by Andrew Baxter, New
York USA
The
IBM ThinkPad X41
notebook is a 12.1" screen
ultraportable that follows
in the footsteps of last
years
ThinkPad X40 release. Although
the X41 is small and light,
weighing only 2.7lbs with a
4-cell battery, it is not
underpowered by any means
as it carries a 1.50 GHz
Pentium M processor that
uses the latest Intel
915GM chipset. Most other
ultraportables on the
market have a 1.10 GHz or
1.20 GHz Pentium M. Combine
the X41's good processor
performance with the
typical sturdy IBM ThinkPad
build and excellent keyboard
and you have an
ultraportable that's easy to
recommend.
IBM ThinkPad X41 (view
larger image)
The ThinkPad X41 is built
in the same rugged manner as
any other X or T series
notebook from IBM. Don't
let the size of the X41 fool
you, it may look cute and
small, but once you pick it
up and feel the highly
sturdy and reinforced
plastic case you'll
understand this is a device
that's been designed to take
a beating and not just to
look suave. There's just
nothing chintzy about this
machine; the hinges,
keyboard, screen cover,
case and trackpoint buttons
all exude physical quality.
IBM X41 Specs and
Configuration Options
(text in
blue indicates review
unit configuration when
there is a choice available)
- Processor: Intel
Pentium M LV 758
(1.50GHz, 90nm
technology, 2MB L2
Cache, 400MHz FSB)
- Wireless: Intel PRO
2200BG or
2915ABG,
Bluetooth optional
- OS: Windows XP Home/Pro
- Screen: 12.1" TFT
XGA (1024 x 768)
- RAM: 256MB or
512MB
PC-4200 DDR-2 SDRAM
(Upgradeable to 1536MB
Max)
- Hard Drive: 1.8"
20GB, 30GB,
40GB
or 60GB @ 4200RPM
- Battery: 2.5 hr
(4-cell)
5.7
hr (8-cell) (extended-life
battery option adds
3 - 4 hours of life on
top of quoted numbers
for each respective
battery)
- Ports: 2 USB 2.0 (1
IBM Powered USB 2.0),
Infrared, expansion bus
(for optional ThinkPad
X4 Ultra Base Doc);
external display; AC
adapter; RJ-11 modem
port;RJ-45 ethernet
port; audio:
headphone/line-out,
external microphone.
- Slots: 1 PCMCIA card
slot, 1 Secure Digital
card slot
- Dimensions: 10.5" x
8.3" x 1.06" (w x d x h)
(with 8-cell battery
it's
10.5" x 9.3" x 1.06")
- Weight: 2.7lb with
4-cell battery,
3.2lb
with 8-cell battery
- Expansion:
ThinkPad X4 UltraBase
dock optional
- Warranty: 3-year
IBM X41 Product Page:
http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/thinkpad/xseries/index.html
Reasons for
Buying
I actually do not own
this ThinkPad X41, it's
property of IBM. Or I
suppose that would be to say
Lenovo now. Either way,
IBM/Lenovo is organized
enough to do a good job of
coordinating review unit
laptops and getting the word
out about their products.
Believe me, it's eye opening
to see which major
manufacturers don't have a
clue and can't coordinate
putting you in touch with
the right person when
there's a question or
request for information on
a product. IBM is not one
of those. Dell is
coordinated and good with
product info too. I won't
start throwing mud at the
organizations that aren't
this way (as much as I would
like to). My point here is,
I like buying products from
companies that are
coordinated and where the
left hand cooperates with
the right, so even though
IBM is big, their PC
division does a good job
(relative to other PC
manufacturers) of keeping
their folks on the same
page.
That aside, I am actually
going to be purchasing a
12.1" screen notebook soon
and the X41 will probably be
my choice -- so let's
pretend I do actually own
this notebook. My reason
for buying an ultraportable class
notebook is that I carry my
notebook around all over the
place, like to travel at
least once a month,
don't have the need to
play games (which
ultraportables are
notoriously bad at doing)
and have had good experience
in the past with purchases
of IBM notebook products.
