WILLCOM D4 (Sharp WS016SH), Exclusive Review!!!

Last week we were invited by Willcom in Tokyo to test their hot new Willcom D4 aka Sharp WS016SH (don’t get the idea we flew thousands of klicks… their office is next door to ours). We have here a 1.33GHz Centrino Atom Z520 CPU (one of the first UMPCs on the market carrying it!) Windows Vista, 40GB HDD, 1GB RAM, a 5" 1024x600 TFT touchscreen all in a compact size of 84x188x25.9mm and weighing 470g… Nearly first generation PSP size! After the press conference and the enthusiasm generated by it, we begged Willcom to let us have the D4 for a few hours in order to get a better idea of what the beast was all about.

After a few exchanges, Willcom (the company is very open minded) allowed us to test drive an Alpha version (engineers are still working on optimizing it for Vista… mainly drivers/software). An engineer working closely on the project was also present to provide answers to our many questions… This opportunity enabled us to better understand what to expect with the final product.

Getting Started:
Overall the D4 is a beautiful machine, the latest generation to date with a flexible slide keyboard system. It’s fluid and robust, easy to handle with just one hand, with a very solid screen hinge system that when straightened resembles that of a classic portable and offers a multitude of configurations for various uses. The screen looks great with a good resolution, even when viewed outdoors.

The touchscreen responds very well with the stylus, and remains accurate when manipulated with your fingers (just don’t move them too fast… engineers are working on improving this point). The D4 also features a directional pad. Utilization was a little difficult, the amplitude of horizontal movement in relation to vertical is not the same, the cursor is faster horizontally. The engineer explained this was only a matter of setting the driver level, thus easily changeable.

About Performance:
As seen on the video, the D4 suffers a little with Vista… It’s clear that in order to use Vista, you better have a powerful system, and its clearly inadequate for running a mini-portable type UMPC. However, owning a Vista running Sony UX92 (DSS), I can tell you the D4 seems faster. Note that the first model you see on the video is the software test version (with a lot of stuff installed) and the interface you see is a Beta version (I do scroll/drag icons… our test engineer is developing this feature and showed us his D4 test … this is where we got the scoop to beta test this device), and not yet optimized. Some features were not yet efficiently integrated (hence the error messages that appeared).

When I surf the Net it’s with another model with a cleaner Vista installation (SP1), and therefore more efficient… I remain skeptical about using of Vista with a UMPC and Atom, and I wonder if the lack of information released concerning Vista’s reliability on this platform is not simply due to Vista being too greedy with resources… In fact I was told that the Windows XP D4 was very fast… I believe it!

Features/Connectivities:
Numerous! OneSeg TV (the standard mobile digital TV in Japan), WiFi, Bluetooth (for connecting on a mobile affiliate) 2Mpx camera, mini USB, micro SD…… etc. As for the the odd looking card shown on the video, it’s a W-SIM. It acts as a SIM card and contains the phone PHS (equivalent to GSM) transmitter/receiver … You may not find this very interesting, but it’s an example of other cards that could be used on other networks. Why not a 3G, or something else in the future?

Plus:
High Technologie in PSP size !
Design
Keyboard with multitude of configurations
Screen Touch
Functionalities

Minus:
Vista !!!
Only 1 Go of ram
Sell only in Japan

Conclusion:

Although the D4 Beta version was not very well optimized, our enthusiasm remains unchanged. Beautiful design, ergonomic, a well thought out keyboard, multiple positions, touchscreen…… I’m impatient to get my hands on a final version.

There’s no doubt a community will be created around this machine, offering drivers for other OS. With Willcom’s team spirit and open-mindedness, I don’t think they’ll put a spanner in the wheels of projects emerging around their machine.

source akihabaranews

Lenovo ThinkPad X300 review

We're not even two months into the new year, and we've already seen Apple's remarkably slim MacBook Air and Toshiba's update to its featherweight Portege R500. Both were very strong contenders for the top spot on our list of favorite ultraportable laptops--until this week, when we got our hands on the Lenovo ThinkPad X300.

