Comments on: Lenovo tweaks ThinkPad line with slim T400s

Lenovo is taking some cues from its own popular X300 laptop and incorporating them into the new T400s, a reasonably svelte 14-inch mainstream business laptop that's 0.83 inch thick and starts at less than 4 pounds.

[monkeyfun14]

The 90's called they want their cheap looking design back.

[seven7dust]

I was thinking the same thing !
I mean I know that lenovo makes some capable machines that are durable and well constructed
but is it so hard to take some time designing the case as well !

[Renegade Knight]

Looks better than MacBook Gack. I had to pay extra for my Black Macbook to avoid the garish white Apple was so fond of. Aluminum isn't much better.

[Bob Kakis]

Too little too late for Lenovo

Sure it looks good for a StinkPad. JUST REMEMBER Lenovo offers horrible service and support. They will have your notebook longer (in service) than you will.

Be patient. Just wait for the user reviews. Guaranteed they will all be bad.

[tcr071]

Cheap design? That laptop can withstand being thrown out of a moving vehicle onto pavement, dropped from 6+ feet, thrown into the dirt, left out in the rain, and your data will be intact after a 26,000 pound mobile radar station rolls over on top of it. You can keep your "pretty" laptop I'll keep my functional and durable laptop. Let's see how your nice pretty machine looks after a year of use because I know exactly how mine will look, the exact same as it looked the day I bought it.

The case is designed that way for a reason. If you want form over function head over to the Apple store. Lenovo doesn't cater to people who value pretty over durability and never has.

[Bob Kakis]

tcr071

My unibody MacBook Pro will last far longer than your CHEAP ThinkPad - which will probably need to be sent in for service AGAIN in a week or so --

Powerbooks run perfectly to this day. They can even run Leopard. Try turning on a A20M or putting Vista on it! You cannot even load XP onto it! StinkPads SUCK!

[Bob Kakis]

tcr071,

Just read Lenovo Forums! People who buy Thinkpads have to send them in for service - almost on a monthly basis. A truck should run them over!
[CNET editor's note: Personal attack deleted.]

[tcr071]

Oh bob. I've worked with a early 2008 model Macbook pro that was put into it's grave 6 months into use by a screen repair, keyboard repair, two gpu repairs, and a hard drive replacement. Oh what a reliable machine that was! My thinkpad, meanwhile, managed to not skip a beat when I dropped it down a flight of stairs, while open, and smacked into a tile floor. I'd love to see how your Macbook pro does with that. In fact I would just love to see how your Macbook does if I step on it. I only weight 165 and would have no problem placing one foot on my thinkpad and one foot on your Macbook. We'll see which one manages to boot up when it's over. I know one that will for sure.

Oh Bob, Please check out this link and read it for yourself. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9938550-1.html There you will find a list from CONSUMER REPORTS that ranks the big laptop providers in terms of laptop repairs per 1000 units. You'll find Lenovo at the top and Apple at the bottom.

Oh how funny. Someone actually claiming that Apple Macbooks are more reliable than Thinkpads. What a laugher. [CNET editors' note: Personal attacks deleted.]

[FoolishPepsi]

lol, Tcr you should probably of read the article before you proved to the rest of CNET your incompetency.

"Consumer Reports says a difference of less than three points is statistically "not meaningful."
So, there you have it--no major laptop brand is really much more likely to break down than any other."

Not to mention, there is probably an error rate of a few percent. However, you're going to bash Apple because of issues you had, fine go ahead. Then take your Lenovo. Don't sit here and spew facts that HARDLY prove your point. Ignorance is bliss.

[Renegade Knight]

@Bob Kakis

Apple makes a quality laptop. As does Lenovo. That said, as I own both, I trust the Thinkpad to take a beating far more than the Mac.However my Mac's doing ok.

Overall I've found Thinkpad owners to be realistic about their latops while Mac owners not so much. It's a laptop. Not a slice of heaven on earth.

[pithenumber]

@Bob
Lenovo support has been fine with me [maybe because I haven't called them yet]

my Thinkpads have worked perfectly fine after taking considerably damage from things like falling from desks, being stepped on, and most importantly, coffee, lots of coffee

[MaLvaDo39]

How is VGA still on a notebook?

