Ultra-portable toss-up
April 25, 2011 9:22 AM Subscribe
ThinkPad X120e or Asus Transformer?
Lightroom capability on the Thinkpad?
Honeycomb photo apps?
Both will end up being around the same cost, (~$500) after tax and battery upgrade/keyboard dock. Both can do flash, HDMI, and SDHC.
The Thinkpad "might" do Lightroom well enough for basic edits. (Anyone know for sure/better?)
But the Transformer is more portable. Though editing is limited to jpgs as of now.
Opinions? Recommendations that I'm missing?
Both will end up being around the same cost, (~$500) after tax and battery upgrade/keyboard dock. Both can do flash, HDMI, and SDHC.
The Thinkpad "might" do Lightroom well enough for basic edits. (Anyone know for sure/better?)
But the Transformer is more portable. Though editing is limited to jpgs as of now.
Opinions? Recommendations that I'm missing?
Response by poster: @enn I'm not going to be editing for hours on it I just need something that will run Lightroom in the field without needing a lot of space. (FYI I use a T61, the LCD is fine, once you calibrate it properly)
posted by tropikal at 9:35 AM on April 25, 2011
posted by tropikal at 9:35 AM on April 25, 2011
People report using Lightroom on netbooks in the field, and the x120e is much faster than those netbooks (and has a higher-res screen which will be helpful). I guess it will do fine with enough RAM.
I have an x100e, which is the same computer but with a slower CPU and dismal battery life. Reviews of the x120e suggest that it is much improved in these regards. It has the best laptop keyboard I've ever used, even compared to older Thinkpads, and the build quality of the case is great --- it doesn't "feel" like a budget computer. I have no complaints about the screen, but then I don't do any kind of graphics work.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 10:00 AM on April 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
I have an x100e, which is the same computer but with a slower CPU and dismal battery life. Reviews of the x120e suggest that it is much improved in these regards. It has the best laptop keyboard I've ever used, even compared to older Thinkpads, and the build quality of the case is great --- it doesn't "feel" like a budget computer. I have no complaints about the screen, but then I don't do any kind of graphics work.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 10:00 AM on April 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Hmm are you going to get the dual-core thinkpad or the single core? That and the amount of RAM / throwing a fast SSD will make a big difference in being able to quickly do some editing.
posted by stratastar at 4:55 PM on April 25, 2011
posted by stratastar at 4:55 PM on April 25, 2011
Dear Jebus! That thinkpad screams! Get the dual core version and you'll definitely be able to use lightroom on it.
posted by stratastar at 5:07 PM on April 25, 2011
posted by stratastar at 5:07 PM on April 25, 2011
I can't wait to try out a Transformer myself, but I can't imagine using a tablet OS for any photo work past basic transfer, crop, etc. That being said, the battery life should be good, and the relative openness of Android vs iOS is one of the selling points for the Transformer in my eyes.
What are you hoping to do, photo-wise, with either of these devices?
posted by shinynewnick at 5:36 PM on April 25, 2011
What are you hoping to do, photo-wise, with either of these devices?
posted by shinynewnick at 5:36 PM on April 25, 2011
Also, I have no personal experience with it, but the HP dm1z seems to have solid reviews.
posted by shinynewnick at 5:39 PM on April 25, 2011
posted by shinynewnick at 5:39 PM on April 25, 2011
shinynewnick: "Also, I have no personal experience with it, but the HP dm1z seems to have solid reviews"
that's the one I came in to recommend, as it's the netbook I'm currently eying up to replace my aging asus eee 1000HE.
posted by namewithoutwords at 6:59 PM on April 25, 2011
that's the one I came in to recommend, as it's the netbook I'm currently eying up to replace my aging asus eee 1000HE.
posted by namewithoutwords at 6:59 PM on April 25, 2011
I went into a Best Buy today, with hopes of a hands on look at the EeePad Transformer that was allegedly released today. Not only did they not have any on hand, two different people had no idea what device I was talking about. Now, I don't give Best Buy a lot of credit anyway, but after reading on the "launch" of the EeePad today, it is fairly apparent that this was more of a "presale" day.
Also, the lack of Android tablet-specific apps really makes me hesitate. I very much love my Android phone, and the relative flexibility compared to the iPhone. But I may wait out these early Honeycomb days until it all matures a bit. I'm very glad I got my phone at 2.1 instead of 1.6, and hardware at least powerful enough to get through a couple of upgrades.
posted by shinynewnick at 7:29 PM on April 26, 2011
Also, the lack of Android tablet-specific apps really makes me hesitate. I very much love my Android phone, and the relative flexibility compared to the iPhone. But I may wait out these early Honeycomb days until it all matures a bit. I'm very glad I got my phone at 2.1 instead of 1.6, and hardware at least powerful enough to get through a couple of upgrades.
posted by shinynewnick at 7:29 PM on April 26, 2011
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The Thinkpad has the worst LCD panel I've seen in many, many, many years. Total junk. I would not buy it if I had any interest in photo work. (In fact I wish I hadn't bought it, even though I don't do anything but coding. It's really that bad.)
posted by enn at 9:29 AM on April 25, 2011