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HOLIDAY 2008
ROAD WARRIOR'S GIFT GUIDE
Lenovo X61 7675-A48 Details
After waiting a week
since Paypal-ing my Japanese friend the $1400, the
box arrives. Inside the shipping carton is the
sealed Lenovo package. We requested that it
not be opened for testing, and that we'd just take
the risk here in the US if any damage occurred
during shipment, or heaven forbid, it was DOA.
 
The package comes with a
4-cell enhanced capacity battery, 1GB PC2-5300 RAM,
a 160GB Fujitsu 5400RPM SATA HDD, AC adapter,
Windows Vista, Bluetooth, and Intel's 4965AGN
adapter. Here are photos of the BIOS screens
prior to upgrades. Click for a larger image:
Here is the Japanese
keyboard layout. It works fine as a US
keyboard but some keys are labeled differently,
while others are just super tiny, like the Windows
and spacebar.
Below, we have an old
Fujitsu B2545 (10.4" LCD) on top of the X61.
The B2545 is really small and light, but also
severely underpowered. The X61 is only 1/2"
wider.
Comparing thicknesses
below are a Dell D600 (bottom), an MSI MS-1057
(middle), and the X61 on top.
Same three notebooks
below. The D600 is the largest, more than 1"
wider, and 1" deeper.
Here, we see the X61 on
top of its older brother, the T22.
WEIGHT
COMPARISON:
| Lenovo X61 7675-A48 |
3 lbs, 1.2 oz. |
| Fujitsu B2545,
6-cell battery |
3 lbs, 6.8 oz. |
| MSI MS1057 |
4 lbs, 9.8 oz. |
| IBM T22 |
5 lbs, 3.6 oz. |
| Dell D600 |
5 lbs, 7.4 oz. |
One feature we like very
much from IBM and Lenovo notebooks is the
lid-mounted LED keyboard light. It saves us
from having to carry an extra USB LED light for
times when working in dimly lit aircraft.
Although not
tremendously bright, its just barely enough to find
keys when jotting down some critical notes, not
necessarily for typing an entire Wikipedia article.
The image on the right below is with the LED off,
and the one on the left has the LED on.
 
First thing we look at
upgrading is the power adapter. Many airlines
and minivan backseats now have 12V sockets, so its a
good idea to have an AC/DC power adapter if you
frequent these places. Lenovo has its own 90W
AC/DC Power adapter with interchangeable plugs for
20V, 19V and 16V notebooks. Accessories such
as Y-adapters, and various tips for iPods and many
cell phones are also available. it comes in a
nice, zippered nylon bag.
Another option for an
AC/DC power adapter is Kensington's Wall/Auto/Air
AC/DC Power Adapter. This amazing product
sports a 120W power output. Kensington had a
70W unit which would have probably been lighter than
this one, but it has been discontinued.
The Kensington being a
universal power adapter, comes with a multitude of
tips and connectors. Strange how their AC cord
is only 6 inches long while the DC cable is about 10
feet. However, it became clear after realizing
that a longer AC cord is bulkier and less flexible
than and long DC cord.
The designs of both the
Lenovo and the Kensington AC/DC units are very
similar. Both have nylon bags, slim design,
but the Lenovo has its cables attached:
 
As you can see, the AC-only Lenovo power adapter has the
least mass. But for traveling, the Kensington
is the lightest. Leaving the unused tips at
home saves a few ounces as well.
WEIGHT COMPARISON:
| Lenovo 70W AC Power
Adapter |
10.6 oz. |
| Kensington 120W
AC/DC (body) |
11.4 oz. |
| Lenovo 90W AC/DC
(body) |
14.0 oz. |
| Kensington 120W
(kit) |
1 lb. 2 oz. |
| Lenovo 90W AC/DC
(kit) |
1 lb. 8 oz. |
Next, we remove the HDD
and replace it with the performance king (and
battery-sipping)
WD Scorpio Black 320GB. Here we see the
stock Fujitsu 160GB out of the unit. It has a
pull tab, and rubber mounts:
Next, we ditch the 1GB
of RAM with 4GB of Crucial DDR2-800:
Stock 1 stick of 1GB RAM
2 sticks of 2GB Crucial DDR2-800 RAM
BIOS showing 4096MB
Lastly, we replace the
keyboard with one with a true US layout.
Removal is straightforward - unscrew four screws
at the bottom, and the ribbon cable pops off with a
connector. The US keyboard can easily be found
on eBay.
So that's the X61. But we don't have an
optical drive to install an OS, or burn our DVDs!
Not to fear, external units are available,
lightweight, and therefore can be left at home when
not needed...
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