Wootalyzer's Pricing Post! - The price of today's woot item is saved here for future reference
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Lenovo ThinkPad 12.5" Core i7 Tablet PC
$749.99 + $5 Standard Shipping
Condition: New

*DISCLAIMER* Wootalyzer! is in no way affiliated with Woot!, and this post may not always be here!

Pretty nice. Id love an SSD in it too.. hmmm.. much better than the current open box special on moofi..

The reviews on Amazon are not the best. 2.5 stars.

I've had an X220T since around the time they were released. Fantastic, snappy laptops. Very well built, the pen digitizer is nice, and the touchscreen is fantastic for Windows 8. I've been very happy with mine, and the Woot price seems pretty great to me.

Just so you guys know, it is a dual core 2nd generation i7. Not quad core.

It performs no better than a 3rd gen i5 and with HD 3000 you are not gonna play any intensive games at all.

I'd recommend 3rd gen i5 thinkpad x230 with HD 4000 it is a lot better. Price is about the same too.

Which panel is this? I can gather it's matte but does it have the capacitive layer as well? Or just the Wacom digitizer? Also, is it the TN or IPS panel?

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.... this contains many of the gold standards for a tablet PC. Wacom digitizer, trackpoint, and Thinkpad keyboard and design, which has a well deserved reputation. It's acceptably modular with easily obtainable parts. The processor is probably adding a bit more to the cost than I'd like (its a couple hundred dollar option for a marginal multiplier boost). This doesn't have the awesome screen from the x61T but I guess you can't have it all.

Kyouteki wrote:I've had an X220T since around the time they were released. Fantastic, snappy laptops. Very well built, the pen digitizer is nice, and the touchscreen is fantastic for Windows 8. I've been very happy with mine, and the Woot price seems pretty great to me.

Same here - I run linux on it, and have the battery sled/8G/big hard drive - that's something you may want to know, the hard drive bay is *small*, only spec'ed for 7mm drives (though I did get a WDC WD10JPVT in there, I don't think it's coming out again :-)

Performance is great (running linux), screen is beautiful... but it's 1366x768, with a large asymmetric bezel (I just measured 4.5cm from the hinge to the lower edge of the screen) so I have grown to hate it :-) (it was an upgrade from a T60p, a glorious 1600x1200 IPS that nobody makes anymore...)

Why does Lenovo make products that look like they're 10 years old?

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For what it's worth, this is what I'm typing on at work right now, bought with all of the frills at the time (8 GB ram, 2nd fastest processor, etc.) for over 2 grand over a year ago in September at the Labor Day sale. I'll do personal rather than look up links on this.

I've owned 3 Lenovo ThinkPads now, 2 of them tablets. Durable as anything. Rarely needed warranty service (hard drive on old X41 tablet). 1 USB port on this a bit erratic. Don't have bluetooth on due to security. Touchscreen w/Windows 7 works decent, digitizer pen works better, definitely improvement over XP on the X41. Screen on full brightness will take battery life on the 52+ lithium extended down to about 3-5 hours depending on how good it is.

Wireless is reasonable, pretty good i7 for what I do. Glad I have it. Screen is sharp enough for business. Keyboard is wonderful, but that's nothing new. I've dropped it a few times accidentally, held up well. Is a bit heavy if you buy the extended battery, but not impossible. If you buy the dock, it can be a bit inconsistent undocking it. Sound is reasonable. Have to go back to work. As noted above, I'm not sure how good the price is vs. a X230, but I have no significant regrets on this convertible tablet. Hope this helps, maybe I can come back later.

Edit:
Oh, and I HATE the touchpad. That cute red little button is what I use, with the buttons, more than the mouse, and I turned the touchpad off as best as I could. If you press too hard with your wrists/initial part of hands while typing near the touchpad, it sometimes throws the typing off

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I would say, if one is concerned about the 2.5 on Amazon, try reading the handful of Amazon reviews. Almost all of the bad ones are talking about Lenovo customer service, or issues that they had with purchasing, not with the device itself.

Personally, I've never had a Lenovo tablet PC. (Mine have been HP, and then Dell). However, I've kept up on other tablet PCs enough to know that many have considered Lenovo at least in the top tier.

That being said, I'm not sure I could recommend this either. If you think you're going to only rarely use the pen or touch features, then maybe it's a pretty good purchase. For me though, I can't use convertible tablets anymore, they're the worst of both worlds. I personally would only consider hybrid slates.