Competing
Notebooks
It's always good to know
what other options you have
in a certain notebook
category you are looking to
buy within. Here's a
rundown of similar 12.1"
screen ultraportable
notebooks that the X41
competes with:
ThinkPad X41
Design & Build
The X41 is, by design,
very light and thin. The
X41 is 1.06" inches thin and
with the longer life 8-cell
battery I have the X41
weighs 3.2lbs, if you use a
4-cell battery the weight is
cut down to 2.7lbs. But
even at a weight of 3.2lbs I
find it easy to simply walk
around with the X41 in one
hand. Try doing that with a
notebook that has a screen
over 15" in size. I love
being able to reach into my
notebook case, pull out the
X41 easily and effortlessly
with one hand, and then
place it into it's docking
station (called the X4
UltraBase, more on that
later) and immediately be up
and working. Abe Lincoln
once said "right is might",
I'll argue that "light is
might" -- in the world of
mobile technology at least!
Here's a size
comparison of the X41 to the
T40, the X41 has an 8-cell
battery in so it adds an
extra 1-inch to the back
notice (view
larger image)
One way we know of to
keep weight down in a mobile
product is by utilizing
plastic as the build
material for the case. The
problem with plastic is that
it's just not all that
rugged and if you bash your
notebook or drop it then
you'd better cross your
fingers and hope that
nothing breaks or cracks.
The ThinkPad X41 does use
plastic for the case, but
the kicker is that it's a
reinforced plastic
composite. The case
material provides for a very
rugged and durable build,
but still keeps the weight
down. The screen lid is
constructed of a magnesium
alloy so there's no flexing
of the screen, if you push
in on the back of the lid
you don't get any of the
disconcerting ripple effect
on the front of the LCD.
When this rugged build is
combined with the IBM Active
Protection System for the
hard drive (this built-in
software/hardware feature
shuts down the hard drive if
the notebook is dropped in
order to protect data), you
can be fairly sure both your
data and the physical
hardware will survive a
decent sized drop. IBM
claims the ThinkPad X41 will
survive up to 3-foot drops
with little to no
consequence.
Dell X1 resting on
top of IBM X41, the X41 has
more depth than the X1 but
the X1 is wider (view
larger image)
One thing that is common
in ultraportables, but that
must be pointed out, is that
there is no built in optical
drive for the X41, nor has
there ever been for the
X-series. That's part of
the formula for keeping the
weight down and the overall
package thin. So what
happens when you need to
load software from a DVD or
CD? That's when you'll
need an expansion base such
as the ThinkPad X4 UltraBase
Dock. This dock has a
built-in optical drive and
various ports at the
back. The UltraBase X4
allows you to have an
external monitor, power and
all your favorite
accessories hooked up to it
so that when you slide the
X41 into the base you can
start working right away, no
hassle of arriving at the
office and plugging in all
the various accessories to
the notebook. However, when
on the road travelling or in
a coffee shop you can have
the X41 in it's raw thin and
light form so that it lives
up to the ultraportable
namesake.
Input and Output
Ports
Obviously with less
surface area and room inside
an ultraportable style
notebook you're going to
find that the number of
ports and fancy features
will be reduced. The X41
does a decent job of
minimalizing this problem
though. Let's take a tour
around the notebook to see
what we get:
On the right side you
have the most slots and
ports: PCMCIA slot for
accessory expansion,
Headphone/audio line-out,
microphone in, SecureDigital
memory card slot, 1-USB 2.0
port, RJ-11 modem port,
RJ-45 ethernet port,
kensington security lock.
ThinkPad X41
Right-side (view
larger image)
On the left side you have
the AC power jack, monitor
out port, 1-USB 2.0 port and
a fan vent. The USB 2.0
port on the left side has a
power port (notice slot
underneath) so you can
attach an external optical
drive without having to plug
the optical drive in
seperately.
