I didn’t want a tablet. No, seriously, look it up. It has never been at all clear that the form factor will work for me. And yet here I am, in the market for a tablet. What happened?

A number of things. It didn’t help that Lenovo killed off the device that I actually wanted, the Skylight, which was essentially a tablet-like piece of hardware in a netbook form factor. Not that I can blame them, not when its chip manufacturer Qualcomm is running around admitting that Apple’s iPad obsoleted smartbooks before they even arrived. Probably because I wanted one, the smartbook category died a quiet, unacknowledged death. The reason I wanted one, however, remained.

The simple fact is that a modern laptop is more machine than I need while traveling. Even my underpowered Thinkpad X301 and its ultra-low-voltage chip represents a surplus of computing capacity. What do I really need while I’m on the road, after all? A browser, a text editor, a terminal application and some form of MLB At Bat, be it native or Flash. For that I just don’t need much machine. I wouldn’t mind the excess so much if the costs weren’t so high. But for the power that a laptop affords, you trade weight, battery life and size. I’m aware that the new Macs, for one, can get better than five hours to a charge. But I’m also aware that five hours does not a full day make, and that even the MacBook Air tips the scales at three pounds.

What I want is a machine I can carry sans briefcase on a day trip to New York or Boston. More specifically, this:

• Battery Life:
  I don’t want to have to walk into a room at a conference and look for a charger. Actually, I don’t even want to bring a charger on a day trip. Which means I need seven or eight hours to a charge, at a minimum.
• Connectivity:
  Wifi, obviously. Ideally, I’d like 3G (EV-DO/HSPA) or 4G (LTE) connectivity on a non-AT&T network, simply because I can already turn the Nexus One into an AT&T hotspot so an alternate carrier would give me more options.
• Cost:
  Anything more than the iPad is too much, given the quality of that device. Less is better, obviously.
• Display:
  Basically, it needs to be at least twice the size of my Nexus One (3.7″). There are just some things it’s easier to do on a full sized – or nearly so – display.
• Size:
  This one I’m unsure about. Would the Galaxy Tab’s 7″ display be sufficient? Or would 10″ be better? Probably I’ll have to use them to find out; I hope the carriers make their tablets available under the same 30 day return policies as their handsets.
• Weight:
  Can’t weigh much more than a pound. The Galaxy Tab’s .84 lbs is just about right.

What about the software, you ask? Funny thing: it’s juts not the priority for me – I’m far more concerned with the hardware. Any of Android, Chrome OS or webOS would probably be acceptable as a tablet operating system. For me, anyway. Google’s Director of Mobile Products, Hugo Barra, was unequivocal in his belief that Android isn’t ready for that device type, which while technically true probably isn’t going to help Samsung’s marketing efforts.

Even the iPad’s iOS would be workable were it not for the fact that it’s tethered to iTunes, and thus to a Mac or Windows desktop. I’m excluding primarily desktop oriented operating systems such as Windows or Ubuntu because they’re not quite there for these form factors, in my opinion.

Add it up, and I’m probably getting a tablet, in spite of their unfortunate lack of a keyboard. The question is which one? The answer to that is as much timing as anything else.

For reasons that I cannot fathom, we are nine months post-the iPad announcement without a credible alternative on the market. This, in spite of the availability of obviously workable alternative operating environments in Android and webOS, and possibly Chrome OS. Whether the massive latency is due to difficulties in design, market factors and uncertainties, or something else, the fact is that the would-be challengers to the iPad are massively late to market. To the point that many have not only missed the Back to School rush, but might not make the holiday shopping season either. In theory, we’ll see Samsung shipping its 7″ Galaxy Tab on a variety of carriers in the near future, but most of the rumored arrival dates for tablets are a quarter to two quarters away.

It’s baffling.

