ThinkPad X41 Tablet: a first look
Published: 07 Jun 2005
The convertible ThinkPad X41 Tablet -- the first ThinkPad release from new owner Lenovo -- offers the type of keyboard, processor and features you'd expect to find in an ultraportable notebook. However, its 12.1in. XGA display swivels and folds down, allowing you to take handwritten notes, draw diagrams and navigate menus using a stylus.
Tablets have mostly been used by healthcare professionals and in other vertical markets where something other than a traditional notebook is needed. But this new member of the venerable ThinkPad family could signal that tablets are finally ready for prime time.
The ThinkPad X41 Tablet is the first ThinkPad to be released since IBM's PC operation was bought by the China-based Lenovo Group.
Weighing 1.61kg, the ThinkPad X41 Tablet is significantly lighter than the HP Compaq tc4200 and similar in dimensions to the Motion M1400 Tablet PC. It also offers the kind of features you can find in today's slimmest ultraportable notebooks: current-generation Pentium M processors in 1.2GHz (753 Ultra Low Voltage) or 1.5GHz (758 Low Voltage); 256MB or 512MB of DDR2 memory (maximum 1.5GB); the Intel 915GM chipset with integrated graphics; hard drive capacities ranging from 20GB to 60GB; Wi-Fi in 802.11a/b/g or b/g flavours; and a suite of connectors, including VGA, modem, Ethernet and three USB ports, as well as PC Card and SD card slots. Add in the fingerprint reader and the ThinkVantage Technologies -- including the Embedded Security Subsystem 2.0, Rescue and Recovery tools and the hard disk Active Protection System -- and you have a machine that's well suited for the conference room or the field.
The ThinkPad X41 Tablet lacks an optical drive, and the companion ThinkPad X4 dock, which includes an optical drive bay, costs an extra £118 (ex. VAT). Although it's not unusual for a tablet (or an ultraportable, for that matter) to forgo an integrated optical drive, it's something to consider when shelling out for a £1,290 (ex. VAT) device. Other options include a high-capacity 8-cell system battery and, for those who need to maximise battery life, a second extended-life battery that attaches to the docking connector on the underside of the system.
Based on the specs, the ThinkPad X41 Tablet should prove equal to one of our current favourites, the Motion M1400 Tablet PC. Of course, a tablet is only as good as its performance and battery life, and we look forward to running it through our benchmark tests to see whether it lives up to our expectations. We'll let you know what we discover.
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