And with the Surface Pro, which uses a third generation (Ivy Bridge) Core i5, coming in a month for only $150 more than this (albeit without a keyboard), for me the Lenovo would be a hard sell.

Of course, that depends on what is a priority for everyone else though.

I am typing this on a slightly earlier version, the Lenovo X201. My son uses my old Lenovo X41--must be seven years old and still works great, I put Linux on it and it flies. These are the machines to own--bullet proof, versatile, and so ugly they are beautiful.

taimeili wrote:
I'd recommend 3rd gen i5 thinkpad x230 with HD 4000 it is a lot better. Price is about the same too.

The keyboard is also awful on the new ones. A comparable model will cost over $1000 even with affinity partner pricing.

dreweasland wrote:Why does Lenovo make products that look like they're 10 years old?

Because they are focusing on the standard Thinkpad look and feel. It's a well built, durable icon, still preferred by business travelers. If you want shiny aluminum and glossy screens, there are other laptop manufacturers that can suit your needs, pal.

Add me to the list of happy Thinkpad owners. I'm considering this one to replace my aging X60 tablet.

It's always funny to see people complaining about the looks. The all-business appearance is one of the things I love about them.

dreweasland wrote:Why does Lenovo make products that look like they're 10 years old?

Because it's a timeless design. I only buy Lenovos. Every corporation I've ever worked for only bought Lenovos for it's employees. I liked my work laptops so much, I bought a T520 for home use. Have an X230t for work. Have owned many Lenovos in the past (all T or X series with a brief jaunt with a W series) and they are all fantastic. Built like TANKS and last just about forever. It's the only legit competitor to Apple, IMO. The IPS screen on the X220t is great...but the resolution leaves something to be desired. It's kinda low by today's standards.

If you think they are ugly or don't get the purpose of the trackpoint, perhaps an HP is in your future. Me? Total Thinkpad junkie. I have seen the light.

Actually temped to pick this woot up on principle. Owned an X220t before and only sold it because work issued me one newer (X230t). I still prefer the older style keyboard on the X220, but the newer island keyboard on the #30 series are good as well.

You just cannot beat Thinkpads. Wil they play Crysis? Well, nobody really cares as they are built for business. If you are a hard core gamer!!1 you will obviously want something else.

By the way, the specs don't list it...but the i7 model has a USB 3.0 port.

Edit: the USB 3.0 fact may not be true. I believe this is only on the X220 (non-tablet). Got them mixed up. Bummer.

ericshmerick wrote:Because it's a timeless design. I only buy Lenovos. Every corporation I've ever worked for only bought Lenovos for it's employees. I liked my work laptops so much, I bought a T520 for home use. Have an X230t for work. Have owned many Lenovos in the past (all T or X series with a brief jaunt with a W series) and they are all fantastic. Built like TANKS and last just about forever. It's the only legit competitor to Apple, IMO. The IPS screen on the X220t is great...but the resolution leaves something to be desired. It's kinda low by today's standards.

If you think they are ugly or don't get the purpose of the trackpoint, perhaps an HP is in your future. Me? Total Thinkpad junkie. I have seen the light.

Actually temped to pick this woot up on principle. Owned an X220t before and only sold it because work issued me one newer (X230t). I still prefer the older style keyboard on the X220, but the newer island keyboard on the #30 series are good as well.

You just cannot beat Thinkpads. Wil they play Crysis? Well, nobody really cares as they are built for business. If you are a hard core gamer!!1 you will obviously want something else.

By the way, the specs don't list it...but the i7 model has a USB 3.0 port.

Edit: the USB 3.0 fact may not be true. I believe this is only on the X220 (non-tablet). Got them mixed up. Bummer.

Am I just missing something, or do the specs also not mention a cd/dvd drive?

djben75 wrote:Am I just missing something, or do the specs also not mention a cd/dvd drive?

It's a 12" tablet PC. No optical drive.

Also, with no GOBI module in this, there should be a free mini-PCI-E slot for those inclined to add an mSATA SSD drive.

I use the X220T as as a primary machine for work in an engineering role. Great machine when used as a light weight / very portable laptop with occassional need to use touch screen. Mine has an i5 loaded with 4gig RAM. I've never had an issue with it running typical business and engineering apps. No gaming of course...

Typical for Lenovo machines. Not the prettiest option on the face of the earth but durable as heck. This thing has been around the globe a few times and still good as new. They just keep working.