The choice before me then is to wait, or do what I did with the iPhone: tread water using the Apple product until such time as its competitors are sufficiently compelling. The majority of the private feedback I’ve received about tablets encourages me to wait: those who’ve seen or held the forthcoming iPad competitors consistently say nice things about them. But that means putting up with a laptop during one of the two busiest portions of the year for me in terms of travel. Suboptimal.

What do you think? Do you have interest in a tablet?

Before I proceed, let me concede up front that Apple is going to sell a ton of tablets, Google quite a few phones. Even if the products were mediocre, and the one we’ve seen isn’t and the one we haven’t won’t be, the brands alone effectively guarantee relevance. Witness Tuesday’s breathless coverage of the new Android handset, which is more notable for the way in which it is sold than for anything the device itself is capable of.

But I’m not just not that into them. Not like I am the Lenovo Skylight. Here’s why.

Q: Before we begin, anything to disclose?
A: I don’t think so. None of Apple, Google or Lenovo are RedMonk customers, although the latter has in the past provided us with review units which were returned.

Q: What has been announced?
A: Two things, officially, and the third has been upleveled from pure speculation to the reported rumor stage. Tuesday, Google held a press conference to announce the availability of the Nexus One, a new Android based handset that is being sold directly to consumers, either unsubsidized or subsidized with a carrier agreement. Lenovo, earlier that day, had announced a few new products, among them what they are terming a “smartbook,” the Lenovo Skylight. One day prior, meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is planning to ship a tablet in early March.

Q: Let’s take the Nexus One first: what’s the deal?
A: The latest and greatest Android handset, the long anticipated Gphone is evolutionary, not revolutionary, as they say. Tim O’Reilly’s got a nice piece looking at its strengths and weaknesses, while the Times’ David Pogue was a bit harsher in his assessment. Neither gentleman issued it a ringing endorsement, or characterized it as a must have device.

Q: So why all the coverage?
A: In part, because it’s Google, but to be fair, the Nexus One does represent change. Not the hardware, the model. It’s a (sad) testament to how tightly the carriers have controlled the wireless industry that the idea that you could purchase an iPhone somewhere other than an AT&T retail outlet and – gasp – activate it at home was viewed as earth-shaking. With the Nexus One, Google’s pushing the carriers even further, not only selling direct to consumers, but offering a handset that is – at least in theory – not tied to a specific carrier. Even Apple didn’t get that from AT&T. As AllThingsD’s John Paczkowski put it:

The key point here is that Google is trying to make a fundamental change in the way the mobile business works, particularly in the U.S. The company wants you to buy the phone first, then pick a carrier and plan. If it works, it will “further weaken the power of the carriers,” as Walt Mossberg notes in his review of the Nexus One.

True, as Pogue noted, the network compatibility issues – the current GSM flavor of the Nexus One will not operate on Spring or Verizon networks, for example – complicate the dream of true carrier independence. But the Nexus One is a step in the right direction. And more importantly, this is a door that will be difficult, if not impossible, for the carriers to close.

All of which is good for the market, but less relevant for me personally. When it comes time to pick a phone, I’m more likely to select one that I want to use; meaning one that the reviewers more than half-heartedly endorse.

Q: Ok, I can see why you don’t care as much about the Nexus One. But what about the Apple Tablet? Isn’t everyone going to want one?
A: It being Apple, probably. And it being Apple, probably for some good reasons. Gruber, one of the better Apple forecasters out there, is predicting big things for the tablet:

If you’re thinking The Tablet is just a big iPhone, or just Apple’s take on the e-reader, or just a media player, or just anything, I say you’re thinking too small — the equivalent of thinking that the iPhone was going to be just a click wheel iPod that made phone calls. I think The Tablet is nothing short of Apple’s reconception of personal computing.

Apple certainly gets the benefit of the doubt here, because after listing a whole mess of reasons why I would not buy an iPhone I have a difficult time now contemplating life without one.

But the iPhone is, ironically, part of the problem: with it, I already have a really solid mobile browsing device. What oxygen is there left for a tablet?

