Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet

These days, convertible tablet PCs are showing up as more than just a blip on the radar. They've been widely adopted in the vertical markets, and students are embracing them. Lenovo (formerly IBM) has long been a leader in the convertible tablet PC space. In the ThinkPad X61 Tablet ($1,934 direct) Lenovo continues to fuse the design of its darling X-Series ultraportable (see ThinkPad X60s) with the tablet's functionality. With the best keyboard in the industry, very good performance scores, and a sturdy design, the X61 Tablet earns an Editors' Choice award to set beside Lenovo's previous one in this space, the ThinkPad X41 Tablet.

While it's clear that convertible tablets are picking up traction, the penetration hasn't been at the level of some of the more popular laptops. It could be that consumers haven't yet grasped the idea of using a digitizer pen on a laptop. Maybe the price premium is putting off potential customers. And perhaps the fact that two of the top three laptop vendors, Dell and Apple, haven't officially announced any tablet PCs of their own has limited their growth. Regardless, Lenovo has made significant progress with the ThinkPad X61 Tablet, making the adjustment easy for many would-be tablet converts.

Lenovo's overall tablet design hasn't changed since the ThinkPad X41 Tablet first launched in 2005. The magnesium alloy–backed frame and the pitch-black ID are no different from those of the rest of the ThinkPad line. The frame guards against wear and tear, and the conservative black trim lets people know that this machine means business. The X41 Tablet was one of the lightest tablets around, but lately, the competition has been growing fierce. The X61's 66-Wh extended battery boosts the weight to 4.4 pounds. Meanwhile, the Fujitsu Lifebook T2010 is able to keep things under 4 pounds with its 93-Wh extended battery. Opting for a 4-cell battery and saving $50 can get the X61 Tablet under 4 pounds, but it would leave you with appallingly short battery life. On the other hand, the HP Compaq 2710p (3.9 lbs) can get away with its 44-Wh battery, since it's using extremely low-powered components.

The trend in laptops is toward widescreens, even on tablets. Lenovo, however, is holding firm with the X61's standard screen. You have one choice for screen resolution—1,024-by-768. (Lenovo used to offer an SXGA resolution (1,400-by-1,050) on its non-tablet ultraportable, but font sizes became too small to read.) The standard 12-inch screen is better for writers like me, because there's less vertical scrolling. The Fujitsu T2010, the HP Compaq 2710p, and the Gateway C-120X have 12-inch widescreens optimized for multimedia tasks, while the standard-screen X61 is geared toward office work. The matte screen on the X61 Tablet offsets a lot of the glare coming from external lighting directed at the screen. In contrast, the intensely bright glossy screen on the Fujitsu T2010 is great for color-rich projects, but does little to minimize glare.

Hands down, the ThinkPad X61 Tablet provides the best typing experience in the business. Its full-size keyboard is unmatched, and the TrackPoint pointing stick technology is one of a kind. The HP 2710p comes close, but its pointing stick is too stiff for my taste. The Fujitsu T2010 has a responsive pointing stick, but its keyboard doesn't give the satisfying resistance provided by the X61 Tablet's keyboard. Rotating the screen to write on these convertible tablets makes them more equal. A good portion of the writing experience is dependent on the operating system; all of the above mentioned tablets load Windows Vista Business , which has an optimized tablet interface built in. On all of them, the writing recognition is terrific and can be further improved by Vista's Tablet PC Pen Training application. The pen-on-screen feel and the feel of the digitizer pen in your hand are what distinguish the tablets from one another. Writing on the X61, as on most tablets, involves light strokes. You don't have to press as hard as when writing on a piece of paper, so your hands don't tire as fast. The digitizer pen has a rubber grip in the middle that increases the comfort level, though I wish the pen had a little more girth, like the one found on the Motion Computing LE1700.

As for features, the only thing missing on the ThinkPad X61 Tablet is a built-in optical drive. But every convertible tablet is a compromise: You either want the lightest system possible, or opt for a heavier system with the ability to watch DVDs and install software. For example, the Gateway C-120X approaches 5 pounds with its built-in dual-layer DVD burner. Lenovo offers a 2-pound docking station ($200) that has a built-in optical drive, but carrying an extra piece does strain the shoulders. As an alternative, the HP 2710p's docking station is a lot lighter (1.5 pounds) and also integrates a dual-layer DVD burner. Like the Fujitsu T2010, the X61 Tablet has three USB ports and one FireWire port, but it also adds mobile broadband. You can choose between Cingular's HSDPA and Verizon's EV-DO services, as indicated by the antenna bump on top of the screen.

I'm still scratching my head, wondering if I'll ever see a sub-4-pound convertible tablet with a standard-voltage processor. The ThinkPad X61 Tablet loads a low-voltage 1.6-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo L7500 CPU. It could be worse: You could be using an ultra-low-voltage (ULV) processor like the ones found on the Fujitsu T2010, HP 2710p, and the Gateway C-120X. Even with 2GB of RAM, ULV processors have a tough time keeping up with Windows Vista. Over time, Vista will hog precious space and slow down your system. You can get away with a ULV processor by running Windows XP, but Microsoft will make you switch eventually. That said, the L7500 is a good choice if you want the best of both worlds: performance and battery life. If you don't mind the heft, the Fujitsu Lifebook T4210, the Toshiba Portégé M400, and the Gateway M285-E, with their Core 2 Duo T7000 series CPUs, can get you the power you need on a tablet, but there's a price to pay in battery life.

What you do get with low-voltage processors is all-day battery life. The X61 Tablet managed to rack up 5 hours and 17 minutes on MobileMark 2007, thanks to its low-voltage processor and 66-Wh battery. By contrast, the Fujitsu and HP tablets have the potential for longer battery life because of their lower-powered processors. The HP 2710p achieved 4 hours 45 minutes on MobileMark 2007—an astonishing feat with its smaller, 44-Wh battery.

Despite a slew of impressive convertible tablet entries—namely from HP, Fujitsu, and Gateway— the Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet is standing up to the competition with its solid features, key components, and a great keyboard and writing experience. One could argue that battery life needs to be in the 7-hour range, trendier designs are needed, and an integrated optical drive could be added. Eventually, someone else may step in and make a better tablet if Lenovo doesn't take the lead. At the moment, the time-honored design that the X61 has inherited is still the winning formula for the best tablet in the market.

Company

Lenovo

http://www.lenovo.com
Spec Data
* Type: Ultraportable, Tablet, Business, Small Business
* Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Business
* Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo L7500
* Processor Speed: 1.6 GHz
* RAM: 2 GB
* Weight: 4.4 lb
* Screen Size: 12.1 inches
* Screen Size Type: standard
* Graphics Card: Intel GMA X3100
* Storage Capacity: 100 GB
* Networking Options: 802.11n
* Primary Optical Drive: External