The newest addition to the ThinkPad X series incorporates the best of the MacBook Air (13.3-inch display, full-size keyboard, thickness less than one inch) with the best of the Portege R500 (solid-state hard drive, thorough selection of ports) while also adding its own great features, such as a built-in DVD burner, WWAN connectivity, and GPS.

The X300's ThinkPad DNA is evident in its instantly recognizable black, square-edged case, but at 0.73 inch thick and weighing anywhere from 2.9 pounds to 3.5 pounds (depending on your battery and optical drive choices), it's simply the sleekest ThinkPad yet. The biggest criticism of the ThinkPad X300 is its price: the base configuration costs $2,476 and goes up from there. But innovative design, thorough features, and cutting-edge components don't come cheap, and the ThinkPad X300 is truly unique in its balance of portability and usability.

Price as reviewed / starting price	$2,936 / $2,476
Processor	1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SL7100
Memory	2GB of 667MHz
Hard drive	64GB solid-state drive
Graphics	Intel GMA X3100 (integrated)
Operating System	Windows XP Professional
Dimensions (WDH)	12.5 x 9.1 x 0.73 inches
Screen size (diagonal)	13.3 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	3.4 / 4.0 pounds
Category	ultraportable

Aside from the laptop's dimensions, the design changes with the ThinkPad X300 have been incremental. The ultraportable still features a rectangular black case built around a magnesium chassis. There's still a blue ThinkVantage button above the keyboard, a fingerprint reader below it, and a keyboard light on the top edge of the display. However, ThinkPad fans will notice small changes that make the X300 a bit more attractive. The lid and wrist rest feature an appealing soft matte finish; the ThinkVantage, power, and mute buttons glow when pressed; and the front edge is devoid of any ports or switches.

In addition to the keyboard light, the ThinkPad X300's display bezel includes a 1.3-megapixel Webcam and a noise-canceling digital microphone for Web conferencing. The matte-finish display itself features a 1,440x900 native resolution that's sharper than that of the MacBook Air and other similarly sized screens, resulting in text and icons that are a bit smaller than you'd expect. The sharper resolution doesn't cause tremendous problems, though we did find ourselves pumping up the font size on a newspaper's Web site so we could read a lengthy article. We also zoomed in a bit when working on documents and spreadsheets. The trade-off: more screen real estate for multitasking and, when it's time for a break, beautiful video.

Given the amount of typing the typical executive does through the course of the work day, a keyboard can make or break an ultraportable. The ThinkPad X300 actually uses the same keyboard found on Lenovo's 14- and 15-inch models--which is to say, not the condensed keyboard found on previous X series models and many ultraportable laptops from other manufacturers. After conducting an entire morning's work--and writing this review--on the ThinkPad X300, we still don't feel like we've been typing on a laptop. We love it.

Lenovo decided to include both the red eraser-head TrackPoint pointing stick and a touch pad on the ThinkPad X300. The decision is understandable: many ThinkPad users are viscerally attached to their TrackPoints, while other users can't stand it, so why not include both methods? However, the double sets of mouse buttons seem to run counter to the overall theme of simplification that the ThinkPad X300 embodies. In order to make room for the TrackPoint's buttons, the touch pad is placed rather low on the wrist rest, with its buttons near the laptop's front edge. Fortunately, the ThinkPad X300 is thin enough that we could use the touch pad with our wrist resting on a desk surface--or on our leg, when the laptop was in our lap. Of greater concern is the fact that, during our lazier typing moments when our wrists dropped to the wrist rest, we were likely to graze the touch pad and accidentally misplace the cursor.

	Lenovo ThinkPad X300	Average for ultraportable category
Video	VGA-out	VGA-out
Audio	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks	Headphone/microphone jacks
Data	Three USB 2.0	Two USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, mulitformat memory card reader
Expansion	None	PC Card or ExpressCard slot
Networking	Ethernet, 802.11 a/g/n, Bluetooth, WWAN, GPS	Modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth, optional WWAN
Optical drive	DVD burner	None, or DVD burner

The ThinkPad X300 is an interesting exercise in minimalism. The laptop lacks some features that would be considered standard on an ultraportable, such as an expansion card slot or multiformat memory card reader, both of which are found on the Toshiba Portege R500. But it adds features that will likely be of higher value to mobile workers, such as WWAN, wireless USB, and even GPS. More notably, it incorporates many features that the MacBook Air does not, including two more USB ports, an Ethernet connection, and a built-in DVD burner. These additions make the ThinkPad X300 a realistic choice for use as a primary computer, which is a major advantage over its Apple competitor, especially given the price.

