Thinkpad T400S

Review

Form factor is a lot nicer than the Macbook Pro - a pound lighter and the screen tilts back for tall people. It's basic black and seems robust. The keyboard is exquisite. Power adaptor is compatible with previous Thinkpads. Built in Webcam seems ok. Volume rocker is a bit creaky. Keyboard changes are interesting, though large "delete" and "esc" keys are for negative people.

Critiques

Default fan setting makes annoying in a quiet environment - tweaking with http://www.gambitchess.org/mediawiki/index.php/ThinkPad_Fan_Control. It does barely get warm, but right in the center, the worst spot for a laptop. Skipping the mic input is strange since there's so much space around the edge, but at least they moved the wireless switch from the front. The coloured power button is pointless, the machine has a glowing belly button? But not having an indicator for AC status, as on the previous versions, is criminal. DVD drive is pointless these days, should have come with a weight saver. Battery should be larger capacity versions.

Nice to have

DisplayPort should be form compatible with Macbooks (mini DisplayPort) and pass audio. It would be nice if there were less bezel.

Linux support

Ubuntu 9.10 (alpha - 20090904) - Everything works out of the box except the fingerprint reader (who cares) and scrolling using Trackpoint/Touchpad (do care). External monitor on VGA seems to basically work though a bit fussy when toggling. Some intermittent suspend/resume problems, but this is an alpha OS.