[kelmon]

I've asked this question myself recently and the reasonable answer that came back was because quite a lot of LCD projectors still use VGA. This said, you can simply use an adaptor cable to convert between current video interfaces and VGA.

[tcr071]

Because the vast majority of televisions, monitors, and projectors still use VGA.

[Bob Kakis]

tcr071 can only afford TVs made in the 80s. He has no clue what HDMI or Displayport is!

[illegallydead]

@ Bob Kakis: maybe you have no idea who this is designed for. Lenovo's are mostly meant for businesses, they are not really your mainstream consumer laptop. Every single projector at my university has VGA inputs ONLY (or only that are accessible), and I imagine many businesses are the same way. They are actually going function over form, and making it so that you are not REQUIRED to carry around an adapter to hook your laptop into ANYTHING. That said, I have a Macbook, and have shelled out for all those darn adapters myself :)

Yes, having all TV/projectors have HDMI or DP would be dandy, but it is still a while off.

[Bob Kakis]

@illegallydead

Thanks for your comment. Just 1 problem "Thinkpads are for business" - NO - Thinkpads used to be for business - Thinkpads are to unreliable for businesses. That is why they are being dumped in record numbers.

No need to believe me. forum.lenovo.com has all the proof you need. Cheers!

[tcr071]

Please check out this laptop reliability page.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9938550-1.html

There are very reasons VGA is standard on this notebook. Go over to Best Buy, check out the televisions, projectors, and monitors, and count how many have VGA, count how many have HDMI, and count how many have displayport. 100% of them will have VGA, maybe 75% will have HDMI, and about 15% will have displayport. I know Steve Jobs has you convinced that you are getting a bargain by paying for a machine that can interface with about 15 monitors, total, but Lenovo doesn't think you are all that interested in spending $30 for a display adapter or hooking up an adapter at all. [CNET editors' note: Personal attacks deleted.]

[Ilgaz]

VGA means a lot for business presentations and compatibility with older equipment.
These are business laptops, focused on business use. They can not act like Apple, their userbase will not allow.

[pithenumber]

not everyone can afford a new monitor/TV/projector
and even if a large company can buy new monitors/projectors, it takes years to migrate

[MaLvaDo39]

Let me clarify-

VGA can only push VGA
DVI can push both

not to mention mini displayport or HDMI...

[JimBob88--2008]

monkeyfun:
I was just looking at a thinkpad the other day and found the design and materials very lovely.

Also, if you look at the specs this is a very good machine for the money; a lot of flexibility.

[Bob Kakis]

Hey JimBob - Have you ever read the complaints at forum.lenovo.com? i suggest you do before making bogus statements and claims. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

[gggg sssss]

same thing from dell Latitude E5400 $664. WHy woudl anyone pay more?

[Ilgaz]

Bob ever found a very healthy and happy person in an hospital ER department wondering around just because it feels like it?
Go to any companies support site forums, you will find every kind of issue since they are serving to people WITH PROBLEMS!

[Renegade Knight]

@gggg sssss

Because Dell sucks. My Dell broke 3 times while under warranty. We are still arguing over the 4th time. My Dells a brick. My older Thinkpads keep on trucking. I'd buy Thinkpad again. Not Dell.

[loose_screw]

Yeah, let's see anyone try this with an Apple, HP, or Dell:

http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/18/lenovo-t400s-run-over-by-truck-left-out-in-tornado-in-new-spate/

[kelmon]

If you allow your computer to be run over then I think you have more issues than simply whether or not it will survive.

[seven7dust]

well Apple's unibody contruction is pretty sturdy actually
it's carved from a single block of aluminium , so it's in no way as bad as Dells and Hps

[dvelez]

@seven7dust,
The HP Elitebooks business notebooks are very well constructed. They even meet military standards (MIL-STD-810), something Apple or Lenovo don't have. And only one model from Dell meet this standard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIL-STD-810
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_EliteBook

[Bob Kakis]

Lenovo must have some loose screws!

The notebook DID NOT survive being run over. So, why is that good?

Any computer would have the same changes. PLUS - They should have taken the hard drive out on the spot. No.. they shoot the truck in the dark, wait a day, take a ****, then go into a lab and swap out a magically saved drive - my ass! It was all a set up!

