When I reviewed the original T400S, I mentioned how slim, thin and light it was. Well, this is basically the same model with a touchscreen added on to it. The new Lenovo ThinkPad T400S Touch is more like an upgrade on the older T400S. For about $400 extra on the basic T400S, you can get a high-end Lenovo business laptop with a touchscreen in place over the normal screen. So how does having a touchscreen affect things other than increasing the price? Jump over to the other side to find out.
Specifications
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo SP9600 (2.53GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB Cache)
RAM: 4GB DDR3 RAM (2GB x 2)
Storage: 128GB Toshiba SSD
Display: 1440 x 900 WXGA+ with MultiTouch LED Backlit (Matte finish)
Graphics: Intel X4500M Integrated
Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW
Chipset: Intel 5100AGN,
Features: Bluetooth 2.0, Built-in web camera
Battery: 6-cell 11.1v 44Wh
Dimensions: (LxWxH) 13.27 x 9.49 x 0.83″
Weight: 4lbs 6.9oz
OS: Windows 7 Professional
Retail Price: $1,999 [Starting]
Looks and Design
The T400S was always an exception in terms of Lenovo tradition. Lenovo took over the laptop business from IBM and the ThinkPad line was inherited with the take over. What they also inherited was the traditional boxy design of the ThinkPad series. But that is fast changing now, thanks to renewed efforts on Lenovo’s part to remodel the trusty ThinkPad.
The outer shell has the same old black rubberized finish for that extra grip and durability. Also, it does not get scuffed easily like other finishes. That is always a good thing for those who travel a lot with their laptops.
The design has been changed a bit on the T400S Touch, with the whole effect looking overall much cleaner. The palm-rest has also been changed to a different shape. The touchpad now sits flush with the palm-rest. The whole interior sports a all black finish.
The build quality is great as usual. There is hardly anything that will flex even under really abusive usage. The new chassis design quite feels very strong and secure. The access panels at the bottom have been changed around as well, making it easier to access the key parts without jeopardizing their safety.
Display
The display is actually the same as the last model. It just has a touch sensitive layer thrown over it. The display packs 1440×900 pixels, giving you a WXGA+ resolution with a multitouch enabled, backlit screen. The display has a matte finish, which is really great. I guess they did it so that we would not smudge up the display with fingerprints. We all know what happens to glossy surfaces after the first few hours of usage.
The quality of the display is the almost the same with a mild difference caused by the multitouch layer. Multitouch layers do that to all screens and thankfully it is not all that apparent on this one. The color reproduction is good but do not expect it to be able to compete with the glossy notebook screens out there. This is built for utility and not looks.
The Touch
The touchscreen is usable to the point where you can touch things onscreen to manipulate them instead of using your keyboard or mouse to do the job. However, the problem is that screen is still a normal hinged screen and not a pivoting one like on a tablet. Hence you cannot fold it down flat to get better use out of it.
The touchscreen is meant to be used with your fingers and hence it will not give you the accuracy of using a stylus. However, there are gestures and tap commands that work great on the touchscreen. So you can zoom, scroll, etc. using your fingers on the screen.
Lenovo does include special software to facilitate a proper touch experience. So you have applications like the Simple Tap that help you get your regular things done. You can call up Simple Tap over any application and access common system settings like volume and brightness using the touch interface. Over all, the touchscreen will be more useful to people who have applications that are better off being controlled via a touchscreen. Being a part-time musician, I would say you can run DJ applications and use your fingers instead of the keyboard and mouse. Sounds like fun eh?
The Keyboard, Touchpad and Speakers
Lenovo has made some changes to its much loved keyboard layout. No, don’t break into a cold sweat yet. Most of the keyboard remains the same. Only the ‘Delete’ and ‘Escape’ buttons have been enlarged and the ‘Insert’ and ‘F1’ keys have been moved a bit. So nothing that earth shattering here.
The power button now reflects your power status instead of an onscreen icon. There is also a mute key that lights up when engaged, good for those who do frequent web-conferencing (almost every business does nowadays). The caps-lock has an integrated light now too. The track point nub continues to remind us of old times and comfort those who have trained hard on them. The touchpad has been changed around and while it is responsive, the new surface might need some time to be broken in. The buttons though are now easier to use now thanks to their redesign.
The speakers are your average laptop quality, with the typical sound reproduction. They are okay for the occasional media playback and Internet voice chat. But if you like your sounds to sound good, I recommend that you always go with a good and comfortable pair of headphones.
The Ports
The back of the T400S has eSATA and DisplayPort outs. There are three USB ports, with one being an eSATA combo port. There is a VGA port because many businesses still use old projectors. Since it has slimmed down, there are no dual card slots. There’s only the ExpressCard/34 slot. There is a new docking station at the bottom that is incompatible with older designs.
Performance and Battery life
This is a Windows 7 laptop and hence there are noticeable speed increases. It speeds through browsing, word processing and other such daily tasks. Multitasking is also very decent. The battery life is pretty good even though there is a touchscreen feeding on it. You can expect to get about 5.5 to 6+ hours on average to low load.
Conclusion
If you can afford it and think that the touchscreen will improve your workflow, this is a solid business laptop made just for you. The ThinkPad series delivers all the quality that we expect it to. For those who want a smaller, better tablet, look at the new Fujitsu Lifebook. Coming up next.
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