Reliable Ultraportable. Review on Lenovo Thinkpad X201i

After my happy association with the 15 incher Thinkpad R52 since April2006 (still going strong), I decided to go for the Thinkpad for my ultraportable requirement last year. This was done after an extensive research and benefit-cost analysis of products like Sony Vaio SR series, plethora of netbooks of each manufacturer including Lenovo, Sony, Dell etc., even including the thinkpad X100e and Thinkpad Edge 13". Internet reviews, customer reviews were seen as well as feedback from salesmen and known owners were taken.

My criteria of a 1-1.5 kg laptop (with or without a CD drive) with screen size 11-13 inch with a powerful processor was somewhat met by Thinkpad Edge Core2Duo at a better price point. The AMD processors & ATI Radeon graphics available in Thinkpad X100e series were not reported to be powerful enough to meet the criteria of a full function PC.

After settling on the Thinkpad X201 series with Core i3 Processor with Windows7, the order took about 10 days to fulfill. One thing I felt was the non-availability of the model at retail shops without a first hand experience before buying. But did not pinch me much trusting the Thinkpad quality.

As soon as the laptop was in my hand, I could realise this mini-wonder’s power. Never have I felt that I am working on a 12 incher.

The keyboard is full sized; the power of Core i3 coupled with 2 GB RAM with Windows7 makes the experience very smooth and speedy. There is a 320 GB HDD. I really wonder why laptops do not offer partitioning of the HDD for models with preloaded OS. A McAfee 1 year 1 PC License CD was a free add-on with a standard Targus Thinkpad Carry Case.

The X201i has both the Thinkpad’s Trackpoint as well as Touchpad, which was missing in previous X200 series. I was waiting for the touchpad to appear in this size, before I finally went for it, having used touchpads all there years. It also has the fingerprint reader. This makes power on of each user very convenient. There is no requirement of typing the password and the users can directly open their account by swipe of a finger. This works for reviving the PC from standby mode too.

In ports, the model offers 3 USB2, Phone Modem jack, LAN port, 1 port for Monitor/Projector. A Full size PCMCIA port is available which can really give an option of extending any kind of port available thru PCMCIA cards. There is a SIM Card module installed inside the battery space. However, it has to be coupled with a WWLAN card configured with the Mobile Operator, which I need to explore. However, with 3G sticks now available for Rs 2000-3000, option of an additional card for 5000/- may be weighed.

Since this is strictly a business laptop there are no HDMI port given. However, I feel the need for a Firewire port to download my miniDV Videos. However, it may be in keeping with the times, where the new generation of Consumer Camcorders are offering USB2 ports and MPEG4 videos.

The suite of Thinkvantage Technologies is really helpful in keeping the PC updated from the Lenovo support site. Rescue & Recovery suite is also available.

There is a very smart password manager available, which stores and later prompts your username & password and fills up the form only after swiping the finger.

The internet connection with wifi is excellent. However, this machine is amazing with the Bluetooth connectivity with my mobile. The internet experience thru Bluetooth & GPRS edge is also very satisfying. I’ve yet to try the 3G internet speeds thru mobile or 3G stick. With battery life of 3—4 hours, a true wireless experience with Bluetooth even without a hot-spot is ensured.

Since there is no CD Drive, there are issues in loading the softwares. However, first I’ve to copy the CD content on a pen drive and then install them. As a one-time exercise, didn’t pinch much. I loaded Daemontool Lite, but its not working . Shall require some tech support, I believe.

Overall, a great machine, size of a 1inch stack of A4 paper. Recommended for people with specific requirement of small size with full power.