The display quality is excellent in comparison to other current generation Lenovo machines distributed by my company. Bright and vibrant.

Battery life depends on how bright you set it. I get about 3 to 6 hours on a year old battery depending on what I'm working on and screen brightness.

Know this. I also own an Asus Android tablet. I find a dedicated tabets touch screen far more responsive than the X220T. The X220T is sluggish in comparison when used in dedicated tablet mode. To the point where I only use it if I have to. Definitely not as a primary interface.

The Asus tablet is far supperior as a touch screen laptop when paired with its keyboard dock. The only problem is the limitations of the Icecream Sandwich operating system for business apps. Something its not intended for. At this time...

Not sure if the X220T's touchscreen sluggishness is a limitation of the machines hardware or the Windows 7 operating system. Perhaps someone else who has loaded alternate operating systems can chime in. I can't since work restricts this.

Just thought I'd add this nugget to prospective buyers.

Ge0

Shinespark wrote:It's a 12" tablet PC. No optical drive.

Also, with no GOBI module in this, there should be a free mini-PCI-E slot for those inclined to add an mSATA SSD drive.

Hrm. I was just about to click buy when I decided to reread the discussion and saw this. Totally forgot these don't come with internal optical drives and you need the dock instead. I work in the field and sometimes need to load software or data in a pinch. Trying to hook up some USB or get a dock all the time might be troublesome.

djben75 wrote:Am I just missing something, or do the specs also not mention a cd/dvd drive?

No optical drive. But, in this day and age a flash card is a supperior solution anyway. The machine does have ports for multiple types of cards.

Gerbermultit00l wrote:No optical drive. But, in this day and age a flash card is a supperior solution anyway. The machine does have ports for multiple types of cards.

Thought I would add that Flash cards are higher density and much faster than a CD / DVD. Also use this machine for field work in manufacturing plants and remote locations...

Gerbermultit00l wrote:I use the X220T as as a primary machine for work in an engineering role. Great machine when used as a light weight / very portable laptop with occassional need to use touch screen. Mine has an i5 loaded with 4gig RAM. I've never had an issue with it running typical business and engineering apps. No gaming of course...

Typical for Lenovo machines. Not the prettiest option on the face of the earth but durable as heck. This thing has been around the globe a few times and still good as new. They just keep working.

The display quality is excellent in comparison to other current generation Lenovo machines distributed by my company. Bright and vibrant.

Battery life depends on how bright you set it. I get about 3 to 6 hours on a year old battery depending on what I'm working on and screen brightness.

Know this. I also own an Asus Android tablet. I find a dedicated tabets touch screen far more responsive than the X220T. The X220T is sluggish in comparison when used in dedicated tablet mode. To the point where I only use it if I have to. Definitely not as a primary interface.

The Asus tablet is far supperior as a touch screen laptop when paired with its keyboard dock. The only problem is the limitations of the Icecream Sandwich operating system for business apps. Something its not intended for. At this time...

Not sure if the X220T's touchscreen sluggishness is a limitation of the machines hardware or the Windows 7 operating system. Perhaps someone else who has loaded alternate operating systems can chime in. I can't since work restricts this.

Just thought I'd add this nugget to prospective buyers.

Ge0

I've gotten packages from RPM (YaST specifically) and dpkg to work quite smoothly on this series (60, 61 and 200). Haven't tried Windows 8 on it yet.

Question ... can the tablet be detached from the keyboard or are they permanently attached?

Just wondering what is the wireless lan card

Is it the Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN or ThinkPad 1x1 b/g/n

Thanks

crocklin wrote:Question ... can the tablet be detached from the keyboard or are they permanently attached?

Considering that all the components, like the RAM, the CPU, the hard drive, etc., are all located underneath the keyboard...

They are permanently attached.

crocklin wrote:Question ... can the tablet be detached from the keyboard or are they permanently attached?

Cannot be detached without destroying the machine. But it does pivot lay flat for an oversized tablet.

crocklin wrote:Question ... can the tablet be detached from the keyboard or are they permanently attached?

Permanent. Screen sivels.

I have this, and it's relegated to use as a road presentation machine.

Two things:
Imho the screen on this is barely adequate for biz/office use. It's the lowest resolution of any current Thinkpad; even the base X200 was actually slightly higher res, and you have to go back to the X60's to find anything coarser. This screen's matte finish is very nice, and the colors are vivid/bright, but the resolution is on par with recent smartphones. If you want pixels smaller than nightlight bulbs, you can find 1440x900 or better on the X300 and x201s as well as a few others.

