I have tried to answer many questions on many mediums (email, comments, youtube) regarding the X220 Tablet. Here's some of them.
BFDonnelly
My questions, which should be just this side of obvious:
1. How is it to work with in portrait mode? Does software nag you about the narrow width (768px)?
2. How does it balance with the right, left hand?
3. Can you explain the options for glass vs. input--and the cost of the options?
4. Is there some good way to scroll it?
Thanks!
Jesse B Andersen
1. The portrait mode works ok. It really does depend on the size of your documents. If your read PDFs with a specific width you would have to zoom out to view them properly. If you read content that resizes like .epub files then you won't have problems with the new 768 resolution.
2. I can carry it with my left arm and use the stylus with the right and it feels solid. Carrying it with the right is also ok. As long as you hold the system at about the middle part part of the battery you won't have a problem.
3. Infinity glass is the multitouch + stylus. The Gorilla glass version accepts pen input only and is supposed to be the "outdoor" model which means that it will work better in direct sunlight. If you are in shade the Infinity glass version will do fine.
4. I'm not sure what you mean with "Is there some good way to scroll it?" If you mean scrolling through web pages or documents then you can use your fingers to do it like iPad/iPhone do it.
tivoboy
Is anyone really going to buy a tablet anymore? I mean, I HAVE an x60t or something like that. Don't use it anymore, ipad has replaced it for touch engaged things.
Not trying to create a riot or anything, but even though I LOVE convertibles and have used tablets since the beginning days - I DO think they are pretty much over.
Jesse B Andersen
I think there's a market for specific users. People that want to take electronic notes, or use it for art purposes will find the X220T useful.
The slate tablets like the iPad and Android tablets are great touch systems that deliver a wonderful touch experience. Obviously Windows has gotten a bit behind on that.
I use the X220 Tablet for several purposes. The X220 Tablet can be a Desktop PC with it's docking station, a laptop, and a tablet. It's one machine that can do multiple jobs. The key to the system working well in so many "modes" is software.
AtomicTesting
From the Lenovo forums, here is the tabbook product spec sheet for pretty much everything they've got. The x220t is at the bottom. http://www.lenovo.com/psref/pd... Hopefully that will answer a lot of questions for people.
BFDonnelly's question #3 is also answered on the Lenovo forums. You can get this tablet in a Gorilla glass version, but that version does not have capacitive touch - it is stylus only. The other option is Infinity Glass which is the 2-finger touch, 5-finger gesture device, which also works with the stylus.
Since I can see all the specs on this device, I'm curious how fast it boots to desktop. Some video demos looked like the machine actually boots up pretty slowly, but Lenovo's unboxing video was only booted to the Win7 install process, which obviously isn't a usable system until the process is completed.
Also, how well does this machine handle 3D gaming? I don't expect it to be a powerhouse since there is no option except the comparatively weak embedded video hardware, but if it can play modern games reasonably well on moderate settings I'd be happy with it.
Jesse B Andersen
From my experience the boot up times have not improved drastically. It might be because I have a 54000 rpm hard drive. The sleep/resume is were the game is at and the system does well at it.
3D gaming capabilities have improved big time since the X201 Tablet. Do not expect to run hardcore 3D games on this system, but you can run several modern games on low settings. I have a video about it on Youtube.
Willem
1. What does the difference in screens mean for the end-user
2. What is the inking capability like on the 220t. Please show extensive demo. Inking experience, vectoring, palm rest, inking speed, ink-to-test speed recognition in the TIP, Journal and OneNote 2010
3. What is the touch experience like?
4. What is your opinion on the ergonomics?
5. Any plusess and minuses between X220T and X60T?
6. What are your experiences on the screen brightness?
7. What are your experiences on battery life bewteen, heavy, light and medium use with the 6 cell battery.
8. What are your experiences on the rotation speed
9. Multitouch: true or not?
10. Sleep-wake cycle speeds? Amazing or downright disappointing?
11. Any noteworthy crapware on the system?
12. What are your experiences on fan noise and heat production?
13. Can the screen be swivled both ways?
14. Does the X220T also have a Lenovo overlaying tablet touch friendly UI as in the X200T?
15. Will Lenovo provide friendely discounts for extra batteries for its customers of previous tablet pruchaseres?
16. Will Lenovo provide better support for tis tablet customers, and keep their promise?
Jesse B Andersen
That's just too many questions... but I'll answer some.
