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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
The best laptop with the worst trackpad
By T. Zhou
I bought this off of Lenovo's website. My configuration:Processor Intel Core i5-3210M on MBOperating system Windows 8 64Operating system Language Win8 64 EnglishTotal memory 4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (1 DIMM)Hard drive 320GB HDD 7200rpmOptical device NONEBattery 9cell, ThinkPad Battery X44++Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 w/ antennaWiFi wireless LAN adapters Intel Centrino WL-N 2200Wireless WAN accessories Mobile Broadband upgradableWarranty Type 1 Year Depot/Express WarrantyCustom images NONEAC Adapter and Power Cord 65W AC Adpt US (2pin)Accessible Optimized Preload NONEAdobe Acrobat NONEAdobe Elements NONEAdobe Lightroom NONECamera X230 720p HD CameraCustom Image Language NONEDisplay Panel X230 12.5HD Premium WWAN 2x2What I like:-i5-3210M processor can handle anything you throw at it (play HD video, edit PDF's using adobe acrobat, casual gaming)-Customizable, can install aftermarket RAM or hard drive-Always-on USB port can charge devices even when laptop is turned off-Very little bloatware-Fingerprint reader is nifty-Island keyboard prevents crumbs/hairs from falling in between keys-This is my first Lenovo, so to me the keyboard is very accurate and a pleasure to type on-Backlighting of keyboard has 2 brightness settings-Excellent viewing angles and brightness with IPS display-Really well-built, no creaks-Soft grippy texture-Coming from an Acer Aspire 12 inch laptop, the 12.5 inch display strikes a perfect compromise between a more portable 12 inch and the typically heavier 13 inch-Lenovo update manager keeps all drivers up to date-44++ 9 cell battery can easily last 7+ hours of movie-watchingWhat I don't like:-Trackpad. This is hands-down the worst trackpad I have ever used on any laptop. It has a small area, has a bumpy surface, feels cheap, and is difficult to press. What's more, the mouse cursor does not move smoothly; it tends to jump around whenever using the trackpad (not an issue when using the red cap or a USB mouse). This problem is well-documented on Lenovo's support website but there does not appear to be a solution, and the latest drivers do not fix the problem-In order to install anything in Windows 8, I have to go into compatibility mode and have the computer pretend it's Windows XP-Some Lenovo utilities, such as the Power Manager, do not function with Windows 8-Attracts fingerprints-Somewhat heavy-On Windows 8 versions, Lenovo will not give you a product key or sticker. The activation key is hard-coded into the bios, so to re-install you need to put in a Windows 8 boot disc/USB drive and the bios automatically authenticates the copy rather than you typing in a keyAdvice:-Go for Windows 7-Go for the premium LCD dispay (IPS)-Use a USB mouse rather than the trackpad-Backup the OS onto USB drive or DVD immediately and keep a copy-44+ 6-cell battery is good for 4.5 to 5 hours of web surfing, 3.5 to 4 hours of movie watching. It does not bulge out the back of the laptop, but does lift the laptop by 1cm-44++ 9-cell battery is good for 7 hours of movie watching. It bulges out the back AND elevates the laptop by 1cm. I find the bulge is nice to hold onto with one hand and is well-worth the extra weight for the excellent battery life and marginal cost increase-If you want to install an aftermarket SSD, you need one with 7mm thickness such as Samsung 830 or 840, or Crucial m4. 9.5 mm SSD's will NOT fit because they are too thick-Check out Lenovo's support website. Almost any problem you can think of will be addressed by the helpful community there
15 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
Have no worries about the new keyboard - it's a dream!
By K. Lam
I custom-ordered from the Lenovo/Thinkpad site. My configuration:Thinkpad X230 Tablet+ Core i7 2.90 GHz Ivy Bridge processor+ 8 GM RAM+ 128 GB Solid-State Drive+ 1366x768 Matte Multi-Touch Screen with Active Stylus+ 9-cell extended battery (sticks out the back and adds a bulge at the bottom; the 6-cell battery just sticks out the back)+ Windows 7 Pro+ Ultra-Base 3 with DVD/RW optical drive- No discrete graphics card optionI've been a long-time Thinkpad fan--including 600E (late 1990s), R40 (early 2000s), T42 (mid 2000s), T420 (late 2000s)--for the rock-solid dependability, non-nonsense styling, and in particular the king-of-them-all keyboard. I mistakely tried a Dell Latitude E6400 for a couple of years, and I truly hated it, despite its own pointer stick and solid construction. When I decided to get this X230 Tablet, the only thing I was worried about was how the new keyboard was going to feel. Well, have no fear. I am a big fan of the new keyboard. It's got deep travel, its motion is the perfect blend between smooth travel and pleasing resistance, and the contoured surface actually feels comforable. This new keyboard is a winner. Other than that, there really isn't anything that needs to be said about this machine that the prospective buyer wouldn't already know. I loaded it up to the gills with the fastest and best of everything, except a 3G cellular card--totalled over $3000 MSRP before a the Ultrabase 3 and extra power adapters. On paper, the only thing the X230T lacks is discrete graphics, but the Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics that comes with the Ivy Bridge chipset is good enough for my occasional Engineering analysis and 3D modeling work--just make sure to get a least 8 GB RAM to share with the inegrated graphics. Plus, the Ultrabase 3 is able to support dual monitors via its dual VGA+DisplayPort ports. Just one final tip--get the Multitouch keyboard; you'll be ready for Windows 8 Pro when it's released.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Good laptop, unusable trackpad. Poor Windows 8 Support.
By Byen
In most areas, this laptop is good. The keyboard is well designed physically (although it has some baffling design choices; namely the left Ctrl key has been swapped with the Function key for some reason. Fortunately you can fix that in the BIOS). The computer is sturdy and well made. It even looks decent, although it is more utilitarian than your average Ultrabook competitor.It's fast, the screen is quite good (although the viewing angles and color accuracy isn't exceptional for an IPS display), the battery life is impressive (you can get 11 hours of actual use with the 9cell), and the little trackpoint dot is functional, although using it will never be as fast as using a well calibrated touchpad.Which brings me to this laptop's major and inexcusable failing. While it appears to have a trackpad shaped space, this is entirely for show. Nobody will ever be able to use this touchpad effectively; it is just not reliable enough. It isn't just worse than modern contenders: it is so bad that it can't be compared to the trackpad on my 6 year old Dell, or any other laptop I have ever used. I'm not sure if the problem is hardware or software: I don't really care. Everyone with this laptop has complained about since release, and Lenovo has done absolutely nothing to fix it. If the hardware is flawed, they should give users the option of replacing the touchpad. If it's software, they should patch the software in a way that actually fixes it. It's not like this problem could have come as a shock; through 3 installs, (2 different OS's), and multiple drivers, it has been constant. The forums indicate everyone has it. They do release patches, but I have no idea what they're fixing about the touchpad, since it doesn't seem to affect this issue.Similar situation when I upgraded to Windows 8 (a selling point Lenovo played up when I bought this laptop with Win7). Most of the Lenovo specific software just doesn't work properly; you don't have advanced battery manager software, the mic button no longer works, and the network card just dies at random. Again, lots of complaints to Lenovo, no real evidence that Lenovo has really tried to fix the issue.In summary: good laptop physically, with some of the worst driver issues I have ever had. Only buy it if you actually do not use touchpads (ever!), and don't want Windows 8.
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