Also: If you're contemplating using this with a dock+DVD and Windows 8, make sure you only use it with ONE dock. None of this fancy one-dock-at-home and one-at-work... Win8 does not recognize the dock swap properly, pops up a 'you've made a major hardware change' message and requires a recovery key EVERY TIME. Works great on Win7, tho.

YMMV.

jespensc wrote:Imho the screen on this is barely adequate for biz/office use. It's the lowest resolution of any current Thinkpad; even the base X200 was actually slightly higher res, and you have to go back to the X60's to find anything coarser. This screen's matte finish is very nice, and the colors are vivid/bright, but the resolution is on par with recent smartphones. If you want pixels smaller than nightlight bulbs, you can find 1440x900 or better on the X300 and x201s as well as a few others.

You're comparing a 13.3" X300 to 12.5" X220T, it's not an adequate comparison.
X220T (1366x768) actually has more pixels than X201 (1280x800).

To me 1366x768 is a quite adequate for a 12-13" screen (it's Grinch for 15" screen as found in many laptops). The text is not too small and easily readable.

And not sure how it's not good for work and business purpose, when I connect it to a projector for presentation, the resolution can go all the way to what the projector can support. I use it with a 27" LCD in office with resolution all the up to 2560x1440, which is well thought of using Display Port. My previous HP tablet only has HDMI port which can go only up to 1920x1200.

I can't speak to this model, but as to overall ThinkPad reliability, I was disappointed when the fan in mine began going out. It's been used nearly entirely at home, never in a dirty environment. I also recall fan issues with models I've been issued at work.

You will want windows 8 on there. It designed to use touch screens. Very smooth when you get use to it. You miss out without a touch screen on windows 8.

mcdull wrote:You're comparing a 13.3" X300 to 12.5" X220T, it's not an adequate comparison.
X220T (1366x768) actually has more pixels than X201 (1280x800).

It's a fair comparison; the X300 and X220 series are essentially identical in external size and weight, with the largest difference being the X300 is ~11mm wider despite the larger screen (and higher resolution).

The X201S has a 1440x900 screen. See www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:X201s . So does the X200S. And the X61 Tablet can be had with 1400x1050.

In any case, you're free to like this woot or not. I found it insufficient to work on typical documents, and (for example) in the latest Office13, even in Outlook's "compact view" this screen only shows about 12 emails in the list pane. I get about the same text display and information density on my smartphone, leading to "why bother" moments wrt the X220. True, the X220's display capability is great with a projector, so if that's the majority of your use case, go for it.

whatsamattaU wrote:
Oh, and I HATE the touchpad. That cute red little button is what I use, with the buttons, more than the mouse, and I turned the touchpad off as best as I could. If you press too hard with your wrists/initial part of hands while typing near the touchpad, it sometimes throws the typing off

Its amazing how quick and addicted you get to the trackpoint. The Thinkpads have always had the best ones too.

Since Lenovo took over IBM they have made some 'budget' Thinkpads which are not as well built as the higher priced ones like this one. The higher end ones are still some of the best built laptops on the market.

If only this had a backlit keyboard, I'd be in for one. These are nice little machines. I've managed over 3500 on an enterprise network. Easy to maintain with internal staff, unlike those POS apple products that are nice and shiny. These are very durable, especially considering their dual purpose.

Not bad pricing, even when compared to our corporates rates. Display is 1 gen old at this point, but throw ChromeOS or Win8, if you have to, and you have a 5 to 10 year life on this little device. But why no backlit keyboard? Should be standard on every laptop by now.

I'm a field service technician and one of the companies I provide service for has a lot of these tablet laptops. Here are the two big problems I've noticed with them:
-Chargers are always dying for some reason or another.
-The cable for the LCD is sometimes not routed properly and causes it to wear out faster than it should, resulting in either corrupt display or no display at all.

Other than that, I haven't noticed any common problems and they seem pretty well-built.

edit: Occasionally, when the LCD cable fails, it can cause either the LCD itself, the motherboard, or both, to fail with it.

Damn Taxes anyway on making this easier? It would be nice to get this sent to an amazon locker.

Those wondering about the quality of these. I gave my x61T and its still running great.

An issue I noticed on alot on the Lenovo's Tabs at work use paired memory or you will get bluescreens if not the POST Beeps almost every other time booting from cold.