Customer Reviews

IBM EXPRESS THINKPAD X41 TABLET ( 18695CU )

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This convertible is a pleasure to use. Performance is not cutting edge however there are a number of conveniences built in that make this a great travel choice.

The swivel hinge is rock solid. If you jiggle the screens of other convertibles, you will often notice a wobble. To me this is just unacceptable as a laptop with a screen that moves erratically is impossible to use.

The screen is outstanding. It is only 12.1 inches diagonally (1024x768) but colours are beautiful and text is as crisp as can be.

The security suite included is a real selling point. There is a fingerprint scanner on the lower left of the screen (using your right thumb to activate is easiest in laptop configuration, and your right index finger in tablet configuration). I've had a few "false negatives" but not enough to complain about. Logging in is far more convenient this way.

There is a strong encryption option which encrypts all data on the hard drive.

There is also a connection manager that efficiently keeps track of the various network configurations (including browser proxy server addresses) for the different networks you might use.

Using it as a tablet takes some getting used to at first, but turns out to be a really cool way to work with a computer. I found the handwriting recognition to be good even with my messy writing. If you write neatly you should achieve nearly perfect recognition.

I also bought OneNote which allows you to write notes just as you would on a ruled pad during meetings or phone calls. A very useful clipping tool (scissors in the quicklaunch bar) allows you to clip any screen region in a freeform shape and paste that into your notes. I would recommend getting this with your tablet and spending some time learning it.

The built-in 802.11g/b radio seems quite sensitive and provides 54Mbps of throughput up to about 40 feet from a plain vanilla wireless access point.

I looked for a small case to accomodate the computer and ended up buying a zippered neoprene sleeve (actually designed for a Powerbook). This is useful to protect against bumps and scratches in a backpack or briefcase, and it looks stylish. Also recommended.

There are a couple of hints I can pass along:

1. Don't be afraid of resting your hand on the screen and pressing fairly hard with the pen. This is a more rugged screen than on standard laptops and will not scratch as easily.

2. There is no optical drive so a 1+GB USB 2.0 thumbdrive is essential. I am still trying to find a good light DVD writer but with no success.

3. Microsoft is pulling out the stops to encourage folks into tablet computing. THey have a great selection of games and extras on their XP Tablet Edition website.

Hope you enjoy it if you get one!

Horrible, horrible, horrible machine. My problems with this machine could fill out a thick Grisham thriller. The fingerprint technology is not working. Certain USB devices are not recognized. The batteries went (almost) dead after 10 months. Wi-Fi is slow and weak: the laptops of my girlfriend or my co-author, put side-by-side, connect much faster and do not lose signals so frequently. Most recently it turned out that bluetooth is not working as well. I tried it with two different devices that, between themselves, established communication in ten seconds. The design of this machine is not so bad but there are various buttons that are either useless (Access IBM) or non-intuitively designed (page up/page down). Go for it if you want to take a risk of getting such a sour lemon as mine.

I bought an X41 tablet used and I love it. The screen is responsive and the tablet features are fun. Not having a cdrom drive is a bummer and it does get warm, but they are easily made up for by the ability to hand-write digital notes on a job site.
Great Product.