What laptop are you getting??

[theserbatron]

hey i am about to get the xps m1530 and wanted to know if the LED back light is worth the extra 75 dollars? It is supposedly better on battery life. What do you guys think? Is the quality of the image on the screen dimmer with an LED vs LCD? Or is the image about the same brightness?

I am also debating over the 13 inch screen or the 15 inch. It is a tough call... sigh

Get the 15" if want more screen space and a more desktop like experience. the 13" is noticeably smaller but definitely still usable. also, the 13" with LED is very thin and light, while the 15" with LCD will feel like a more mainstream 15" laptop.

the LED backlight display shaves a lot of weight off the laptop compared to the LCD. it also draws less power. the LEDs are actually brighter (whites are brighter, colors tend to 'pop' more than LCD).

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[a817]

Get the 15" if want more screen space and a more desktop like experience. the 13" is noticeably smaller but definitely still usable. also, the 13" with LED is very thin and light, while the 15" with LCD will feel like a more mainstream 15" laptop.

the LED backlight display shaves a lot of weight off the laptop compared to the LCD. it also draws less power. the LEDs are actually brighter (whites are brighter, colors tend to 'pop' more than LCD).

yea i think i am going to get the LED. The 15" come with LED now also but only for the 1440x900

 

[Syncope82]

hey i am about to get the xps m1530 and wanted to know if the LED back light is worth the extra 75 dollars? It is supposedly better on battery life. What do you guys think? Is the quality of the image on the screen dimmer with an LED vs LCD? Or is the image about the same brightness?

I am also debating over the 13 inch screen or the 15 inch. It is a tough call... sigh

I would take the 13'' over the 15 any day.....and yes...the $75 for led is worth it......it increases your batt life dramatically...i'm talking about...if you had a notebook and would normally get 3 hours of battery usage...switching to LED would give you closer to 4.5 hours....people spend lots of money on upgrading to batteries with more cells...but getting LED lights is probably the single best thing you can do to improve batt life...

If you were getting a laptop that sits mostly in your room...then I wouldn't get it...but if you plan on using ure notebook everywhere...then I'd def go for it

hope this helps

 

[Syncope82]

yea i think i am going to get the LED. The 15" come with LED now also but only for the 1440x900

the 15inch is a monster...try going to one of those dell kiosks at the mall and see for yourself....

 

[a817]

the 15inch is a monster...try going to one of those dell kiosks at the mall and see for yourself....

Thanks, i think i will go to a best buy today or tomorrow and see which size i like better. I have a 14'' right now, so the 13 will look too small for me, and the 15" would look too big...

 

[Syncope82]

Thanks, i think i will go to a best buy today or tomorrow and see which size i like better. I have a 14'' right now, so the 13 will look too small for me, and the 15" would look too big...

you're probably just better off going to one of those dell kiosks in the mall...best buy won't cary dells...and for example, a 15 inch thinkpad will be much less bulky than a 15 inch HP...so it's best to see the actual model in person...but call ahead to make sure they have them

most dell kiosks have the 15 inch xps...but only some have the 13 inch as well

 

[a817]

you're probably just better off going to one of those dell kiosks in the mall...best buy won't cary dells...and for example, a 15 inch thinkpad will be much less bulky than a 15 inch HP...so it's best to see the actual model in person...but call ahead to make sure they have them

most dell kiosks have the 15 inch xps...but only some have the 13 inch as well

Hey thanks alot Syncope82. You helped alot. I ended up buying the 15'' after comparing both of them. I got a great deal through dell's EPP.

if anyone else get discounts from EPP on dell's, i got these links for slickdeals

for the xps m1530 http://configure.us.dell.com/dell...HMPA&s=eep

for the m1330 http://configure.us.dell.com/dell...lid=566643

 

[Gold 5]

FYI
Do not get vista (64 bit) if you are going for a tablet. They have yet to convert the print drivers therefore if you plan on importing power point, etc onto one note or GoBinder, you are screwed.

 

[a817]

FYI
Do not get vista (64 bit) if you are going for a tablet. They have yet to convert the print drivers therefore if you plan on importing power point, etc onto one note or GoBinder, you are screwed.

Thanks, i thought really hard about the 64 bit but decided against it. See you in Touro

 

[JiggerDigger]

I am getting a lenovo tablet and was curious if i should get windows vista ultimate or windows tablet pc edition.

what do people think?

