Lenovo ThinkPad T400s Caught on Video
Lenovo has just announced the ThinkPad T400s, a 14.1-inch laptop that is only 0.83 inches thick and less than 4 pounds in weight. I have been using the T400s for a couple of weeks and I am very impressed with this no-compromise notebook. In this 10-minute video you’ll get a complete overview of the T400s, along with the answer to the question: How many times can you say the phrase “thin and light” in a 10-minute video? (Too many).
The T400s I am evaluating has the following specs:
- Processor: Intel P9400, 2.4 GHz
- Memory: 2 GB
- HDD: 128 GB Solid-state disk (SSD)
- OS: Windows Vista Business
- Display: 14.1-inch, 1440×900
- Ports: 1 USB/ eSATA, 1 USB 2.0, VGA out, Ethernet, Display Port, audio in/out
- Optical Drive: DVD Dual layer
- Battery: 6-cell
- Webcam: 2 MP
- Connectivity: WiFi, ExpressCard slot
- I/O: Trackpad (multi-touch), trackstick (3 button), Fingerprint reader
The ThinkPad T400s has been a good performer for me so far, with very good system responsiveness. I am seeing nearly six hours of battery life with the standard battery, making this a solid mobile solution for the road warrior. The notebook can be configured with mobile broadband or WiMAX with Lenovo in addition to the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
I have gotten quite used to the multitouch trackpad as shown in the video. It makes using the T400s easily done without a mouse, something I normally don’t like doing. Standard multitouch functions are supported such as zoom in/out and scrolling with two fingers.
The ThinkPad keyboard is well known for its usability and this one lives up to the reputation. Lenovo has included everything you expect in a ThinkPad keyboard and even put oversized ESC and DEL keys for maximum usability. There are dedicated volume controls above the keyboard along with a microphone mute key, which is handy during Skype calls. There are dual microphones with noise cancellation so that conference calls are free of background noise such as key tapping while talking.
The T400s is available now at the Lenovo web site and starts at $1,599. It works with the ThinkPad Port Replicator Series 3, Mini Dock Series 3 and the Mini Dock Plus Series 3 for ultimate mobility.
The T400 looks fantastic. I saw a “leaked Lenovo roadmap” on Engadget. No T700 (17″ version of the T400) is on it.
A T700 would be my next laptop, but since there are no plans for it to exist, I’m thinking about a 17″ MacBook Pro, even with the still-high-but-lower-than-it-used-to-be price.
Dear James,
Thanks for the review of the T400. In my book the Thinkpad line has always been my favorite series from the 701 (butterfly keyboard) thru the 600 series to the T43 that I am typing on with.
I know that Lenovo has switched over over to a more “rectangular” screen from there square screen a few models ago…I still like the old screens and the higher resolution.
Also, correct me if I am wrong…but is the keyboard mainly black? On the T43 it is with the function keys grey in color. You indicated in the video that the keyboard was grey.
One more thing James. Doesn’t the T400 some with x34 card slot?
JohnD.
Sorry James, my bad the x34 slot is in the specs.
Yes, this one has the x34 slot but that is optional, they offer a multi-format card reader option instead of that that which is a bummer as you can’t have both.
The keyboard is totally black except the Enter key which is blue. You must have heard me say the keyboard was “great” and got grey.
People should know it only uses a 1.8 inch hard drive.
It only works with new port replicators designed for it not old IBM port replicators.
The trackpad is not very good, its either too sensitive or not sensitive enough. Maybe this will be fine tuned later.
The displayport does not provide audio, only video.
The trackpad is a pale imitation of Apples. i would like to see some PC laptop get this right but none so far.
Correct on the 1.8 inch drive and the new port replicator connector.
I disagree with your statement on the trackpad, it’s one of the best I have used on a Windows-based notebook as I said. Engadget said the same thing, I believe so it’s not just me.
Trackpads are greatly a matter of taste and preference.
There’s a promotional video on youtube in which a Lenovo designer/engineer/person explains (paraphrasing):
“On an ordinary laptop, when you hold it up with the lid closed, look at it from the side, and see daylight, there’s a problem with the design.”
The idea being that the frame doesn’t support the lid like it should, and weight on the closed lid isn’t properly transferred to the rest of the chassis, and that’s why some laptops have problems with keys/palmrests scratching the screen. Lenovo is better than that.
Or not. See 0:50 – 1:00 of the video review.(-;
My first six months with the T400 have been a nightmare, including two catastrophic failures while traveling (i.e. would not start Windows in any circumstances). This is a T400 built in December 2008, encrypted hard drive, Windows Vista business 64bit, as much memory as it can hold.
Lenovo’s utilities seem to conflict with Windows Utilities. The Computer Associates firewall – shipped by Lenovo with the computer – conflicts fatally with Windows Firewall. There are similar conflicts between Windows and Lenovo utilities for power management. The Windows Vista product key printed on the bottom of the PC was determined by Microsoft to be invalid – Windows “Genuine Advantage” locked the computer until I manually validated Vista by calling the activation center. This happened at least seven times in six months. Optical drive is great except that no matter what changes you make in the power manager it doesn’t go to sleep in Standby mode – leave the computer in standby over night without a power cord attached and you’ll lose 25% of the charge you had.
The support from Lenovo and from Microsoft has been appalling – basically useless. I only call them when all other options are exhausted because I have competent PC help on site. Lenovo support’s only answer to any software problem is for the user to reload the factory configuration and start again.
It’s like a British sports car of twenty years ago – a complete pleasure to drive and outstanding performance, when it’s working. You just can’t count on it being there when you need it.