The base model of the ThinkPad X300 costs a hefty $2,476. Much of that price can be attributed to the laptop's 64GB solid-state drive, which promises faster application launch and boot times as well as a longer lifetime than a traditional hard drive with moving parts. (Unlike the MacBook Air, which comes in a low-cost configuration with a traditional spinning hard drive, the ThinkPad X300 is available only with a solid-state drive.) Our review unit included a few upgrades--twice as much RAM as the base configuration, plus WWAN, GPS, and an extended-life six-cell battery--that brought the price to $2,936. That's a bit high, even for an ultraportable, but still below the cost of a MacBook Air equipped with a solid-state drive.

Like the MacBook Air, the ThinkPad X300 incorporates Intel's new small-form-factor Core 2 Duo CPU, though with a slightly slower clock speed. That slower speed is at least partly to blame for the ThinkPad X300 trailing behind the MacBook Air on the multimedia multitasking portion of CNET Labs' performance benchmarks. Fortunately the ThinkPad's 2GB of RAM helped it keep up with the MacBook Air on our Photoshop test, where it also scored well ahead of the Toshiba Portege R500. As with any Core 2 Duo system, the ThinkPad X300 proved more than adequate for typical business productivity tasks, including Web surfing, media playback, and running office applications. We were able to conduct a full morning's work while streaming music over the wireless connection without any stuttering or noticeable performance issues.

In anecdotal testing of the ThinkPad X300 with the six-cell battery, we were able to get between 3 and 4 hours of battery life, depending on our usage and screen brightness settings. On CNET Labs' DVD battery drain test, the ThinkPad X300 died out after 3 hours, 43 minutes, just 20 minutes before the MacBook Air. That's obviously not enough juice for a full day of work away from the desk, but it is nearly an hour longer than the Portege R500's battery life. Here's another place where the ThinkPad X300's built-in DVD is an advantage: you can purchase an additional three-cell battery that fits inside the drive bay to extend your mobile computing time. Also an advantage: the ThinkPad X300's removable battery, which is remarkable only because users cannot replace the battery in the MacBook Air.

As Lenovo has moved toward offering built-to-order systems, the company has dropped the baseline warranty for ThinkPads to a single year. Extending coverage to three years costs $119; other reasonably priced upgrades add coverage for accidental drops or spills and LCD damage. The preloaded suite of ThinkVantage applications helps users troubleshoot problems, and Lenovo's support Web site includes the expected troubleshooting topics, driver downloads, and user guides.

source reviews.cnet.com

Lenovo X300 versus MacBook Air Comparison

Lenovo has decided to try and compete against the MacBook Air with their new x300 ultra-light and ultra-thin laptop. Here is a quick comparison chart between the two ultra-portables:

Lenovo Thinkpad X300	Apple MacBook Air
Processor Core 2 Duo	Processor Core 2 Duo
Weight 2.9 to 3.1	Weight 3 pounds
Thickness 0.92 in	Thickness 0.76 in
Screen 13.3 LED	Screen 13.3 LED
Resolution 1440x900	Resolution 1280x800
Battery Removable	Battery Non Removable
Connectivity Ethernet, Wi-Fi	Connectivity Wi-Fi Only
3 USB port	1 USB port
DVD Drive Yes	DVD Drive No
Price $2700 to $3000 USD	Price $1800 to $3100 USD

The X300 may be a little thicker, but it has a lot more features, including 3 USB ports, an Ethernet port, and a DVD drive. I think this makes the X300 a much better option for people on the move when compared to the MacBook Air, even if it’s running XP. Business users looking for portability won’t even have to look twice before purchasing this one.

source geeksaresexy.net