Q: So you’re with Joe Wilcox, who said “The world doesn’t need an Apple tablet, or any other.”
A: Not quite. Most obviously because Apple has done a consistently excellent job of anticipating consumer needs, but also because there will inevitably be use cases for which the tablet is not only appropriate, but optimal. I’m just not sure what they would be for me.

Q: Why not?
A: Assuming that it does not have a physical keyboard – which could of course be a faulty assumption – I’d have a hard time justifying the device. I need a phone, I need a larger, more capable machine with a keyboard, which leaves what market for the tablet? It’s unclear. Apple isn’t dumb; they’re not going to build a device just for browsing IMDB while you’re watching movies. But unless it’s got a keyboard, I’m not sure where it fits. True, there are times when I need a bigger browser than mobile Safari. But those are frequently the times when I need a keyboard as well, and while Apple’s done a commendable job with the touch keyboard on the iPhone, it’s certainly not comparable to a physical alternative. I’m all for a mobile, lightweight device with a 10 inch screen.

But I need it to have a keyboard.

Q: Enter the Lenovo Skylight…
A: Exactly. Ten inch screen, weight under two pounds, wifi and wwan connectivity, ten hour battery life, and most importantly – has physical keyboard.

Q: What would you use it for?
A: As I’ve written recently, I appear to be transitioning away from a single machine – laptop only – model. Part of it’s the ascendance of SaaS applications, part of it’s the ability to seamlessly push my data and application settings around, and part of it’s the improvement in the hardware. Hell, maybe I’m just getting too old to lug larger machines around. Either way, I’m far more open to a workstation / browsing-oriented mobile device paradigm than I would have been two or three years ago.

Q: Isn’t the Skylight just a gutted netbook?
A: No, it’s pretty significantly differentiated. Netbooks are on a trajectory – both in features and in price – to become little more than cheap laptops. Many are heavier, in fact, than my 13 inch X301. They’re cheaper, certainly, but pricing wasn’t the only driver for netbook sales: there’s legitimate demand for portability. The Skylight clearly rejects the trend towards laptop-minus-a-few-features, to the extent that it employs an ARM chipset originally designed by Qualcomm for phones rather than the PC standard x86.

Q: What does the choice of ARM over x86 mean in practical terms?
A: Well, it affects the software selection, most obviously. Most Linux distributions’ support for the ARM chipset is minimal: Ubuntu, for example, only supports two flavors of ARM chips, and the known issues list is grim reading. Which is likely why Qualcomm (who’s been hiring for this), Lenovo or both seem to have created their own flavor of Linux, with “widgets” and a task oriented interface.

Q: Is that a good idea? Do these guys really want to be competing with the likes of Apple on user interface and design?
A: The short answer is no, they probably don’t want to be competing with Apple. Any more than Asus wanted to be competing with Ubuntu with its original Eee-specific distribution. But given the dearth of off the shelf ARM-compatible alternative distributions, this is probably a necessary interim step.

Q: Interim step to what?
A: To whatever the optimal user experience ends up being. Given the fact that I’ve been looking forward to demoing bare bones, Chrome OS equipped hardware, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s eventually the direction these machines go. The ARM camp certainly found Chrome OS fascinating, and Mozilla has documented interest in ARM based devices. So is the current Moblin-like Linux based UI the once and future UI of Skylight? I doubt it, but I’ll have a better read on that once I see it.

Q: What are the takeaways from all of this news?
A: There are dozens, but let’s consider five. First, mobile is an area of massive focus at the present time. The space will see accelerating investments in both hardware (various form factors and device types) as well as software (both infrastructure and user interfaces) in the months ahead. Second, the carriers face an uncertain future: decreased control over their customer base on the one hand, and exponential growth in network demand on the other. The good news, however, is that with that demand comes additional revenue, because unlike cable or DSL which can easily be shared amongst multiple machines, most of these mobile internet devices have dedicated WWAN connections, each with its own price tag. Third, Tuesday’s news included, the growth of Android is accelerating. The Nexus One is going to be available for multiple networks, and AT&T – whose relationship with Apple has been rocky at times – is planning on releasing five Android handsets. In the first half of 2010, no less. Fourth, the mobile market – smartphones aside – is going to be the center of much experimentation, because nobody quite knows what form factor(s) the market wants. Well, maybe Steve Jobs does, but he’s not talking until late January. Last but not least, it’ll be a good time to be a consumer: accelerating device innovation and competition for customers should mean a lot of cool new toys for the gadget obsessed among us. And one bonus: ARM is getting a lot more interesting, to the extent that it should see increasing software investments from commercial and open source communities alike.

