From: Andrew Wells (ajwells_at_ix.netcom.com)
Date: Wed Jul 17 2002 - 17:26:35 EDT
Well everyone has a different opinion on this matter, but to me its not
even debatable... I have 2 600x's and a T23 which I use mainly because
of the ability to run a large external screen... so I usually use that
one with an outboard keyboard... if I have to do extended typing away
from my desk I always use the 600x because its so drastically superior
to the T series keyboard... they clearly made some design compromises
regarding the support structure of the keyboard, probably to fit in
modern components or to save manufacturing costs... but in any case the
entire keyboard on the T series is mushy and has a soft spots which vary
from machine to machine... the travel of the keys on the right side of
my keyboard are very short and the travel of the keys on the left side
are very long, with several keys making loud popping sounds when you
press them... on friends T series machines, the soft spots are in
different places, but they are still there... when you put your finger
into the card slot or the ultrabay slot you can push upward and feel the
entire keyboard flex and shift around in its setting, in contrast to the
600x which is dead solid and moves not one bit... all in all the
keyboard may be acceptable to some, but it in no way approaches the 600x
keyboard and is actually a few steps below HP, Toshiba and Compaq...
quite a step down for people expecting superior quality when they pay
more for big blue... it actually goes beyond the keyboard to the design
and build of the entire machine, but that's another rant in itself...
but for me, the poor keyboard combined with the searing heat of the T23
which radiates up through the keyboard area makes for a very
uncomfortable ergonomic experience... if I did not use it in a dock with
an external keyboard and monitor most of the time I would be back on my
trusty 600x in a heartbeat
If you are sensitive to these aspects (which you must be if you are
asking the question), then I would stick with a 600 series by all
means... they are more than up the the job of most word processing or
spreadsheet shuffling tasks
-----Original Message-----
From: Edward Mendelson [mailto:edward.mendelson_at_verizon.net]
Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2002 2:03 PM
To: thinkpad_at_cs.utk.edu
Subject: 600 keyboard vs T2x keyboard?
This may have been discussed in recent months when I was away from the
list,
but I hope no one will mind if I bring up the question now.
Does anyone have strong views on whether the 600 keyboard is better or
worse
than the T2x keyboards? The general view seems to be that the 600
keyboard
was the best of all, but someone who knows Thinkpads very, very well
told me
recently that he prefers the T20 keyboard. I know I can't get the
classic
IBM full-size keyboard feel on a laptop, but does anyone have a sense of
which of the TP keyboards comes closest to the classic IBM feel?
Many thanks for any suggestions.
Edward Mendelson
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