I wanted to give my impressions of the Lenovo TPT2. First off, the model I have is the 3679-27U, this means that it has the digitizer pen, windows 8 pro, no NFC, no 3G/4G antenna (though there is a slot for a SIM card). Let me also be frank about my biases concerning tablets. I am not a voracious media consumer. If I?m going to watch a movie or TV program I prefer to do so with a large screen TV in the comfort of my living room. As far as checking email, messaging, twitter, and facebook ? that is why I have a smartphone. Why do I need another piece of electronic equipment that does the exact same thing as my smartphone? In my opinion iPADs and Android tablets are really only good for media consumption, they give you a slightly larger screen to run the same apps that your phone runs. If I?m going to buy a tablet it has to provide some functionality that my phone or laptop cannot, otherwise it is a waste of money. Therefore, a tablet had to be able to run productivity programs: MS Office, Photoshop, Illustrator, GB-Stats, etc? That meant a tablet using either the Atom processor or a Core processor (i3, i5). This left out not only Apple and Android but also any tablets running Windows 8 RT. Obviously one the major advantages of a tablet is its size and portability. My laptop is a comfortable size and fairly easy to carry around, so what advantage would a tablet give me. The answer is battery life. In order to be practical I would need a laptop with a significantly longer run time than my laptop can give me, thus I needed an Atom processor (the Surface Pro looks like a great machine but it gives me little advantage over my laptop). The last requirement for a tablet is, to me, a no brainer, it has to have a digitizer. The tablet is a perfect form factor to replace a notebook so you have to be able to write on it and take notes with a pen. I?m a scientist so I go to a lot of lectures and meetings where I take notes. Having a digitizer-equipped tablet was a must. I?ve used convertible laptops in the past and found this incredibly useful; however, the short battery life and bulk of even a 3-lb convertible laptop makes using one all day impractical. With these limitations my choices of tablets were few.
I looked at the HP Envy X2, the Samsung ATIV Smart PC, the ASUS Vivo Tab, and the Lenovo TPT2 and ultimately chose the Lenovo TPT2. I have had the TPT2 for a week and a half and so far it is everything that I?ve wanted in a tablet. The 10.1? size is ideal to hold both in the landscape and portrait orientation and it is light enough that you can hold it for a long time without it weighing you down. The other tablets have the larger 11? form factor and to me felt a bit too big. They are also heavier than the TPT2 and ultimately I felt they would be more cumbersome to carry around and take notes with at scientific meetings and lectures. The Atom processor runs Windows 8 very well, I haven?t noticed any real lag in programs starting or in response to my touch gestures. I?ve loaded the Office 365 suite of applications and they run exceptionally well. I?ve also loaded Photoshop and Illustrator (CS2 versions) and I was surprised how quickly they loaded and ran. Some reviewers have noted that the Atom processor has trouble running these types of programs but it hasn?t been my experience to date. That may be because I?m not the type of user who normally keeps a lot of programs running in the background (even on my work computer). The digitizer works quite well. I find it accurate enough and responsive and it really makes using the tablet in desktop mode much easier. The TPT2 uses as Wacom digitizer but a microsoft driver, so it doesn't have quite the same feel or pressure sensitivity as I've experienced with convertible laptops I've used in the past. Evidently Wacum has not released driver software for Windows 8 tablets but I'm sure once they do the digitizer experience will only get better. The aesthetics and build quality of my TPT2 are outstanding. I?ve read some other reviewers who?ve said their TPT2 had some issues with the screen not fitting properly or a separation between the front and back sections. This is not the case with mine, its build is superb. The Samsung I looked at didn?t have any apparent build flaws but it didn?t feel as well built and seemed cheap. The TPT2 has the same matte black finish that anyone who has ever owned or used a ThinkPad laptop will recognize. It is a very refined look and not flashy; you would never be embarrassed to take this out at a corporate meeting. The Asus on the other hand has a plum-purple type of finish on the back case, which did not appeal to me. The digitizer pen fits securely into a slot on the tablet so you never have to worry about losing it. The Samsung?s pen also fits into a slot on the tablet whereas the Asus? pen does not. Actually, the HP doesn?t have a digitizer so ultimately I never would have bought it. These other tablets do come with keyboards that attach directly to them and can supply some additional battery power. I felt, this was a small advantage. The TPT2 has battery life enough for about 10 hours, which is more than enough for a full day?s work. The TPT2 does have a BT keyboard that can be purchased separately; I?ve ordered it but it hasn?t arrived yet. Anyone who has ever used an IBM/Lenovo keyboard knows they make the best, and a recent Engadget review for the TPT2 confirms that is still the case. One negative of the TPT2 is that the USB drive will not power an external disc drive, so installing CD/DVD software can be troublesome. This is not really a concern for me since I already own a self-powered external DVD drive.