As previously discussed, thanks to the kind attentions of a couple of the folks from Lenovo, I’ve managed to get my hands on one of the new Thinkpad X300’s for a few months of testing. This is what we in the business know as a “score.”

Upon receipt of the hardware, I first ran the stock instance of XP that it had shipped with, but as of a week or so ago I blew that away in favor of a native installation of the latest Ubuntu iteration, Hardy Heron.

To review the hardware, I’ll look at it in two parts. First, because this is what most of you will be interested in, I’ll look at hardware itself and the software experience as it relates to Windows. Tomorrow, for those that are interested, I’ll explore how the X300 handles under Ubuntu.

So, to the review.

The Hardware

• Battery Life:
  Ubuntu tells me that with the standard three cell battery the machine shipped with, I can expect a little over two hours run time, which feels accurate. This includes wifi running, but no DVD playback.

  My recommendation would be to upgrade to the six cell battery.

• DVD Player/Burner:
  The only thing I’ve used the DVD player for thus far was the initial Ubuntu install, which is one of the reasons I’m generally not a fan of them. I have not used the burning features at all. It is impressive that they’ve managed to cram a player into such a slight frame, however.
• Finish:
  The black matte finish to the machine is attractive, but picks up skin oil like it was designed for the purpose. It resists scratching, and is otherwise unremarkable.
• Frame:
  Thinkpads have never had many problems with structural flex, but the X300 distinguishes itself in this regard – in spite of its slight stature. My X40, by comparison, feels positively rubbery compared to the stiffness of the X300. It’s extremely impressive.
• GPS:
  I haven’t tested this capability, first because it requires the usage of the laptop outside, and second because after blowing the Windows install away I have not tried to access the GPS hardware.
• Slots:
  While the X300 trounces the MacBook Air when it comes to available hardware – it has more USB ports, an ethernet port, available WWAN, and so on – it’s missing a two things I use frequently on my X40. The SD card reader, which is handy for importing pictures from my Nikon, and the PCMCIA slot, which I used for my AT&T WWAN card. Neither of these omissions are deal breakers, but they’re inconvenient. Graphics people are also likely to be disappointed by the VGA rather than DVI out.
• Speakers:
  While they’re currently unusable under Ubuntu – more on that tomorrow – the Windows trial was enough to demonstrate that the speakers are far and away the best I’ve heard on a machine in this class. They’re mounted on the upper surface of the keyboard and competent, if not in the class of those found on larger models.
• Trackpoint/Touchpad:
  Part of this, Mac users tell me, is a software problem, but I find the location of the touchpad problematic. Unfortunately deactivating it under Ubuntu deactivates the mouse, so it remains turned on and it is with some frequency that an errant thumb misplaces the cursor and I begin typing into windows I hadn’t meant to. How some users prefer a touchpad is beyond me; I personally can’t stand them and wish the model didn’t include one.

  Fortunately, it does include a trackpoint, which is as quietly functional as ever.

• Screen:
  Next to the Solid State Drive (SSD), the screen is likely the most impressive feature of the machine. At 13.3 inches, its 1440×900 resolution not only bests the MacBook Air’s, it makes the machine at once more productive. As I write this, I have emacs open side by side with my instance of Firefox; an arrangement that was impossible on the traditional 1024×768 X-series screens. I generally spend most of the day with Firefox and Twhirl opened side by side, so that I can keep in touch with my contacts and use Firefox simultaneously.