1. Different screens for different purposes (inside = Infinity glass, outside the house/office = Gorilla Glass).
2. Inking is similar to the previous Wacom tablets. Thinking too much about this will get you nowhere.
3. The touch experience is ok. Windows doesn't do the greatest job at it.
4. Ergonomics depend on the mode that you are using it on. Great as a laptop, good as a desktop replacement, ok as a touch landscape/portrait tablet, and better than iPad at pen input.
5. I don't have the X60T so I don't know.
6. The brightness is similar to the Macbook Air. The screen is one of the best I have seen.
7. If you use the system under extremely intensive applications you will get about 1 hour (running Battery Eater), normal/medium use will get you about 4:30 hours. I have not tried light usage but I can guestimate about 7 to 8 hours. This is all with 6-cell battery.
8. Improved since the X201 Tablet. It's still no iPad.
9. Yes it can do multi-touch.
10. Great sleep/wake speeds. I got a video were I show it.
11. The review units don't have crapware/bloatware included. I presume the versions that will ship to consumers will have some bloatware. It's just how the game is played by companies that need to make money.
12. The X220's fan noise is very minimal when you are not pushing the system. If you do decide to turn Intel's Turbo Boost and Lenovo's Turbo Boost+ then you will hear the fan at it's peak.
13. The screen goes one way only.
14. The X220 Tablet has Lenovo's SimpleTap. Other than that it's just Windows 7.
15. No idea.
16. The best way to get attention when running into problems is to "bitch/complain" about them at every medium you can (Twitter, Facebook, Forums, Review places that allow comments, their Wikipedia, blogs, etc). If they promise one thing and they don't deliver then do it. For example HP is completely hideous at shipping custom made laptops. I have been waiting 3 weeks for HP DV6T Quad Edition and today I got a note that there's a delay and the system won't ship until May. I paid for a system in which I had to wait for 6 weeks. Simply terrible, hideous, and it makes me never want to buy again. I'm sure people will get a variety of experiences. It's good to know both good experiences and bad ones.
Bruce
1. This appears to have fewer buttons along the edge than even the X200/201T has. Losing the directional arrows/center OK button was a huge step down already from the X60/61T series. Are there really fewer buttons than the X200/201T? If so, what are they thinking -- that no one uses this in slate mode?
2. Going from 4x3 to widescreen was also a serious downgrade from the X60/61T to the X200/201T. At leas the X200/201T series have 1280x800 screens. I've tried 768px wide screens in portrait mode before (Motion M1400) and I've sworn to never do so again. For web browsing 800px wide in portrait mode is my minimum. Do they offer/plan to offer any higher resolution screens? I'm NOT going back to 768px wide in portrait mode.
3. Are the batteries from the X200/201T series compatible with this tablet? If not, then it will be easier for me to look elsewhere when the time comes to upgrade if I don't like the answers to 1 & 2 above...
Jesse B Andersen
1. Yes there are now three buttons which are Power, Ctrl+Alt+Del, and Rotation. I didn't use the bezel buttons that much with the X201 Tablet, and maybe there are those that did it big time with the X60/61T series. You can assign "Press" and "Press and hold" functions to only the "Rotation" button. So you could almost say that there's 4 buttons! ;-)
2. I thought it was strange to see that the system went to 768px too. Websites are not going to be redesigned to fit the resolution. I have to say that wide screen movies are actually excellent with the X220 Tablet's screen. :)
3. The batteries of the X200 and X201 T are not compatible with this system. This uses an all new battery design.
Hope that answers a few of your questions.
If you have questions you can add them to the comments and I'll do my best to answer them. Thanks!
