard four-cell
battery.)
ThinkPads perhaps are known above all else for their excellent keyboards and the X60 Tablet is no exception. It is a delight to use and, while I still prefer a touchpad to the ThinkPad's mid-keyboard
navigation stick, I have to admit the stick is responsive and works well.
In terms of performance, my X60 Tablet is powered by a low-voltage Intel Core Duo L2400 1.66 gigahertz processor, a
significant power boost from the X41's Pentium M.
Paired with 1Gb of Ram (expandable to 4Gb), the X60 is
noticeably faster than its
predecessor. In its base configuration, the X60 comes with a 40Gb or 60Gb hard drive that can be upgraded to a
massive 120Gb - ideal for users who need to store lots of multimedia files on their
portables.
My test machine shipped with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition but three versions of Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system - Business, Enterprise and Ultimate - come with built-in support for
tablet devices. I loaded a copy of Vista Ultimate on to the X60 and was impressed with how
smoothly the new translucent Aero interface - and improved pen
navigations and handwriting recognition features - ran on it.
Aside from built-in wireless wide-area
network support, the X60 features upgraded WiFi support.
Among other
notable changes, the X60 comes with a choice of three 12.1in touch-screen options - a basic XGA display (1,024 by 768 pixels), an SXGA+ (1,400 x 1,050) display, which enables additional material to appear on the screen, and a polarising display. The latter, designed for outdoor use, is supposed to reduce screen reflections - especially useful when the X60 is being used in slate
tablet mode.
As with other convertible
tablets, the screen swings through 180 degrees and folds flat, locking into position over the keyboard. In
tablet mode, users can navigate and write on the screen using an improved pen-shaped plastic "digitiser". Like the X41, the X60's screen has a coating that makes it feel more like paper and is
reasonably easy to write on.
Like other members of the ThinkPad family, the X60 has a fingerprint reader, providing added security for those who take the trouble to activate the biometric software.
Lenovo's ThinkVantage Technologies software suite is also included. The utilitiesinclude an
access connection manager and an active protection system, which
temporarily "parks" the hard drive if it detects a sudden movement such as a fall.
Other modules include basic
maintenance and productivity tools, a solid rescue and
recovery suite and a system
migration assistant, which makes it easy to transfers files and settings from an old PC to a new machine.
Overall, Lenovo's X60 Tablet is an
impressive machine and a worthy
successor to the popular X41 Tablet.
中国电脑制造商联想(Lenovo)前年发布ThinkPad X41平板电脑时,我立即成为它的拥趸。X41是一款轻巧的便携式电脑,融合了板式手写输入平板电脑及全键盘传统笔记本的特色,是首款基于微软(Microsoft)Windows XP平板电脑版(Windows XP Tablet PC Edition)的笔记本。微软的这一操作系统完全面向的是主流商务市场。
联想几年前从IBM手中收购了ThinkPad业务,目前已用ThinkPad X60平板电脑更新了其笔记本电脑产品系列。联想希望,这款笔记本电脑能有助于保住自己在平板电脑市场的领先地位。
我已对ThinkPad X60进行了大约一个月的测试,对这款联想声称"超级便携"的机器印象深刻。
根据配置的不同,X60平板电脑在美国的最低售价为1823美元,因此不能说它是最便宜的笔记本电脑,但它无疑是最好的笔记本电脑之一。
X60平板电脑以前身的成功为基础,并添加了许多重要的功能升级,包括一个更强大的英特尔酷睿双核(Intel Core Duo)处理器,内置广域无线宽带,数项创新性的有用新功能,还有新增的屏幕选项。
从外观看,X60平板电脑与X41如出一辙,只是X60配有小型蜂窝无线天线,使其在美国和其它地方可以与3G无线数据网络相连接。
与前身一样,超轻薄X60平板电脑的内核也嵌在可抗弯曲的坚固镁合金外壳里,外壳厚1.1英寸,采用经典的ThinkPad黑色。
基础配置的X60重量仅为3.76磅,与X41相同。若选配8芯扩展锂电池,则可提供独步业内的7.5小时工作时间。(标配为4芯电池。)
ThinkPad最出名的或许是其卓越的键盘,X60平板电脑也不例外。使用其键盘是一种愉悦,尽管我仍然更喜欢使用触摸板,而不是ThinkPad键盘中央的导航指杆,但我不得不承认,其指杆反应灵敏,操作便捷。
就性能而言,我的X60平板电脑使用的是低压英特尔酷睿L2400 1.66 GHz处理器,运行能力较X41的奔腾M(Pentium M)处理器有显著提高。
配上1Gb的内存(可扩展至4Gb),X60的运行速度明显快于其前身。X60的基础配置为40Gb或60Gb硬盘,可升级至120Gb大容量硬盘--很适合那些需要在笔记本中存储大量多媒体文件的用户。
我测试的机型安装的是Windows XP平板电脑版操作系统,但微软新Windows Vista操作系统的三个版本--商业版(Business)、企业版(Enterprise)和终极版(Ultimate)--均内置对平板电脑的支持。我在X60上安装了Vista终极版本,透明的新Aero界面--以及改良的手写笔导航和手写识别功能--在上面运行得非常流畅,给我留下了深刻印象。
除内置广域无线网络支持以外,X60还具有升级的WiFi支持。
其它的显著变化包括,X60有三种12.1英寸触摸屏可供选择--基础的XGA显示器(1024 x 768 像素),可显示更多内容的SXGA+显示器(1400 X 1050 像素),以及偏光(polarising)显示器。偏光显示器为户外用途设计,应能减少屏幕反光,当X60使用平板模式时尤为有用。
与其它旋转屏平板电脑一样,X60的屏幕可旋转180度,折叠为平板,键盘上方锁定位置。在平板模式下,用户可以使用改良的塑料"数字笔",在屏幕上导航和书写。与X41一样,X60的屏幕上覆有一层膜,使其感觉更像纸张,书写起来相当方便。
X60也有多维导航键(NavDial)--四个方向的导航板,中间有可在平板模式下使用的"输入"按钮。X60的另一个简洁设计是动态旋转(ActiveRotate)功能,可以依据拿电脑的方式,自动旋转屏幕上的图像。
它还缺少一个内置光驱--在我看来,这是X60为数不多的缺陷之一--但用户可以购买一个片状的扩展坞UltraBase,其中包括一个内置光驱和许多额外的接口。
X60还预装了InterVideo的虚拟光驱软件,让用户可以将DVD和CD拷贝并存储到硬盘上,以备路上播放。
和ThinkPad家族中的其它成员一样,X60拥有指纹读取器,它为那些不怕麻烦去激活这个生物软件的人,提供了额外的安全保护。
X60还预装了联想的ThinkVantage Technologies软件包,其功能包括访问接入管理以及一个主动保护系统--如果系统探测到下落等突然的移动,就会自动暂时让硬盘停止工作。
其它模块包括基础的维护和办公工具,一套可靠的救援和恢复软件,以及一个系统迁移助理--可方便地将文件和设置从旧电脑转移至新电脑。
总体来讲,联想X60平板电脑是一台出色的机器,可担当受欢迎的X41平板电脑的换代产品。
它为旋转屏商务平板电脑设立了新的基准。
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