ThinkPad X41
Left-side (view
larger image)
On the bottom of the X41
you'll see there's an
expansion bus port that is
used to connect to the
UltraBase dock. The battery
compartment and memory slots
can also be accessed from
here.
ThinkPad X41
underneath (view
larger image)
UltraBase X4
Expansion
When purchasing the X41
the UltraBase X4 is an
optional add-on. If you
don't want the expansion
base but still need to load
software onto the X41 you
can always use a fast
network to access drives on
other machines to read large
amounts of data. I highly
recommend getting the
UltraBase though, it's
almost a necessary option in
my opinion.
IBM ThinkPad X41
UltraBase X4 (view
larger image)
The UltraBase X4 offers a
simple way to organize all
of your wires and dock your
notebook when you arrive at
the office or home. As soon
as you slot the X41 into the
dock the notebook will
recognize it's been attached
to the base station so you
can use the optical drive
(the UltraBase X4 I have has
a CD-RW/DVD drive combo,
since it's an UltraBay you
can actually upgrade the
optical drive that sits
within the base), power will
be drawn from the plugged in
base station, you can switch
to a monitor attached to the
base station, any keyboard,
mouse, printer, speakers or
other device connected to
the base station will of
course become usable.
Here's a rundown of the
ports and features you
get with the UltraBase:
- Key lock security
feature and security key
hole
- Hot/warm docking
support
- Built-in stereo
speakers
- Parallel, serial,
USB, RJ-11, RJ-45, VGA,
one PS/2 port
- Second battery
support (for optional
ThinkPad Ultrabay Slim
Li-Polymer Battery)
- Ultrabay Slim device
support (for housing of
optical drive such as
CD/DVD ROM)
- 3 USB 2.0 ports
- Dimensions: 0.89
inches x 10.6 inches x
8.3 inches (Height x
Width x Depth)
- Weight: 1.43lbs
The dock weighs
approximately 1.5lbs, so
you'd be better off not
carrying it around because
if you add that to the
weight of the laptop you're
not going to be very light
and portable any
more...you'd in fact be
better off with a
thin-and-light style
workstation notebook such as
the ThinkPad T40 series.
Right side view of
UltraBase X4 (view
larger image)
Left side view of X41
in the UltraBase (view
larger image)
Processor and
System Performance
The X41 provides much
better performance than your
average ultraportable due to
the fact it has a
low-voltage 1.50 GHz Pentium
M that uses the latest Intel
915 chipset. According to
Intel there's about a 10%
performance gain from the
older 855 chipset.
We use the program
Super Pi to get a
benchmark of processor
speed. The Super Pi program
simply forces the processor
to calculate Pi to a
selected number of digits of
accuracy. Calculating to 2
million digits is our
benchmark. Below is a
comparison chart of how
the ThinkPad X41 with it's
1.5 GHz processor stacked up
to other notebooks when
running this calculation:
|
Notebook |
Time to
Calculate Pi to 2
Million Digits
|
|
IBM
ThinkPad X41 (1.50
GHz Alviso Pentium
M) |
2m 02s |
|
Dell Latitude X1
(1.1 GHz ULV Pentium
M) |
2m 40s |
|
IBM ThinkPad
T43 (1.86 GHz Alviso
Pentium M) |
1m 45s |
|
Fujitsu LifeBook
N3510 (1.73 GHz
Alviso Pentium M) |
1m 48s |
|
IBM ThinkPad T41
(1.6GHz Banias
Pentium M) |
2m 23s |
|
Compaq R3000T
(Celeron 2.8GHz) |
3m 3s |
|
Dell Inspiron
600m (1.6 GHz Dothan
Pentium M) |
2m 10s |
|
Dell Inspiron
8600 (1.7GHz Banias
Pentium M) |
2m 28s |
So we can see from the
numbers above that the
processor is able to perform
significantly better than
processors in its competing
class and also outpace much
larger laptops from just
last year. Not bad.
