It's a serious machine
Written: Apr 27 '02
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Pros: 3 year warranty, automated update, rugged casing
Cons: Single USB port, screen resolution, single bay system, 16mb V-Ram
The Bottom Line: You won't need an desktop computer with A22P.
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| jay_kr's Full Review: Lenovo ThinkPad A22p 2629 (2629UTF) PC Notebook |
I read an article saying that black is a trendy color in computer industry. I love the color of the THINKPAD(TP) -Matt back with famous IBM deep blue combination
Unlike a chidish I-Mac, the apperance of TP implies how serious this machine is.
When I purchase my A22P about an year ago, I was a senior in an architecture school. I was looking for a laptop that could manage a certain level of graphic renderings and future business tasks. 16MB V-Ram was one of main reason to buy TP. I recently found that most of laptops comes with 32MB V-Ram. You will notice drag, comapring to 32MB-Ram but is is bearable under most circumstance. 1600X1200 resulution is excellent for my CAD work, phtoshop and 3D rendering apppplication. I believe A22P was a sole model offer this high resolution among all laptops at the time I purchase it. Color saturation is balanced. Some of users complains about lower resolution switch. 1280X1024 is the issue of the proble and other lower mode. You will experience some fuzziness of pixels on the screen, when you switch to 1280X1024 and lower mode. To me, it ws a big deal. I rather deal with smaller fonts, instead of scrolling my mouse to drag the menu key on my CAD and 3D rendering. If you use graphic or 3D renderng application,s you happen to drag so often to find the menu bar. Yes, it is a bit painful to read small fonts on 1600X1200 mode but I don't have a problem most of time.
Many of TP users appreciate the great touch of a keypad. It is no exception for A22P. It is very responsive and comftable to type for hours.
As IBM claims that TP series are used up in a space station by NASA, it's durability is unquestionable. One of testmonies on IBM user site says that the user were able to retrieve the data from the hard drive after his TP got crushed by a truck.
Battery run-time is averagy. It last 2-2 1/2, depends how you manage the power source. As most PIII laptops, A22P provide Intel Step feature. This means processor speeds will step down to 700MHZ, once you unplug the power supply.
because I am a hard core mobile user, I bought an extra battery pack that can be put into CD-ROM bay. Yup, CD-ROM won;t be available while you are using the second power cell. This was why I mention a single bay in the beginnig.
I did many in-class presentation, it was my safty net. I saw many classmates struggling with wiring, while they perform thier presentaton. Not to mention that someone catch the power cord during the presentation. I know what happened after.$3500 laptop to $200 junk on Ebay.
I was very skeptical about trackpoint (A.K.A pencilhead). After using it for one month, you don't want to use touchpad. Based on few exclusive TP features, I come to believe why IBM was known for a corporate-oriented machine, as it's name stands for. If you are in a plane, you won't stuggle to control touchpad which you rest your palmand wrist on the edge of a food tray. With Trackpoint, you have a full support resting on a part of the laptop. TP also has tiny light on the top of the scrren that let you see in a dark space. This feature comes in handy during a oresentation with a video projector in a dark room. It also let you able to read your screen in a plane without annoying direct light in the plane. S-VHS input/output is another good feature for the presentation. Volume control is simple yet effective. Control buttons are not some trick combo buttons. You simply push the button, when you have to pause your show. I used this simple feature often, when people ask a question during the presentation. Without looking at the key pad, I simply put my finger, push the button and answer the question. When you close the scrren, A22p goes into Standby or shut-off mode. You also overide this auto standy in BIOS setup. As far as I know, Apple G4 Titanium notebook can't override the auto shut-off. My friend usually put a piece of paper when he paly MP3 songs in G4 Tatanium. DVD player is overkill for your laptop but MP3 is not.
PCMCIA slot is one of the best design I have ever seen. Compaq has puny cheap plastic push buttons and Vaio has weird 3 way hinge system. TP got a simple and hansome pop-up buttons. You push the button slightly, it will pop up and you push it all the way down. Simple as that. Despite a single bay system, extraction is very convenient. You slide a latch and pull-lever pops up. You know what to do next.
Speakers are less than what I expected though. Despite a clumsy casing of Compaq laptop, they have better speakers. It might be an illusion created by JBL logo on Compaq series. you will hear distorted sound time to time. Altough this downfall easily get compansated by extremly low noise level. CD-ROM drive and cooling fan is barely noticeable. My brother has Sony VAIO. I am not sure what model it is, but he bought a top notch model at that time. When I tried his VAIO, noise level was very high and made me wonder if the machine had a problem. But it wasn't.
One last thing, I would like to recommend to have an accidental damageinsurance. A22P comes with an application for the insurance privided by a branch of Citi group. Within my recollection, it was less than $300 dollar for 5 year-coverage including damage and lost. You may find a better deal from other third-party company. My close frind dropped his laptop and busted the screen, the repair estimation was almost half of the price he paid for the laptop.-Ouch
If you don't spend money for the insurance, get a nice firm case that protect your laptop. Deceant carrying cases are determined by good paddings. I prefer top-open type instead of flap type. It gives you better access to reach your laptop quicker. My personal choice was Pellican brand. This brand has been famouse for industrial strngth camera and engineering gears. Now they have a line for laptops. You might blow over $100 easily but it's a case that can survive in hell. It's waterproof, dust proof and scratch proof. The case also has a presure release valve. Some people may have experience a hard time to open an air tight case. High altitude cause this and it could be problematic without this valve. You can configure the padding as you wish. Most of all A22P fits like a glove and looks great with TP.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1800
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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jay_kr
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Reviews written: 8
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