You would have to be a ***** idiot to buy that crap. Oh wait, 98% of Thinkpad buyers are IT - that explains it - High school dropouts that drain the life out of corporations only to be replaced and outsourced!

[tcr071]

Bob Kakis,

I guess you must not have watched the entire video. The only thing that didn't survive was the screen and the point of the video was to show that despite a 26,000 vehicle running over it the data was still intact and could be booted up and used in another machine. Try that with just about any other laptop and I dare anyone to make a similar video with their unibody Macbook. Talk about a pancake.

The only people that would buy a thinkpad are IT professionals and then you say something even more dumb that IT professionals are high school dropouts? Wow oh wow. Funny when I studied computer engineering at the University of Texas about 25% of the students had a thinkpad. Those idiots. Valuing durability and safety of their files? Idiots. [CNET editors' note: Personal attack deleted.]

[Nooorm]

dvelez, you are mistaken. Most of the Thinkpads meet the same Mil Specs as "Ruggedized" laptops from other manufacturers.

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/02/24/74521/
http://gizmodo.com/5159091/lenovo-thinkpads-officially-semi+rugged-certified-to-withstand-ass+beatings-mr-freeze

And as for all the comments on the looks, why would you want a laptop that looks like everyone else's? Unless you're close enough to see the logo, you can't tell a Dell, from an HP, from a Toshiba. You can spot a Thinkpad from 100 yards...kinda like with a BMW or Mercedes.

[Bob Kakis]

David Hill, the designer of Thinkpad, compared his Stinkpads to Volvos

http://lenovoblogs.com/designmatters/?p=544

Who buys Volvos?

Oh right, the cheap (people) that cannot afford Mercedes or BMWs!

You people keep forgetting. It does not matter how STRONG a StinkPad has been built - Lenovo makes cheap electronics - You will have to send it in for service every other month!

Read Lenovo Forums if you doubt me!
[CNET editor's note: Offensive comment deleted.]

[Bob Kakis]

@dvelez

You are right HP Elitebooks are exceptional machines too. I intend on buying one soon to compliment my Macs.

I bet the Elitebook screen would have survived being run over.

Thanks for the links

[moneyinthebizank]

tcr07

You don't need a truck to run over a lenovo laptop for it to be a piece of $#!+.

I studied Electrical Engineering at Yale. I was almost unable to present my senior research because my less-than-one-year-old T-42 began to crash. But what was I expecting? It was already on it's 3rd hard drive (refurbished, thanks IBM support) and 2nd motherboard (refurbished, thanks IBM support). This was 4 years ago. My computer looked pretty much just like the one this article is about. When I bought it 5 years ago.

I would, however. like to shout out my man Fernando who worked for IBM support at the time, for coming to my house/school/job and replacing my hard drive 5 times in total, and my motherboard twice.

Thank you engadget for showing us the best use of lenovo laptops, being run over by trucks.

[dvelez]

@Nooorm,
You're right regarding Lenovo and the military specs. Here you have more info. from the Lenovo website,
http://www.lenovo.com/news/us/en/2009/02/rugged_computing.html

[rafacst]

for a moment there I thought they would start selling terminator models.

[J_Ore]

The Esc is one of the most used? That's interesting, as I've rarely needed to (whether it's for escaping an error or anything else that isn't mistake-oriented).

The sleek-ification on the T400s is nice, but from another design perspective it might be nice to either go with red or blue for their signature key accents instead of both. It adds a strange colour dischord to the visual package that bothers me in a weird, hard-to-pin-down way.

[Renegade Knight]

Home, End, Insert, Delete, Page Up, Page Down, Backspace, and Esc. All used often by me to get around.

[legend2k]

Not bad at all, but really...aesthetically it's not gonna fly...
I love tech that works for sure but aesthetics it's a crucial component, in my opinion.

[jscott418]

I am thinking too that Lenovo is about done. I have a Ideal Pad but I have had nothing but issues with it and finally solved many of them by requesting that the restore disks be sent out to me so that I can get a clean install. It certainly has run better since. I think their value added software is very much flawed.
Don;t like the fact that its very hard to get updates. Their site always seems slow.
Definitely sturdy notebooks but that's about it.