Now let's look at some
more benchmarks pitting the
X41 against the competing
Dell Latitude X1 notebook.
The X41 has a low-voltage
1.5GHz processor and the X1
has an
ultra-low-voltage 1.1GHz
processor so it's not a very
even match -- something I
should mention is that the
X41 has to use a fan to
dissipate heat due to its
faster processor while the
X1 uses passive cooling with
no fan.
So by looking above we
see that the PCMark04
numbers show overall
performance of the X41 is
better than the X1.
Interestingly though, the
graphics performance of the
X41 and X1 are essentially
the same, with the X1 having
a slight edge. Both systems
use integrated graphics
solutions, but the X41 has
the more up to date Intel
Graphics Media Accelerator
900. I'm not sure how to
explain the results in this
case, but needless to say
the graphics performance is
overall poor and you won't
be using either notebook for
gaming.
Perceived performance for
using Office applications,
browsing the web and using
such programs as Visual
Studio for programming is
very good. I can have
multiple programs and
browser windows open at the
same time and they all work
fine whenever I switch to
the program to use its
specific utilities. No lag
whatsoever. The X41 most
certainly is an
ultraportable that
will enable you to get work
done. It will not do well
with anything graphically
demanding though.
The hard drive speed of
4200RPM is often pointed to
as being too slow. And the
problem with the hard drive
size on the X41 (1.8") is
that there is no upgrading
to a faster hard drive.
With extra RAM that will
provide less need to hit the
hard drive, you'll be able
to overcome performance
issues, and with the
included processor you'll be
humming a happy tune
anyway. To me the 4200RPM
limitation hard drive isn't
a big deal.
There is one upgradeable
slot for memory on the X41.
If you order the X41 with
256MB of memory then you can
use a 1GB stick of memory to
upgrade to 1280MB and if you
order the X41 with 512MB of
memory built-in you can
upgrade to a max of 1536MB
of RAM. It's definitely a
good move to get 512MB of
memory built-in to the
inacessible slot if you can
afford it. Here's a link to
the X41 memory upgrade page
so you can see the current
prices of compatible RAM:
X41 memory purchase page
Keyboard and
Input
ThinkPad X41 Keyboard
(view
larger image)
The X41, despite its
size, comes with a keyboard
that is amazingly
comfortable to use and
fantastic for typing on.
Keys are slightly smaller to
fit everything on there, but
no space is spared as the
keys are pushed right out to
the edge so you know IBM has
done everything they can to
make the keyboard usable.
Feedback from the keys is
great, there is not an ounce
of flex to this keyboard.
The trackpoint navigation is
fantastic, the pointing
stick makes it easy to
navigate the cursor to the
area on the screen you
wish. Some complain about
lack of a touchpad, but I've
never come across a touchpad
I've loved or used a whole
lot so for me this is no
loss. Biometric security is
an option on the X41 and if
you go for this option
you'll get a fingerprint
reader in the general area
that a touchpad might have
been.
IBM ThinkPad keyboards
are sealed and sit inside of
a tray so that spills do not
get to the electronics
underneath. Now this
doesn't mean the X41 is
waterproof and 100% spill
proof by any means (liquid
can still get in the vents
if your aim is really bad),
what it does mean is that if
you spill some water onto
the keyboard then you'll
have time to tip up the
notebook and pour the liquid
out before it seeps down
into the internal components
of the notebook.
One thing I should note
regarding any ThinkPad
keyboard is that IBM has
always been stubborn about
not putting a "Windows" key
on the bottom left-side that
nearly every other notebook
has. Pushing this key by
default pops up the start
menu in Windows. Some
people like having this and
find it annoying when it's
not there, personally I
don't care, and I'm sure
some Linux fans are just
plain chuffed that IBM
chooses to leave this
Windows friendly button out!