  The screen, in short, is nothing less than outstanding.

• Size:
  The footprint of the machine, featuring as it does a 13.3 inch screen rather than the traditional 12.1 of the X-series, is clearly larger. The X300 will fit in the Patagonia bag that has the misfortune of serving as my briefcase, but barely. Its width means that the laptop pocket must be completely opened for entrance and exit.

  That said, it is noticeably thinner than my older X-series models, although about a tenth of an inch thicker than the MacBook Air.

• SSD:
  The solid state drive – a larger, internal version of the USB flash drives that are common – is impressive, although not overtly so. The silence of the drive itself is mostly offset by the inclusion of a system fan that spend a great deal of time on and generating background white noise. The most noticeable performance related feature of the drive comes in startup; the X300 goes from cold start to login screen on Hardy in 31 seconds.

  By way of comparison, my X40 – which has one less core and no SSD but is otherwise a match in memory and clockspeed – takes 64 seconds to make the same transit.
  In general usage, there are no obvious implications to working off of an SSD, but it feels snappier – like you’re working on a machine with a great deal of memory. Which, technically speaking, I suppose you are.

• Weight:
  As nearly as I can determine, the configuration I received weighs in at approximately 3.3 pounds, which is plenty light for me. It’s light enough, in fact, that nearly everyone who’s picked it up has remarked that they expected it to be heavier.
• WWAN:
  I have not tested this capability, although the model I received does have onboard EVDO, because I’m an AT&T customer. It is present, however.

The Software

• Lenovo Software:
  I’ve been told on several occasions that the Lenovo staff is proud of its suite of add-in software – pieces to control wifi/WWAN, adjust machine settings, and so on – and that they consider this software to be a competitive differentiator.

  I do not share this opinion, nor does anyone I’ve spoken with. Nor any of those that wrote in following my issue with the wifi module, which was itself a case in point.

  While Windows XP includes a wireless network discovery and connection mechanism, Lenovo includes their own redundant component which preempts the Windows mechanism by default. Unfortunately for me, it did not work; refusing to connect on approximately every other boot and becoming unresponsive. To make matters worse, after uninstalling this connection software, I initially could not restore wireless because the separate Lenovo component that activates or deactivates the various on board radios was mislabeled. Active meant inactive, and inactive meant active.

  It would be nice if Lenovo included an option for buyers to order a vanilla installation of the operating system that did not include these often unhelpful components.

• Verizon WWAN:
  Another point of irritation was the Lenovo connectivity software for the onboard Verizon WWAN hardware. As mentioned previously, I have no interest in activating this feature because I’m an AT&T customer not a Verizon customer. And yet the controlling software insisted on launching itself immediately after every boot. I finally had to go into msconfig and deactivate it from the startup profile, but many Windows users would not know how to do that, nor should they use msconfig.
• Windows XP:
  An item of mild interest; the test machine shipped to me did not include Windows Vista, in spite of the license gracing the bottom, but Windows XP. This appears to be attributable to the machine’s status as testing hardware, but I found it interesting all the same. Given that it was not preinstalled, however, I cannot comment on how Vista performs and whether or not there are any of the common hardware issues.

The Verdict

The machine is highly polished, and eminently capable of performing at a high level running Windows XP. While untested, the same could likely be said of Vista. If you can find room in your budget for a premium-priced piece of hardware, it’s highly recommended for the Windows user.

More specifically, I took aim at the gang over at Lenovo, saying:

What of Lenovo, you ask? As a long time Thinkpad customer, are they not in the mix? Well, unfortunately, my would-be first choice seems to be doing its best to lose that distinction. While enormously appreciative of the vendor’s candor and transparency, I find the explanation for the lack of higher quality displays unconvincing in light of their availability within competitive products (as do many of the commenters). Likewise for the reasoning behind not including an SSD option. Indeed, on the latter note, it was interesting to learn today that SSDs will, in fact, be an option on the forthcoming IdeaPad U110 machine.