[gggg sssss]

Big sticker on bottom says Made in China, Shoudl also say By teh Governemnet of teh People republic of China who braught you Teinanmen sqaure masacar. DO NOT BUY THIS THING if you value freedom

[Bob Kakis]

So TRUE! Buy products where your dollar ultimately ends up in American hands, please people! Read the BBC report on Thinkpads - and why the US government banned them! There are many American options Apple, HP, Dell, etc. etc.

[illegallydead]

The Gov't banned them because they were made by the chinese, a potential enemy, and one way or another a nation that the government does not want to in any way get access to secure data. My dad works for Lockheed Martin, and they recently went through a MASSIVE Lenovo purging.

But really, think about it. "Dollar ends up in American hand"... who do you think makes all the components? One way or another, your money is headed that direction. Sorry to burst your bubble.

[Bob Kakis]

@illegallydead


Apple is sitting on how much cash right now - $25 billion? Fine, they buy parts from the commies. The dollar ultimately ends up with Apple, an American company. Same goes for HP and Dell, minus the significant surplus of course... But really, think about it.

BTW why would you send your hard earned money to a "potential enemy"???


gggg ssssss is 110% right!
[CNET editor's note: Personal attack deleted.]

[z_black]

I'd also like to point out that my Iphone 3gs is also made in China. So your beloved Apple also has products made in China. I love my iphone, don't get me wrong, but i figured I'd just point that out.

[a_flores]

Will you? Come on guys, no one can avoid Chinese products nowadays. Almost all goods and electronic spare parts are built in or made in China. Anyway, Chinese is richer and richer every year because 50$ to 60% of their products bought by Americans. Americans are so generous to Chinese, not otherwise. Xie xie.

[Ilgaz]

Perhaps you should work on your spelling unless it wasn't done done on purpose to add credibility to your comment.

[Renegade Knight]

@Bob Kakis

Not really. Apple ergonomics suck. HP does good design but the quality is lacking. I may havet to check out an elite book though. Dell's best machines copied ThinkPads but the quality is lacking.

In bang for the durable buck and useful ergonomics I've not seen anything that can touch a thinkpad. I've owned everthing on your list.

[pithenumber]

@Bob
the profit stays with Apple, but thats much less than half of the computer cost
the rest goes to other countries that aren't as greedy as we are [China, Taiwan, ...]

[gggg sssss]

@ Ilgaz perhaps you should work on not repeating repeating repeating repeating words

[John_feather]

But Macs are also made in China.

[blueyes121705]

Bob have you ever owned a ThinkPad? I doubt it, so shut up! I bought a used IBM Thinkpad eight years ago and it still works great, which I gave to a friend and it still works. I never once had to send it in for service. I bought a new Lenovo Thinkpad last year and I have yet to have any problems with it that required service. Funny, must have gotten a freak one that doesn't need monthly service. Also, the service I received purchasing my Lenovo from their website was pleasant and they even through in an extra battery when my order was going to be delayed as a result of the demand for the Thinkpad model I wanted. Of course the Thinkpad came on time anyway and they let me keep the battery.

Also, are you a complete moron or just make comments that sound like they come from a moron. If you ever took a research course in your life you would know that only those who complain tend to write in forums or seek out means to vent their anger. People who are pleased tend to keep to themselves. That is why it is so hard to find a balance opinion about something. And since when did venting in a forum count as validation that something doesn't work?

Maybe you should get off your ass and take a walk outside and talk to, I don't know actual people. I am sure my IT friend who drives a porsche and swears by Thinkpads would be more than happy to talk to you. Oh wait I forgot you wouldn't want to be see by somebody who drives a porsche (correction two porsches) and not a Merceds or BMW. Anyway, while you are outside maybe you should also take your time educating yourself besides believing everything you read behind a computer screen.

[gggg sssss]

8 years ago it was owned by IBM with US management. You know that of course. But, someone writing on a forum who call others who write on forums morons has little credibility anyway.

[a_flores]

$1.500 dollar only for these specs? Goodbye Leno Voiya. Acer offers just less than 1.000 dollars for the same specs. Ciao

[Renegade Knight]

You get what you pay for. Acer cut something. If you can live without what they cut. Great.

