The first laptop with the final shipping version of preinstalled windows7 is Lenovo T400s (“s” stands for slim) with a 14-inch screen. It is much better than older T400 model which has been updated to latest T400s after shedding off some weight and thickness. Also Lenovo is offering some custom touchscreen software and multitouch touchscreen. Lenovo’s attention to detail and build quality is undoubtedly the best. No wonder Lenovo T400s is a heavy duty and solid machine capable of lot of action. The price of this machine (touchscreen T400s) starts at $1,999 and includes software and hardware of Lenovo’s Think Vantage suite of security and business. The ThinkPad brand from Lenovo is almost synonymous with business laptops and it many years were spent by the company to perfect the non descript black-box system with its double set of mouse buttons and iconic Track point, hence it is targeted for corporate IT world and small business individuals who don’t mind paying extra premium for it because they know what they are looking and paying for.
The basic design of this laptop is similar to other ThinkPads with the right there TrackPoint and buttoned-down look. As it has rollcage skeleton made up of carbon fibre, it manages to give a solid and sturdy feel despite being lightweight and fairly thin. The system is capable of lying completely flat as the lid can fold back 180 degrees full. The keyboards are refined; based on user’s feedback and its detailed analysis, the DEL and ESC keys are made larger than usual and the tapered-key design makes them very easy to use and comfortable. The touch pad, though large enough is difficult to be seen against matte wrist rest. The indispensable TrackPoint pointing stick is nested in the middle of the keyboard, serving as second set of mouse buttons lying above touch pad.
As Windows 7 is a touch-friendly OS, it enabled PC makers to add touch functionality providing T400s a multitouch display which is the biggest addition to this latest version. In this case, just like tablet PC, you can touch and drag Win 7 menus, files and folders with your finger or use Lenovo’s custom touch interface called SimpleTap which is anchored as a small red button at the side of display. The touch interface opens by tapping this button enabling you to perform various tasks and basic system functions after proper configuration. The LED wide screen display offers standard 1440×900 native resolution and has anti fingerprint coating to help screen look good even after using touch functions.
The high-end 2.53 GHz Core 2 duo SP9600 processor from Intel offers good balance between computing power and energy efficiency. Compared with other laptops that include high-end Intel core 2 duo processors, T400s felt responsive and quick, as expected from business laptops. One drawback with its configuration is that you are compelled to choose between ExpressCard/34 slot and SD card reader and not allowed to have both. The connections and ports are on the rare edge of the systems and show desktop button at the far right side of the system tray.