In summary, I would recommend this tablet for anyone who is looking to buy a tablet that they wish to use to perform actual work with. If you're main reason for buying a tablet is to watch videos and surf the internet then there are much better lower priced options available.
I looked at the HP Envy X2, the Samsung ATIV Smart PC, the ASUS Vivo Tab, and the Lenovo TPT2 and ultimately chose the Lenovo TPT2. I have had the TPT2 for a week and a half and so far it is everything that I?ve wanted in a tablet. The 10.1? size is ideal to hold both in the landscape and portrait orientation and it is light enough that you can hold it for a long time without it weighing you down. The other tablets have the larger 11? form factor and to me felt a bit too big. They are also heavier than the TPT2 and ultimately I felt they would be more cumbersome to carry around and take notes with at scientific meetings and lectures. The Atom processor runs Windows 8 very well, I haven?t noticed any real lag in programs starting or in response to my touch gestures. I?ve loaded the Office 365 suite of applications and they run exceptionally well. I?ve also loaded Photoshop and Illustrator (CS2 versions) and I was surprised how quickly they loaded and ran. Some reviewers have noted that the Atom processor has trouble running these types of programs but it hasn?t been my experience to date. That may be because I?m not the type of user who normally keeps a lot of programs running in the background (even on my work computer). The digitizer works quite well. I find it accurate enough and responsive and it really makes using the tablet in desktop mode much easier. The TPT2 uses as Wacom digitizer but a microsoft driver, so it doesn't have quite the same feel or pressure sensitivity as I've experienced with convertible laptops I've used in the past. Evidently Wacum has not released driver software for Windows 8 tablets but I'm sure once they do the digitizer experience will only get better. The aesthetics and build quality of my TPT2 are outstanding. I?ve read some other reviewers who?ve said their TPT2 had some issues with the screen not fitting properly or a separation between the front and back sections. This is not the case with mine, its build is superb. The Samsung I looked at didn?t have any apparent build flaws but it didn?t feel as well built and seemed cheap. The TPT2 has the same matte black finish that anyone who has ever owned or used a ThinkPad laptop will recognize. It is a very refined look and not flashy; you would never be embarrassed to take this out at a corporate meeting. The Asus on the other hand has a plum-purple type of finish on the back case, which did not appeal to me. The digitizer pen fits securely into a slot on the tablet so you never have to worry about losing it. The Samsung?s pen also fits into a slot on the tablet whereas the Asus? pen does not. Actually, the HP doesn?t have a digitizer so ultimately I never would have bought it. These other tablets do come with keyboards that attach directly to them and can supply some additional battery power. I felt, this was a small advantage. The TPT2 has battery life enough for about 10 hours, which is more than enough for a full day?s work. The TPT2 does have a BT keyboard that can be purchased separately; I?ve ordered it but it hasn?t arrived yet. Anyone who has ever used an IBM/Lenovo keyboard knows they make the best, and a recent Engadget review for the TPT2 confirms that is still the case. One negative of the TPT2 is that the USB drive will not power an external disc drive, so installing CD/DVD software can be troublesome. This is not really a concern for me since I already own a self-powered external DVD drive.
In summary, I would recommend this tablet for anyone who is looking to buy a tablet that they wish to use to perform actual work with. If you're main reason for buying a tablet is to watch videos and surf the internet then there are much better lower priced options available.
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