[maxb2021]

Thank you blueyes. All of the posters here are really getting on my nerves. People complaining on forums means nothing at all; you can find forums where people complain about their Macbooks breaking, but that doesn't mean that everyone who owns a Macbook has to send it in every month for service. My brother has had problems with his Macbook and his iPhone. I go to college and I see many people having computer problems, but no one I know with a Thinkpad has had to get it serviced. This isn't proof that Thinkpads are amazing and durable, but it does go against what some of you are saying (Thinkpads are horrible and you will have to get yours serviced, etc.).

I have owned a Thinkpad T60p for 2 years now, and I have had ZERO problems. Some of the keys have become shiny, but that is it. My parents have owned a few Thinkpads and they have never had problems. My Dad's company has tried using all sorts of computers and they have decided that Thinkpads are the best (their opinion).

Also, I love how Thinkpads look. Call me crazy, but I think they are the best looking computers out there.

[Ilgaz]

Reading the comments on latest Mac Mini, they are horrifying... If Dell and Microsoft brain stormed to make the entire planet hate Apple owners, they couldn't come up with a better idea.
If you ever wonder why Apple, shipping a UNIX 03 certified operating system (very same as AIX) is still a joke in enterprise scene, read your own comments again.
Stop making us ashamed for using Apple computers and software.

[dennisl59]

worth 800 bucks, tops.

[hrd212tele]

How many times do you guys think Bob have gotten pink eye from butt kissing Steve Jobs. I bet Bob is also an expert on knee pads.

[borispmchan]

Thinkpads are quality notebooks. They are really tough and can withstand some extreme conditions, but they're not built to be beauties. Black seems to be the only color that IBM/ Lenovo would use. If you want beauties, go for Macs. If you believe in reliability, look no further.

[Bob Kakis]

That is pure BULLSH*T Boris!

Go to Lenovo's Forums and tell me Thinkpads are reliable!

They are not.

Sure, support forums are inherently negative - BUT Lenovo's have THOUSANDS OF HORROR STORIES!

[play7]

People have to keep being reminded taht IBM does "NOT MAKE "ThinkPad line" anymore. ALL IBM does is supple some parts........ When you buy a ThinkPad your taking a chance these days. years ago it use to be trusting.

"IBM/ Lenovo" is NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BE ANY RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COMPANIES! IS JUST " Lenovo " ONLY! Atleast get facts right

[play7]

"by moneyinthebizank June 23, 2009 4:30 PM PDT
tcr07

You don't need a truck to run over a lenovo laptop for it to be a piece of $#!+.

I studied Electrical Engineering at Yale. I was almost unable to present my senior research because my less-than-one-year-old T-42 began to crash. But what was I expecting? It was already on it's 3rd hard drive (refurbished, thanks IBM support) and 2nd motherboard (refurbished, thanks IBM support). This was 4 years ago. My computer looked pretty much just like the one this article is about. When I bought it 5 years ago.

I would, however. like to shout out my man Fernando who worked for IBM support at the time, for coming to my house/school/job and replacing my hard drive 5 times in total, and my motherboard twice.

Thank you engadget for showing us the best use of lenovo laptops, being run over by trucks."


This is right right.................please disregard anything this person says. "IF" its a IBM era Lap top then I say its true. But if its a Chinese " Lenovo " made product?then your sadlly and totally a lier !!!!!!!!!!! Yale AHAHAH don`t make use laugh

[play7]

PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! stop sprading lies about
"IBM/ Lenovo" being the makers of the THINK PAD! IS FAR FROM THE TRUTH!

[geed4rugged]

Recently, I?ve seen a lot of talk about products being MIL-STD-810F compliant. What concerns me about this is most people don?t understand what it means to be MIL-STD-810F compliant. A product can claim to be MIL-STD-810F compliant, which might lead people to believe it can be dropped from 3+ feet or used in the rain, but it may just mean it can be used at high altitudes. There are many MIL-STD-810F tests and you can pass one and make the MIL-STD claim. You can also modify (make it easier) the test to pass it as well. Most important, these test are self regulated - no third party verification is required. There is a great post on the Toughbook blog about understanding MIL-STD-810F. I suggest you check it out:
http://toughbloggers.com/2009/06/30/pulling-back-mil-spec-curtain/