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Comment by cko | Hacker News Reader

I find it almost impossible to replace my x61 tablet. 4:3 aspect ratio, awesome keyboard, trackpoint, no trackpad. That is perfection right there. All they need to do is copy that design, but eliminate as much bezel as possible (so it'd be more of a 14" display with a 4:3 ratio).

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Ditto. My x61t was a workhorse at University and beyond. I love the the 4:3 aspect ratio. There is something about the extra vertical space that is hard to get across with some people. It's like the freedom felt with tall ceilings.

I was appalled at the state of 16:9 small screen laptops. They just felt claustrophobic doing anything but watching video.

Over time I swapped out the hdd,and upped the ram. User serviceable parts ftw! It served as only computer till 2010 when I finally built a desktop after not being comfortable with other laptop choices. Still served only laptop until finally being replaced with a Surface Pro 3.

What do you think about the Surface 3 ?

I really like it. It's built solidly, and the kickstand in the back is very flexible, can be used in many positions. With the magnetically attached keyboard cover, I've been able to use it on my lap without many issues.

Since the keyboard/Surface doesn't have a sturdy hinge, you can encounter some issues if balancing everything on a small surface. This is the only real negative that I've encountered to tell people about.

For me, it's an acceptable laptop replacement.

It also makes a nice tablet. Size, weight, inputs are all good. I use the pen regularly for doing photo touch-ups in Lightroom.

I do love my trackpoint for these quick pointer movements between typing but I doubt many people can do prolonged trackpoint action without developing RSI.

hmm, had a t61p -- only lenovo blessed ssd would be allowed to work in this model, ditto for wifi cards.

screen is washed out and dim (lenovo consistently deteriorated screen quality),

also screen was positioned slightly asymmetrically, yet keyboard was dead center -- design/usability at its finest.

battery life was 2 hours (new) -- guessing due to nvidia chip, which ironically died shortly after warranty period (common problem, google it)

So,... no thanks

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