In short, while it’s not fair to say that the Thinkpad engineers have been resting on their laurels, the fact is that the X series machines that fit my needs best are currently outclassed by competitive products such as the M1330. The Thinkpads are undoubtedly tougher and more durable, but the fact that the display has not improved significantly since (reportedly) 2000 is discouraging.

One imagines that everyone privy to this development process was hard pressed to bite their tongue and contradict my assertions. Because the X300, while flawed, is as Walt Mossberg put it, a notable engineering accomplishment.

As is the MacBook Air, I should hasten to note before the Apple people succumb to rageahol. But that machine makes a few too many compromises for me to seriously consider, in spite of the fact that it bests the X300 in processor benchmarks. Notably, the lack of on board WWAN access, the single USB port, and so on.

But how does the X300 fare? Have I finally found what I’m looking for? Let’s review the requests I made back in January to see. Today’s comments are in italics.

Battery Life

The importance of battery life is almost entirely dependent on the typical usage scenario. If your primary employment of the machine will be in an office context, or home usage with occasional visits to the coffee shop, it’s probably not much of an issue for you today. Unfortunately, that’s not me. I’m looking for a minimum of six hours in my next machine, and ideally > eight.

While the gang over at NotebookReview.com doesn’t have detailed battery life results available as yet, it’s probably safe to say that in standard configurations the X300 won’t meet this requirement. Even with the larger battery and a second added, it’s still projected to deliver five or six hours rather than the eight plus I was looking for. Still, 5+ is probably doable.

Compatibility

Apple users laugh at me when I consider this, but the fact is that Linux is the best choice for me as a desktop operating system at the current time for reasons personal (I can bend it to the way I want to work) and professional (the majority of applications I test and evaluate run on the platform), so this is a concern. Right now, Intel is running away with the title of most-Linux friendly hardware vendor, so that’s option A. Above all, no Atheros wireless chipsets; the flaky madwifi drivers are maddening.

Good news on this front: the internals are Intel. Both the Intel 4965AGN wifi module and the Intel X3100 graphics both look to be supported under Linux.

Connectivity

Wifi, obviously. Bluetooth is another must, given my current device portfolio. Ideally, on board Cingular WWAN as well, but I already have a card so that’s not a deal breaker for me.

And the good news keeps coming: the X300 will support pretty much every communications option known to mankind. Bluetooth, wifi, WWAN (HSDPA or EVDO), even WiMax. You really can’t ask for more.

GPS

Absolutely not a must have, but a machine that provided integrated GPS – such as the Asus U3 offers – would be interesting. Very interesting.

Perhaps more impressive than the array of communications options is the availability of GPS. While applications aren’t particularly adept yet at leveraging positioning data – this is a good future proofing option.

Graphics

Don’t need discrete, I’m not a gamer. The integrated graphics on my 3 year old X40 are good enough to run Compiz with all of the fixins, so something newer would be unlikely to negatively impact me.

Check.

Hard Drive

A Solid State Drive, 64 GB minimum. I’m living off of 40 now, and am always pressed for space. This component being easily upgradable – unlike the display – I can live without an SSD for now if need be, but I’d prefer not to. Lighter weight, lower power, faster read times, no moving parts, silent operation: it’s a killer proposition for any frequent traveler.

It’s like they read my blog when they designed it: the X300 ships standard with a 64GB SSD. I agree with the many commenters who believe that Lenovo would sell more of the machines had they included a non-SSD option, but it meets my requirements perfectly.

Memory

More memory, more better. The cardinal rule of desktop computing. 2 GB minimum, hopefully expandable to 4.

2 GB, 4 GB maximum. Didn’t I tell you they were reading this?

Mouse

Alex assures me that Apple touchpad users never complain about the technology, as do the majority of Windows users forced to endure them. Myself included; I never really recovered from the hypersensitive touchpads of the old Dell’s and Gateways I used to use – and cover up with a business card. I went Thinkpads about 7 years ago and haven’t looked back from the Trackpoint since. While it’s possible that I could adapt to a touchpad, I’d prefer not to have to.