 

[Syncope82]

I am getting a lenovo tablet and was curious if i should get windows vista ultimate or windows tablet pc edition.

what do people think?

ultimate is overkill...tablet pc edition should be good enough

 

[Syncope82]

OH YEA..almost forgot to mention....DCOM decided to go with thinkpad tablets!!! I am siked!! I couldn't bare the thought of lugging around a beast (gateway)

 

[Tessy]

OK , I have a quesion about clean install. I read the instructions you provided and it says I need to use CD (to back up data, to reinstall Vista, etc). I got Lenovo x61 tablet PC without CD slot and without the external base, since I figured I can use my second computer to watch CDs/DVDs. Does it mean I cannot do a clean install? Thank you.

 

[Syncope82]

OK , I have a quesion about clean install. I read the instructions you provided and it says I need to use CD (to back up data, to reinstall Vista, etc). I got Lenovo x61 tablet PC without CD slot and without the external base, since I figured I can use my second computer to watch CDs/DVDs. Does it mean I cannot do a clean install? Thank you.

not at all.

you will need an external cd player (USB)...then you would have to go into your BIOS settings and change the bootup order...you will need to make sure USB is before your harddrive and everything else

In order to get into your bios.....do you remember the thing that usually shows up when you first start your computer saying "press f3 for...."? it usually last a few seconds and dissapears and the computer goes on with the rest of the start up

 

[Booter008]

I ordered my Lenovo X61 tablet today. Thank you syncope for all your help!! It said it will be shipping on July 31....so should get it right around the time classes start up.

 

[Booter008]

A tablet PC (Lenovo X61) with Onenote 2007 and an external microphone is the greatest combination for a med student. Being able to click anywhere that I've taken notes and listen to the professor again at that time is great.

 

[Syncope82]

A tablet PC (Lenovo X61) with Onenote 2007 and an external microphone is the greatest combination for a med student. Being able to click anywhere that I've taken notes and listen to the professor again at that time is great.

that is pretty cool! so how do you bookmark the 'recording's with the actual slide?

doesn't the x61 already have a built in mic?

 

[Booter008]

that is pretty cool! so how do you bookmark the 'recording's with the actual slide?

doesn't the x61 already have a built in mic?

Onenote does it for you. All you have to do is hover the cursor over something you wrote during lecture and a button pops up. Click it and the recording starts right there. If you want to listen to the whole lecture, you can turn on "see playback" and as the lecture progresses Onenote will move to the next slide and highlight what you wrote at the point when the professor says something.

The mic for the X61 is built into the screen so w/o an external mic all you can hear is yourself tapping the screen w/ the pen.

 

[Milamber]

Thinking about switching to a MacBook Air. It's getting to be a pain to carry around a MacBook Pro everyday.

 

[davis749]

Are there any schools that are not Mac compatible? macrumors.com has been suggesting new MacBooks, new MacBook Pros, and the possibility of a tablet Mac.

 

[HurricaneKatt]

......or are you getting one at all? I am thinking about getting a tablet pc, but I haven't really researched or anything and was just curious as to what everyone else was doing. Any recommendations?

If you order online from HP they give student discounts

This is what I have and I LOVE it:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...=Special+edition&series_name=dv2700tse_series

 

[Eyecon82]

Onenote does it for you. All you have to do is hover the cursor over something you wrote during lecture and a button pops up. Click it and the recording starts right there. If you want to listen to the whole lecture, you can turn on "see playback" and as the lecture progresses Onenote will move to the next slide and highlight what you wrote at the point when the professor says something.

The mic for the X61 is built into the screen so w/o an external mic all you can hear is yourself tapping the screen w/ the pen.

very cool, however, our school has mediasite which bookmarks the entire lecture slide by slide.....if DCOM didn't have this...I would have def purchased an external mic....very cool though..thanks for the tip!

 

[Milamber]

Most schools are mac compatible just that their IT department won't support them if something goes wrong. I haven't had any troubles with my MacBook Pro since I got here.

 

[utailor2]

i didn't know mac tablets existed..

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Modbook

 

[psy]

From official release they don't exist. That is a mod site. You can custom rebuild your mac book pro into a tablet.

 

[anomalous738232]

Thinking about switching to a MacBook Air. It's getting to be a pain to carry around a MacBook Pro everyday.

i have one

**macbook Air

 

[CurrySpice]

I'm looking into getting the tablet X61, but I can't decide whether or not to buy the Mobile Bay. Does anyone NOT have it?

Is there an ethernet port on the laptop itself?

What's a good kind of external CD/DVD drive to buy?

Also, can you lock the computer without the mobile bay?

Haha, I'm full of questions tonight! I've had an iBook for the past 4 years, but I'm looking to update for undergrad and loved the lenovos in Microcenter.

