Impressions of the Lenovo ThinkPad T400s

I am working away in my local coffee shop and thought I should share additional impressions of the ThinkPad T400s. You can check out the video done earlier, but this is a more user-oriented set of impressions in no particular order.

ThinkPad T400s (taken with Palm Pre)

ThinkPad T400s (taken with Palm Pre)

The keyboard is outstanding. ThinkPads are famous for the good keyboards, and the T400s is no exception. I can use this keyboard comfortably for hours on end and type as fast as I can with any keyboard. There are no “gotchas” with key placement or other bugaboos common with many keyboards.

The multitouch trackpad is the best I’ve used, MacBook excepted. I have not been a big fan of Windows notebooks using a multitouch trackpad, as I’ve not found them to be all that useful, but this one is an exception. I use it about half the time, which is quite a lot for me. The textured trackpad surface is done just right to provide tactile feedback that lends precision to multitouch gestures performed, which makes them more precise. The button placement is good, and the trackpad is well-implemented.

Performance is good. The 2.4 GHz processor feels faster than some, which I attribute to the 128 GB SSD in this unit. Things happen quickly, and I find that while I am using the ThinkPad, I don’t think about the device at all. That is the mark of a good notebook.

Battery life is acceptable. I routinely get between 5 and 6 hours on a single charge without doing anything special with power management. The battery charges quickly, too, although I’ve never timed it.

Audio quality is average. There are two stereo speakers running the length of both sides of the keyboard, making for OK audio, but nothing special. Maximum volume is not very loud at all, which is pretty typical of notebooks like this. The volume toggle switch and mute button are very handy to have, and I got used to having them right away. I now miss it when using a notebook without those controls.

Video playback is excellent. The integrated graphics work well, and watching streaming video in full screen is very good.

Webcam is OK. The 2 MP webcam works fine for Skype calls — nothing special, but OK.

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