Thinkpad Tablet 2 - Initial Impressions

[e-schreiber]

Does the Helix come with a digitizer?

Digitizer, Pen and Silo!

[noxxle]

Complete discharge to full takes exactly 5 hours. I left the tablet in sleep mode the entire time. Might be a little bit faster if fully shut down.

[F-Ram]

Is the charging from the micro usb or the dock?

[noxxle]

Is the charging from the micro usb or the dock?

Micro usb.

[spinedoc77]

I wonder if connecting a y cable to both the USB and microusb would work. I have a blue ray DVD USB recorder with a y cable ill try out Monday.

[jrichie]

Just joined the boards as I got my TP2 on Friday...

One negative thing is that it was delivered with a faulty pen display so am unable to comment on the pen [except it is quite small].

Other than that I think this tablet is fantastic and is really making me rethink getting a surface pro. It seems fast and able at everything I wanted to use on it [Sketchbook pro, Autodesk design review], and not much lag at all in general use. The screen is glossy but clear [absolutely fine, and I am coming from a 'retina' iPad]

The build quality seems very good indeed, is light and a perfect size for use with a nice feel. I may note that I am an Apple guy normally so like good quality hardware !

Having re-looked at the specs for the surface pro, the additional weight and battery life would be a big concern of mine now, when they were not before, as this device nails it for me, in these areas.

Given my testing so far, I would say the TP2 is the perfect companion to a laptop [where more power required], for note taking, lightweight apps etc. I am more than impressed and believe me I have used a lot of hardware in my time.

[Techgeek32]

Just joined the boards as I got my TP2 on Friday...

One negative thing is that it was delivered with a faulty pen display so am unable to comment on the pen [except it is quite small].

Other than that I think this tablet is fantastic and is really making me rethink getting a surface pro. It seems fast and able at everything I wanted to use on it [Sketchbook pro, Autodesk design review], and not much lag at all in general use. The screen is glossy but clear [absolutely fine, and I am coming from a 'retina' iPad]

The build quality seems very good indeed, is light and a perfect size for use with a nice feel. I may note that I am an Apple guy normally so like good quality hardware !

Having re-looked at the specs for the surface pro, the additional weight and battery life would be a big concern of mine now, when they were not before, as this device nails it for me, in these areas.

Given my testing so far, I would say the TP2 is the perfect companion to a laptop [where more power required], for note taking, lightweight apps etc. I am more than impressed and believe me I have used a lot of hardware in my time.

Check your USB port to see if you can use a dvd burner or external hard drive. Most of the new users have tested and found that the TP2 only has enough power to
detect a thumb drive? If you don't need to connect any of these types of devices this might not be an issue for you, but most of us are pretty ticked off since Lenovo markets it as a full sized and fully functioning USB port.

[jrichie]

Check your USB port to see if you can use a dvd burner or external hard drive. Most of the new users have tested and found that the TP2 only has enough power to
detect a thumb drive? If you don't need to connect any of these types of devices this might not be an issue for you, but most of us are pretty ticked off since Lenovo markets it as a full sized and fully functioning USB port.

No it doesn't power an external hard drive even when charging up on the power adaptor [tested with a portable HD]. A thumbdrive works fine as I have used it to install software.

I can understand this being a bit of an issue for some users, however this is why I said it is a perfect companion device

[Techgeek32]

No it doesn't power an external hard drive even when charging up on the power adaptor [tested with a portable HD]. A thumbdrive works fine as I have used it to install software.

I can understand this being a bit of an issue for some users, however this is why I said it is a perfect companion device

That is true, but there are going to be a lot of people that only have their software on DVD and not on a thumb drive. So this doesn't do much good, not to mention if you are traveling business person and ever need to connect to a burner or external hard drive you are screwed.

[jrichie]

That is true, but there are going to be a lot of people that only have their software on DVD and not on a thumb drive. So this doesn't do much good, not to mention if you are traveling business person and ever need to connect to a burner or external hard drive you are screwed.

possibly, but I am the person you are describing and have not required the use of a dvd drive in the last 2 years [since I removed it from my MacBook Pro to install an additional HD]

I would say the TP2 is a device that can do light tasks however is not something I would take on a business trip instead of a laptop [or more powerful tablet].

Hence, I see my use with this [if I keep it] to be as a note taker / sketch pad to work together with my laptop. Obviously a surface pro could do both tasks, however my requirements for a bigger screen mean a laptop really for me to be productive [using CAD & design software etc]

For anyone ordering this device I would look at your usage first - basic stuff it is great, or maybe consider it as a much more useful ipad on steroids