ETA: Does this look like a reasonable configuration? (I'm somewhat clueless, so I chose "Lenovo recommended" for many of the options).

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo L7700 LV (1.8GHz, 4MB L2, 800MHz FSB)1

Genuine Windows Vista Business12

12.1" MultiView + MultiTouch WVA XGA TFT, 2x3 UltraConnect II antenna

2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)8

160GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4

CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim5

No Bluetooth

ThinkPad 11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless LAN Mini-PCIe US/EMEA/LA/ANZ10

Wireless WAN Ready - Integrated Antenna with no Provider Card Installed65

ThinkPad X61 Tablet 8 Cell Li-Ion Battery60

7764: Express - 1 Yr Depot Warranty7Plus 3-year depot warrenty upgrade and security lock (and free printer)

$1950.79 using a coupon.

 

[Syncope82]

I'm looking into getting the tablet X61, but I can't decide whether or not to buy the Mobile Bay. Does anyone NOT have it?

Is there an ethernet port on the laptop itself?

What's a good kind of external CD/DVD drive to buy?

Also, can you lock the computer without the mobile bay?

Haha, I'm full of questions tonight! I've had an iBook for the past 4 years, but I'm looking to update for undergrad and loved the lenovos in Microcenter.

ETA: Does this look like a reasonable configuration? (I'm somewhat clueless, so I chose "Lenovo recommended" for many of the options).

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo L7700 LV (1.8GHz, 4MB L2, 800MHz FSB)1

Genuine Windows Vista Business12

12.1" MultiView + MultiTouch WVA XGA TFT, 2x3 UltraConnect II antenna

2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)8

160GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4

CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim5

No Bluetooth

ThinkPad 11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless LAN Mini-PCIe US/EMEA/LA/ANZ10

Wireless WAN Ready - Integrated Antenna with no Provider Card Installed65

ThinkPad X61 Tablet 8 Cell Li-Ion Battery60

7764: Express - 1 Yr Depot Warranty7Plus 3-year depot warrenty upgrade and security lock (and free printer)

$1950.79 using a coupon.

We were given the ultrabase (is that the mobile bay you are talking about?)

Honestly, I don't think it's worth it unless you specifically need an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, and many other external accessories when you are at home

Everyone needs a cd rom drive at some point..so you are better off buying an exteral USB one

the x61 comes with 3 usb slots and 1 firewire...you can always buy a USB hub for cheap if you need more usb slots

the only thing the ultrabase does for me is just keeps me from manually plugging in my externla mouse, HD, and printer when I am home

once again, i only use it because it was given to us without an option..otherwise, I would not need it

Yes, there is an ethernet port..you could lock the notebook with any notebook lock

 

[mnagali]

I'm looking into getting the tablet X61, but I can't decide whether or not to buy the Mobile Bay. Does anyone NOT have it?

Is there an ethernet port on the laptop itself?

What's a good kind of external CD/DVD drive to buy?

Also, can you lock the computer without the mobile bay?

Haha, I'm full of questions tonight! I've had an iBook for the past 4 years, but I'm looking to update for undergrad and loved the lenovos in Microcenter.

ETA: Does this look like a reasonable configuration? (I'm somewhat clueless, so I chose "Lenovo recommended" for many of the options).

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo L7700 LV (1.8GHz, 4MB L2, 800MHz FSB)1

Genuine Windows Vista Business12

12.1" MultiView + MultiTouch WVA XGA TFT, 2x3 UltraConnect II antenna

2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (1 DIMM)8

160GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm4

CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo 24X/24X/24X/8X Max, Ultrabay Slim5

No Bluetooth

ThinkPad 11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless LAN Mini-PCIe US/EMEA/LA/ANZ10

Wireless WAN Ready - Integrated Antenna with no Provider Card Installed65

ThinkPad X61 Tablet 8 Cell Li-Ion Battery60 7764: Express - 1 Yr Depot Warranty7Plus 3-year depot warrenty upgrade and security lock (and free printer)

$1950.79 using a coupon.

the ultrabase/mobile bay isn't always included... if it didn't already come w/my package i wouldn't have actually bought one.

if you don't mind the following downgrades: 1.6GHz processor, 1GB ram (you can get ram for about $20/1gb), Windows XP Tablet Edition (i myself actually prefer this over vista)... consider this comparable package instead of ordering from lenovo... it's only $1,479 w/free shipping, and you get it pretty fast
http://www.jr.com/lenovo/pe/LEN_776702U/

 

[Flushot]

Is it possible for you to wait until the x200 tablet version comes out? The new x models have already been released.

I haven't been keeping up with the changes in the new model but it might be worth waiting for.