On Fri, Jan 04, 2013 at 06:52:22PM -0800, Scott Garman wrote: > Just wondering if anyone local is using one with Linux and what they > think of it.
Thinkpads fascinate me, so I spent way too much time researching. I don't have an X1, but I wonder what is missing, being that thin. CD/DVD drive and VGA connector, obviously, though these can be brought along (and lost) as dongles when needed. How long does the charge last if doing CPU intensive stuff, like compilation? Sometimes low power means that some behaviors, like playing videos and listening to music, are power frugal, but CPU intensive stuff like computation and encryption drain the battery fast. The specs are here: http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/tech-specs/laptop/thinkpad/x-series/x1-carbon/ Integrated Intel video. Probably good, with usable open source drivers, but you need more information on external monitor and projector resolution support. Intel sometimes fails at this. The hardware maintenance manual is here: http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/x1_carbon_hmm_en_0b48811_02.pdf It looks like the battery is accessable by removing the keyboard, so that can be replaced, yay! Ditto for the SSD, though it looks quite nonstandard. However, the screws are nylon coated and "use once and replace", so you will need to purchase replacement screws before you open it up. As a committed warranty voider, that would be troublesome for me - I always look inside. Lenovo still provides the HMM, so that is a big plus. Many of the connectors are on accessable "mini-sub-cards", so if one breaks or wears out, you don't need to replace the whole main board. However, the RAM is soldered in. Great for reliability, lousy for upgradability. There is no mention of the X1 Carbon on http://www.thinkwiki.org/ That is the go-to community for all things Thinkpad and Linux. No mention on http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/lenovo.html That is less well maintained. A review claiming Ubuntu 12.04 compatability, low brightness, and 3.5 hour battery life: http://www.amazon.com/review/R242N9HGY01ZIC Here's dmesg output: https://gist.github.com/3934585 The actual laptop is small, but the bundle of things you need to bring along for charging, DVDs, presentations, etc. is big. My ancient T60 is a heavy monster, but everything I need (except the AC adapter) is built in, and I get 6 hour battery life if I carry two spares. That gets me across the country. So ... this looks like the usual perils of early adoption. I would wait for other folks to evaluate it and find the bugs and endure the recalls before I took the risk. Keith -- Keith Lofstrom [email protected] Voice (503)-520-1993 _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list [email protected] http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