Above the main keyboard
are a few hardware buttons:
the power button, volume up
and down buttons, a mute
button and the blue "Access
IBM" button. The Access IBM
button will launch an IBM
software application called
Access IBM that will guide
you in using, protecting,
configuring and updating
software on your X41.
Apparently in the future
this "Access IBM" button is
going to be named "ThinkVantage"
due to the Lenovo buyout of
the IBM PC division.
Screen
The 12.1" screen on the
X41 is XGA resolution and
there's nothing fancy about
it. It has a matte finish
and is not widescreen. But
this is perfect for use of
Office applications and what
not. You'll only be able to
see one application at a
time on the screen given the
fact the resolution is XGA
(1024 x 768). The screen is
bright and easy on the eyes,
you'll get no glare or
reflection on the screen in
an office environment with
lots of ugly fluorescent
style lights. There's no
option for a glossy finished
screen, no ThinkPad has this
option. So the
screen provides nothing to
write home about, but
nothing to complain about
either.
The IBM ThinkPad X41
screen is shown on the
right. On the left is the
Dell Latitude X1
screen. The X1 has a
widescreen format whereas
the X41 is standard (view
larger image)
Audio
The speakers on the
actual X41 are on the
bottom. Needless to say,
this doesn't provide for
very good audio. Using
headphones is a very wise
idea, it's hard to even
understand spoken dialogue
because the volume is low
and sound is tinny. If you
put the X41 into it's
UltraBase you get much
louder audio, but even then
the quality isn't very good
so a set of external
speakers or headphones will
serve you well.
Heat and Noise
The X41 uses a fan and
smart design to keep the
insides cool with its 1.5GHz
processor. Most
ultraportables come with a
slower and therefore cooler
running processor. The X41
does generate some heat on
both the bottom and top, I
found that putting it in my
lap for over an hour was
doable but got a little
uncomfortable towards the
end of that time
period. The left palm rest
would also sometimes get a
bit warm, but not toasty
warm by any means. The hard
drive is right under the
left palm rest so that
explains the heat build up
in that area. When you have
the X41 on a desk or place
where there's good
ventilation heat build up
will not be a problem. If
you have it on your lap, in
bed or in a warm room then
the X41 can get warm on both
the bottom and left top
side.
A fan is used to blow hot
air out and cool the
insides. However, the fan
is virtually inaudible. It
doesn't need to run very
often and when it does it's
just a gentle push of air.
Battery
Battery life is a big
deal when it comes to being
portable. I use the 8-cell
longer life battery for the
X41, you can use a 4-cell
battery to save weight (X41
is 2.7lbs with 4-cell
battery and about 3.2lbs
with 8-cell) and make it so
the battery does not stick
out the back of the
notebook, but you'll
obviously only get half the
battery life relative to the
8-cell. Using the 8-cell I
was able to achieve 4 hours
and 40 minutes of battery
life with the screen
brightness set to 5 out of 8
bars, wireless on and during
that time the notebook was
either idling (with screen
on still) or I was using it
lightly to browse the web or
send email. So basically
you could do a New York to
Los Angeles flight with the
power lasting most of the
way, much of the battery
life depends upon what
you're using the notebook
for though.
There is an
extended-life battery option
that slots on underneath the
X41 and will give you
another 3-4 hours of power,
but it of course adds
another 1lb of weight and
all of a sudden you're
carrying something that's
not so portable. Carrying a
4-cell and 8-cell battery
might be a good option to
achieve 6+ hours of battery
life as long as you don't
mind powering down,
replacing your drained
battery and booting up
again.
Wireless
Connectivity
The ThinkPad X41 I have
comes with an Intel 2915
PRO/Wireless 802.11 a/b/g
internal wi-fi card. I had
no problems using wireless
on the X41. Using the
built-in IBM Access
Connections application
makes it very easy to find
networks and manage various
wireless connection
profiles. IBM places what
it calls the UltraConnect
Wireless Antenna in the
upper part of the screen.
