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GBM InkShow: Touch on the Lenovo X200T Tablet PC

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GBM Inkshow_ Touch on the Lenovo x200T Tablet PC blip.tv (beta)I’m really enjoying using the two finger touch on the Lenovo X200T Tablet PC. That’s saying something since I just don’t see touch as being necessary in my usage of a Tablet PC. Frankly, I pull out a Tablet PC when I need to Ink some notes in rehearsal or a meeting or when I want to browse the web with the device in slate mode in my lap.

That’s where this version of touch works for me. It is very easy to sit with the device and surf the web. Even more so the dual digitizer implementation makes it very easy to switch back and forth between the pen or touch. Although as you’ll see there are some calibration issues that I hope Lenovo takes care of before these devices start shipping when Windows 7 rolls out October 22. (check out the video after the jump.)

The bottom line is this. Lenovo has an excellent Tablet PC in the x200T, with our without touch. As a convertible Tablet it is tough to beat. Only the HP 2730p comes close in my mind. Adding two finger touch to the x200T gives it a leg up for those who like using a Tablet PC in slate mode, and Lenovo has done a good job with its Simple Tap touch UI.

Enjoy the InkShow

GottaBeMobile InkShows are sponsored by Mobile Demand, a company that makes rugged Tablet PCs like the xTablet T8700

Make sure you check out the GBM Shortcut on Pinch and Zoom.

17 Comments

17 Comments

  1. Achim

    09/21/2009 at 4:14 pm

    Great Review! Interesting that Lenovo uses Wacom in the X200T and N-Trig in the T400s…

  2. Steppenwolf

    09/21/2009 at 4:27 pm

    Pretty nice piece of software, I just can’t stand the WXGA in portrait mode, the screen looks too narrow.

  3. Mac wilson

    09/21/2009 at 5:05 pm

    Nice preview of the tablet

    Apart form the typical applications like the ones you mentioned, email, web, and word type documents, there are other areas that this new tech will be of use.

    For instance, this is going to be of some interest for musicians. : )

    Of course this two finger limitation is really a drag (no pun) but i’m sure either Wacom will come trough or someone else will pick up the slack.

    I would jump on this in a heartbeat but for this present limitation. (it just would be frustrating)

  4. Brian

    09/21/2009 at 6:17 pm

    Quick question – will existing x200Ts like the one I bought back in Feb have this through a driver update? I’m already running Windows 7 RC on it and love it, and having touch on it would be sweet.

  5. Warner Crocker

    09/21/2009 at 6:39 pm

    @Brian,

    I’m looking into that.

  6. Ben

    09/21/2009 at 7:43 pm

    Finally, another ink show like the days of old GBM. I miss the days of more hands on reviews of products and software. Bring them back!! I miss Rob and Dennis….

  7. James Kendrick

    09/21/2009 at 8:17 pm

    Nice video. Two things:

    You can in fact pinch and zoom in the browser, at least in Firefox.

    On my x200, requires a double two finger tap invoke SimpleTap.

    I’m loving this thing. :)

  8. BurningOrange

    09/21/2009 at 8:26 pm

    Great video guys ! How would it compare to the Dell XT2 (also multitouch, no) ?

  9. Warner Crocker

    09/21/2009 at 8:38 pm

    @jk, thanks for that tip about pinch and zoom in firefox. Didn’t know that. Haven’t found anywhere else that it works though. Now we do! The double tap works for me and doesn’t work for me sometimes.

    @Ben, I’d love to be doing more of these, but alas, my life is being sucked away trying to keep a small theatre alive. Thanks for the compliment though.

  10. Mac wilson

    09/21/2009 at 8:46 pm

    Also as JK pointed out

    During the Inkshow he says that there’s no pinching and zooming , that “It’s not that type of digitizer”

    this is inaccurate.

  11. tivoboy

    09/22/2009 at 12:00 pm

    Is there ANY way to DL videos anymore? I am not always able to sit and watch, would love to, but cannot. But, cannot find any DL options

  12. Medic

    09/22/2009 at 1:41 pm

    Great review! Makes me look very mucht forward to the upcoming of this tablet. A Pity the touch pack for two fingered touch wasn’t installed. I would like to know the possiblity of pinch zooming in google maps, internet web pages and pdf documents on this tablet. Hopefully you will have the possiblity to test this in the current trial model, to get an idea of its ease of use.

    I agree on your comment that it is still sad that there is currently a lot of emphasis on the entertainment value of the touch. I agree more effort should be put now in better ink-to-text recognition software. This could dramatically chage the way we work with touch computers. In my case it work greatly increase my work flow. On the job in the hospital I still use pen and paper a lot for filling forms and the ocassional note or letter to a collegue. A quick writing session with quick recognition of my slurry doctor’s handwriting could greatly improve the readability, with less interpretation issues. Writing with pen is also still in my experience more ergnomical and practical than typing on screen.

    So for those looking for challenge for a solution to a growing problem, just look to the previous paragraph!

    Good luck, and thank you in advance!

  13. JoshuaDinoTan

    09/24/2009 at 3:32 am

    Hey, do you have to use your fingernails to activate the touch? (Like on the old HP Pavilion tx1000 series). Please reply asap THANKS!

  14. Warner Crocker

    09/24/2009 at 8:22 am

    JoshuaDinTan, no, it works well with finger touch.

  15. blash

    09/24/2009 at 5:42 pm

    @ben

    No, original X200T’s with touch won’t get a firmware update to make them multi-touch. The originals have a resistive touch screen which on a fundamental hardware level only support 1 point of input at a time.

    It kinda sucks Wacom wasn’t ready with their touch sensor when the X200T first came to market, but eh what can ya do. Would be nice if Lenovo let us send our machines in and get them upgraded though.

  16. Eric

    10/04/2009 at 5:00 pm

    I’m a bit confused. In Rob’s reviews, I have noticed his preference for flush bezel screens…but then I also noticed that the flush screen on the x200 has alot of parallax. Seems like you have to live with either one or the other problem. Do I have that right? Thanks.

  17. noctilux

    10/10/2009 at 1:19 pm

    I’m quite happy with my X60 Tablet, but the x200t with multi-touch certainly looks very, very tempting. I have to admit that I mostly use slate mode only when I’m actually using the stylus in OneNote. Everywhere else (which, I must admit, is mostly the Internet), navigating with the Trackpoint and keyboard is just easier.
    However, I imagine that the ability of actively prodding things might make me use the slate mode more often. It just seems more natural than using a silly extension. It’s like dialing a phone number with a stick.
    Also, I’d like to second Ben’s thoughts. While I miss Rob and Dennis, I’m also really glad Warner is still here. I love your InkShows, Warner – please make more!

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