From: Benjamin Koh (benkoh_at_leland.Stanford.EDU)
Date: Wed Jun 02 1999 - 02:17:27 EDT
Warren,
Warren Tan Wing Wah wrote:
>
> Hi Benjamin,
>
> Thanks for your reply. The reason I only considered a 560 was because of
> the weight and dimensions, I wanted something that I could just tote around
> in a backpack, like a good book, and not think twice about matters like
> "Should I bring it out today? The park is pretty far and this fella isn't
> exactly very light..." It will also be my secondary system, I will have
> access to a main souped-up overclocked Celery desktop most of the time. So
> a network connection to a CD-ROM drive is never too far away.
>
The 560 is pretty big actually. It just happens to be thin. It's light
for its size. Put it next to a Sony VAIO 505 or Toshiba 30xx or Sharp
Actius, and the 560 looks huge. If you want something you automatically
bring along, the ultralights are better. Closed, they're smaller than
many paper notebooks. I think the magnesium construction is stronger
too. The 560's screen flexes too much. However the 560 is miles ahead in
usability because of the keyboard and (IMHO) the trackpoint. Toshibas
have the similar Accupoint; the Sharp and Sonys have touchpads. Also the
560 has 2 stacked card slots; the Toshiba has 1 slot on each side while
the Sharp and Sony have only one slot. Plus: all ports are onboard for
the 560; not so for the rest.
> My questions now:
>
> 1. How difficult is it to install Linux on a 560 with a good 3Com / Xircom
> network card?
>
No experience with that, but others on the list can tell you. Make sure
your card is on the supported list, or you won't even get started (mine
wasn't).
> 2. Those who have used both the 560 and 600 - how much worse off (in terms
> of weight and dimensions) is the 600?
>
> 3. The 13.3" XGA screen sure looks appealing :) Is there a 233MMX model
> with a 13.3" XGA screen? I don't need P2 here, trying to save $$, but HPA /
> DSTN and anything non-TFT is definitely out!
>
The TP 600 with 13.3" XGA was only for P2 models. P233MMX had either
12.1" TFT or 13.0" HPA. In any case some owners have reported that HPA
is easier to read in sunlight. The 560X has a TFT that is dimmer than
the 770 or 600 series. Mine is near impossible to read in direct
sunlight, and difficult even in indirect sunlight ie in a room with an
open window in daytime. If you're going to use it outdoors, your best
bet is a transreflective grayscale display... hard to find now. For
color displays, the Sharp Actius and Panasonic Toughbooks have
"sunlight-readable" TFT screens, or so they claim.
> Hmm... or should I buy *two* laptops instead - say, a really cheap (about
> $1000) basic Thinkpad 600, and get a *real* ultralite like the Toshiba 3010
> for those times I'm on the move?
>
If you have so much money, buy a loaded ultralight. Look on www.jpd.com
or www.dynamism.com and buy the Panasonic A44E. P266MMX, 11.3" XGA,
3.5lbs with built-in CDROM. Too bad it costs $2899. Or the Hitachi Prius
220K - P266MMX, 10.4" SVGA, 3.2lbs with built-in CDROM for $2699. These
will blow the usual ultralights away. If you only have $1000, buy the
HPA TP600, or a Sony VAIO 505G. The TP is loaded - only minus is the HPA
screen - but the VAIO is really small and light - but with an inferior
keyboard.
Benjamin
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