You can't see it of course
as it's enclosed in the
casing, but it really helps
to extend your wireless
range. Most manufacturers
take the cheap route and put
the antenna in the base part
of the system where it's
susceptible to interference
from all the other
components there.
The X41 has an
antenna in the screen area
for better reception
There is no internal
Bluetooth in the X41 I have,
but Infrared (IrDA) is
integrated. When a ThinkPad
with IrDA gets close to
another ThinkPad with IrDA
you'll get a noise effect
that sounds like a spring
and you'll be asked if you'd
like to transfer files
between the two machines.
Fingerprint
Reader Security and Software
The X41 can be purchased
with a built-in fingerprint
reader to provide biometric
security. The fingerprint
reader is unobtrusive in
nature and won't get in the
way of any of your actions,
but is easy enough to access
and use when needed.
The first time you start
using the X41 with biometric
security you'll get the
following screen that
prompts you to "enroll" at
least two fingers for the
ability to scan and use as
your Windows logon.
As soon as you start
using the X41 a wizard
pops-up to guide you through
setting up biometric
security (view
larger image)
You can pick any two
fingers of your ten to
enroll (view
larger image)
You have to do three
successful finger swipes,
using the same finger, over
the reader and then the
software will record your
fingerprint and converge the
three successful swipe
images (view
larger image)
Once you've successfully
enrolled two fingers you
will be prompted by the
software as to whether you'd
like to now use finger
swipes to logon to Windows.
In addition to substituting
a fingerswipe for Windows
logon you can also use the
fingerscan for what IBM
calls "Power Up" security.
This means that when you
turn your computer on it
will sit and wait for you to
scan your finger before it
will even start to boot. So
for the ultimate security
use both the Power Up and
Windows logon passwords/fingerscan.
Actually using the finger
reader is relatively easy.
Just slide the end of your
finger over the reader, and
if it does not read right
the software will actually
coach you to move your
finger to the right or
left. It does take a little
bit of training to use the
reader properly, you can
move your finger too fast or
too slow and you do need to
line the finger up right, I
can basically get the read
right in one or two tries,
but I won't say it's sure
fire to work every time on
the first try.
For a white paper
resource that covers all the
advantages of biometric
security check out this
link:
http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/sj/403/ratha.html
Conclusion
Tech specs and features
aside, the ThinkPad X41
continues the streak
of providing a highly usable
laptop in the small 12.1"
screen form factor. It's no
small feat to produce a
keyboard on a notebook of
this size that feels the
same as a keyboard on a
mainstream 15.4" notebook.
The 1.5GHz processor is the
fastest you'll find in any
ultraportable on the market,
and the typical rugged build
of the ThinkPad line is part
of the course. This is an
easy laptop to recommend to
those who need to be highly
mobile and get work done
while moving about. When
combined with the UltraBase
X4 docking station solution,
the X41 can function well as
a main computer too, so keep
that option in mind.
Pros
- 1.5GHz Intel Pentium
M is the fastest
processor available for
this sized notebook
- Highly usable
keyboard and TrackPoint
navigation, even with
the limited area
- Excellent rugged
build, Active Protection
System and biometric
security combine to make
a notebook with great
data protection and
security
- Thin and light,only
1.06" at its thickest
point and 2.7lbs if the
4-cell battery is used
- Good docking
solution in the form of
the UltraBase X4
provides nice expansion
capabilities
- Includes PCMCIA slot
for easy accessory
upgrade -- many
ultraportables do not
have this slot
- Very good wireless
performance and software
Cons
- No built-in optical
drive
- Secure digital is
the only available flash
memory reader,
competitors offer
multi-card readers
- Can get warm on the
left palm-rest and on
the underside after
prolonged usage
- Some might miss
having a touchpad and
Windows shortcut key
- 1.8" hard drive is
proprietary in design
and cannot be upgraded
past 4,200RPM of speed.
.jpg)