It does include a touchpad, which is bad, but it includes the trackpoint, which is good.

Multimedia (Camera, Speakers, etc)

Don’t particularly care. The majority of listening I do is over quality headphones anyway, so the speakers are not terribly important, and the camera is a nice to have but not sufficiently critical to impact my decision.

The camera is an option, and the speakers are reported to be better than expected. Gravy.

Optical Drive

Not only do I not need one, as I have an external DVD driver/burner I can attach for the initial Ubuntu install, I don’t want one. With just about everything I need want available over a network or on flash media, the only thing I’d use it for would be watching DVDs, and we all know that there are alternatives to lugging the discs and the disc drives around. So why incorporate something used so infrequently? Exactly.

By default, the drive is included as nearly as I can determine. But it apparently is possible to configure one with a second battery instead of the DVD drive. Which I would do immediately.

Ports

I know there are many who scream for next generation output options like HDMI, and I suppose it would be interesting to hook my laptop up to my LCD TV, but I use them infrequently enough for this to be a non-issue for me.

Good thing I didn’t care about this, as the video out port looks to be VGA. It also includes 3 USB ports.

Processor

Given my preference for the ultralight form factor, I can’t expect the world in this department. Given that I’m often running VMWare, a browser with 30 tabs, Songbird, a text editor, and Apache/MySQL simultaneously, however, I need a few horses under the hood. Let’s say dual core, and north of 2Ghz. One of those new Penryn chips would do nicely, I think.

The main obstacle to a purchase. The X300 uses an Intel Ultra Low Voltage chip which runs at the same clock speed – 1.2Ghz – as my current two-generations-old X40, though it does feature a second core. While it’s true that chip speed is among the least of my concerns from a purchasing perspective, as I have a dual Opteron workstation to do the heavy lifting, I’m not positive that I want to rely long term on a machine – even a dual-core machine – that is limited to 1.2 Ghz.

Screen

LED backlighting is clearly the future for screen technologies. Brighter displays, lower power consumption, and thinner screens. What’s not to like? Minimum resolution would be 1280 x whatever. The 1024×768 I’ve had on three different successive X series models is no longer sufficient for my purposes.

This is the most astounding accomplishment, as far as I’m concerned. Not only does the X300 feature an 13.3″ LED backlist screen as requested, it actually bests the MacBook Air in that category (1440×900 vs 1280 x 800). When was the last time that a Thinkpad had a better screen than an Apple. I mean, has that happened before? Ever?

Size

Depending on the reviews, I might be persuaded to go smaller than my current 12.1″ configuration – perhaps to an 11″ model similar to the new Lenovo IdeaPad pictured – but it’s more likely that I go bigger. Specifically, to 13″. This is due in part to the viability of my iPhone as a computing platform, but also ongoing weight reductions mean that the 13″ models are comparable in heft to 12″ models such as my X40. Besides the screen size, like everyone else I want the smallest package practically achievable.

No need to compromise; 13.3 it is.

Weight

I’m less sensitive to this than are some that I’ve spoken with. Particularly when the extra weight results in a studier, more survivable machine as has been the case with Thinkpads historically. Or for larger, more capacious batteries. Let’s say a cap of four and a quarter pounds.

Even with the larger battery configurations I’d favor, it should make this weight fairly easily. Which is excellent.

So?

The X300 is the closest I’ve seen anyone come to my particular vision for a premium laptop. The main thing holding me back at this point is the ULV chip selected; I’d prefer it to be a 1.6 or 1.8 minimum as is available on the MacBook Air.

All that said, it remains true that chipspeed is ultimately not of great importance to me. If I can find a way to bridge myself until the machine is revved in August I may do that, but if I can’t it’s likely that I’ll acquire one in the interim. Even if I have to sell an organ or two to finance it.