Lenovo Thinkpad x220 tablet alternate to Cintiq 12WX?

[Dri]

Ok Wacom Cintiqs have 1024 and upward pressure sensitivities while penabled tablet pcs have 256 and the modbook has 512. On my quest to find the best digital alternate to pen and paper, I thought I actually found it when I got a Toshiba Portege M200. But unfortunately the hardware is too outdated. So I've been looking for anything which is Wacom penabled and have current tech that could tide me over for possibly another 5 years.

The best bang for my buck was a Lenovo Thinkpad x220 tablet. Nowhere as durable as old convertable laptop / tablets but it boasts i7 2nd gen, multi touch screen and a wacom penabled digitizer. Before I bore you with the review here is the pressure sensitivity I could get with it using Sketchbook Express and Adobe Photoshop CS4.



To draw on the multi touch screens you can either wear a modified glove or disable the feature in the control panel. Before splurging cash on a similar setup know what programs you want to use and if pressure sensitivity is an issue. It took all day just to get sketchbook express to have pressure sensitivity. The fix was someone's batch file disabling tablet pc mode. Lenovo has not addressed this problem.

Another downside is that the Lenovo's processor is hampered by it's 65W charger. It needs a 90W charger attached if it's used like a desktop because not enough power is going to the processor.

On the plus side it's more portable than the cintiq 12wx. Personally the 12wx higher pressure sensitivity is not obvious compared to the Lenovo. It's more fun to draw on because there is less cables and really feels like a sketch pad. Reading comics is a blast too! If you set up comic rack and have some cbrs you want to read on your travels it beats the ipad imo. The slightly larger screen makes a big difference.



Anyhoo, if you have better/cheaper alternatives I can't wait to hear them. Hopefully I'll do a video using Art Rage and Manga Studio.

[weirdozhead]

Looks pretty cool, did you happen to compare it with the samsung slate?

[Dri]

Unfortunately, I didn't but I believe 50% 'Jason Pearson' Grey has and didn't think it was a decent alternative. Imo 10" screen is too small for drawing programs and I tried reading Imagine FX pdfs on them and I have to keep zooming in. I also like my tablet with a bit of bulk. Battery life is of course short with wifi on. 3hrs. I think the Slate has short battery life too.