OT: Major (25%) savings on Thinkpads (today only)

[Jamon Camisso]

Madison Kelly wrote:
> I swore up and down that I'd never buy a /Lenovo/ Thinkpad again, and 
> today I proved myself a hypocrite.

Why?

> They've got a sale on that ends today where you get 25% off a laptop 
> over $1,500 and free shipping.
> 
> I was going to get an ASUS B50A but I can't seem to find them 
> anywhere... Even Supercom, whom I have access to through work, stopped 
> carrying them. The promotion code is "CAP72HOURSALE".
> 
> I decided that my 3.5yo T43p is due for a replacement, so I got a shiny 
> new T400s (or rather, will have in 3 weeks). Apparently it's new enough 
> the Linux support isn't perfect, but I don't suspect it will be too long 
> before the bugs are ironed out, and none seem to be show-stoppers.
> 
> I got:
> 
> ThinkPad T400s (3.9lbs!)
> - Intel Core 2 Duo SP9400 processor (2.40GHz 1066MHz 6MBL2)
> - Windows Vista Business 64 (I know...)

You can argue for a couple days and get a credit for Windows if you 
don't agree to the EULA and stop the setup process at that point.

It takes getting through to and being nice to a manager. Mention tied 
selling if they give you a hassle about how Windows is a part of the 
complete Thinkpad package -- it isn't, and claiming it is is illegal. I 
got a $75 credit from Lenovo on my T61 for Vista, and they didn't bother 
  asking me to send the serial # back either -- afaik it will still work 
if I try to setup windows.

In the end it all depends on how valuable your time is.

> - 14.1WXGA+ LED B/L (1440x900)
> - Intel GMA 4500MHD (I didn't want discreet graphics, preferring battery 
> life)

You'll probably find that the backlight (LED or not) does some funky 
stuff with that chip. Once you're booted it should be fine, and I think 
you can mess with acpi stuff for thinkpads in /etc to fix it permanently.

> - 2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 (1 DIMM) (has a second DIMM slot, will upgrade later)
> - T400s UltraNav with Finger Print Reader (doesn't work in Linux atm)
> - 120GB Hard Disk drive, 5400rpm 1.8" Low Halogen (will upgrade when 
> SSDs mature a bit more)
> - Intel Turbo Memory 1.6, 2GB (not sure about Linux support, but should 
> improve battery life on platter HDDs)

Friend with an SL300 (not available any more) says that it isn't usable 
by Linux. But that's fine, fast enough anyways :)

> - DVD Recordable, Ultrabay Slim
> ExpressCard 34 Slot

I think that's the one thing I haven't used at all on my T61, there's 
just nothing to plug in that I want. I guess some express card storage 
would be handy, but tbh, if they didn't offer the thing at all I 
wouldn't mind.

> T400s 6 cell Prismatic Battery (no 9-cell option [yet])
> - Integrated Bluetooth PAN 2

I was expecting a huge hassle with bluetooth, but 
Linux+Thinkpad+Bluetooth=fun! Worked out of the box.

> - Intel WiFi Link 5300
> - ThinkPlus 3 Year EasyServ Total for 1 Year EasyServ (I expect my 
> laptops to last three years!)
> 
> They have the docking station now, but it's not on the system yet. I had 
> to order it separately and the CSR was only able to take 10% off of 
> that, which worked out to an extra ~$210.
> 
> All in all, this cost me $1,834.72 + the dock, saving me ~$811.35. 
> That's quite the savings, if you're looking for a business laptop... My 
> one warning though is; Don't expect even five minutes extension to the 
> warranty. Lenovo sticks to the end of their warranty period like glue. 
> My T43p's mainboard died 7 days after it's 3 year warranty expired and 
> they wouldn't help me. I ended up buying an R-series mainboard to keep 
> it going until I had the money to replace it.
> 
> Anyway, hope this might help someone and if not, sorry for the line noise.

Seems like a good deal, I'm sold on Lenovo for a ~$1000 laptop. 
Definitely better hardware for the money than an Apple. And you can 
install OSX on the Thinkpad as well if you're a real die hard fan (who 
is also willing to risk incurring the wrath of Cupertino's legal team 
and their draconian policy that OSX can only be run on official Apple 
hardware).

Enjoy, let us know how the setup and install of your preferred Linux 
distribution goes!

Jamon
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