Like your laptops to be over-achievers? Like, the really annoyingly stacked variety of over-achiever? Enter Lenovo's newest outrage -- the ThinkPad W700. Containing enough computational artillery to level a small village, this for-creatives-only behemoth is designed for sheer pixel pushing... and little else. The system packs in two features aimed at graphic artists and photographers which are fairly unique to a laptop: a built in Wacom digitizer just to the right of the trackpad, and an on-board color calibrator. But what's happening under the hood you ask? Well for starters the 17-incher sports the first ever Intel Quad Core Extreme CPU in a laptop (no word on speeds at this point) as well as the first showing of NVIDIA's Quadro FX 3700 graphics chipset (with a hefty 1GB of memory on-board). The workstation also serves up dual hard drive bays configurable as RAID 0 or 1 (SSD or traditional disk, naturally), up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and an optional Blu-ray burner. Of course, that's fully kitted out -- the W700 starts at
$2,978 and moves skyward from there. Take a look at our hands-on below and see the beast for yourself.
Update: The kids over at Notebooks dropped in some videos of the W700 including a brief look at the Wacom digitizer in action with Photoshop. Check it after the break.
posted Aug 12th 2008 12:01AM
First? Not the first Quad, you guys just earlier said the HO was the first...
and you guys thought I was saying anothing else first... Nope.
This is a Core 2 Extreme, the EliteBook is likely a Core 2 Quad, and I wouldn't be surprised if this comes out first lol.
+1
the HP came in with almost identical specs bar the tablet digitiser yet this single laptop got pumped much more.
The reason for the schoolgirl-excited post seems to be because engadget got sent a demo unit.
So there's a marketing hint HP, give them something to drool over and you'll get more coverage.
Look at the thickness that bezel! They could have fitted a 19 inch screen into that lid...
There wasa typo, "HP" 8730w was announced earlier today...
M
hows the battery life?
Over 9000, milliseconds.
I highly doubt it exceeds 2 hours. 1.1 hours maybe... Unless a huge portion underneath is packing 15000mAh worth of battery justice.
This sucker's electrical, but you need a nuclear reaction to produce the 1.21 gigawatts of power needed for the quad core extreme, Nvidia FX, 17" screen, digitizer, 2x HDD, Blu-ray and all that ram.
Great Scott!!
...did you rip that off?
Do people actually expect to use machines like this on battery? I'd think it's a desk to desk solution with a built in UPS.
THE HULK: "LENOVO MAKE HULK ANGRY. BATTERY LIFE SUCK. HULK SMASH NETBOOK!"
Dr Banner: "Where's that 17" monster I just bought?"
Damn typos...
were is the edit button?
lol
irony
Were did all the posts go? Error?
You must be new here... Welcome to Engadget. What you are experiencing is not an error; everything is going according to design.
were'da coulda shoulda
That's not a Bug, it's a Feature!
I would never buy one of these but I gotta ask, is there a model for leftys?
why sir? you can't write on the right side with your left hand?
Unless you can turn the trackpad off, no.
Actually, even with the trackpad not going haywire, that'd be hard because of the feel of the trackpad on your hand and wrist.
I wish this was in a 15in model, and had the option to put the Wacom on the left =(
I'm going to sue the bastards for discrimination. Most intelligent and creatively gifted people are lefty's. I want one anyway, and ownership will likely help my lawsuit.
There's not enough room to the left of the touchpad to put the digitizer there unless it was smaller. You'd have to put the number pad on the left of the keyboard, plus move the internals around to fit the digitizer on the left side (and the touchpad shifted right a few inches). In the end it'd probably be a $500+ premium due to tooling and such.
er.... I think my 2G Surf just wet itself....
Sorry, he just doesn't do well with bullies, and I can assure you this thing will be taking some lunch money when it's let out in public.
Where are all the Apple fanbois? C'mon you must have something to say...
they're (we're) upset because you guys got the Wacom notebook first.
No...not at all. Not to something like that.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
Do. Want.
Nope. Nothing to say because any half decent 'creative' wouldn't touch a computer like that with the wacom fixed to the laptop in that fashion. People that use graphic tablets like to have their own way to hold them, be that at an angle, on their lap - whatever.
That design necessitates that it must be on the desktop at all times - if I want to angle it I have to tilt the whole computer. Ergonomically, it looks a nightmare. And the tablet area is just too small for any proper work. And doesn't suit left handers.
It's not being fanboyish, I don't care what computer anyone uses and if you're in the design industry it's what gets the job done, not what you did it on that counts but that's adding something to a computer that kills it's usability. It may have everything you need on it but that doesn't mean everything on it is very good or carries out its true function. =)
So your only complaint is the embedded digitizer? What if it popped out and used bluetooth?
@dobba
So, what would a creative user touch, a computer with no tablet at all? Would the absence of a tablet make it a better computer, improve its 'usability'?
For god's sake, it is obvious that these computers are made for the desktop. The integrated devices (trackpad, trackpoint, tablet) are meant to be used when you have no other choice. During normal use - on the desktop - you can have all the dangling devices you want.
Would said creative user use the trackpad (or the trackpoint) routinely to do his work instead of a mouse and be called 'half decent'?
The important thing is that when Apple comes out with a similar design in a few months, it will be all praise, and somehow it'll become common knowledge that Lenovo coppied apple (a la Sony keyboard).
Personally, in my office environment, this thing would be solid gold: a business machine that can manhandle CAD and GIS tools.
Damn. That is one BEAST of a laptop.
Heh, that thing is so industrial that I kinda love it.
SERIOUS BONER
Remember Harry, the wand chooses the wizard.
I really don't understand how to pick a username..
YES! Got it.
all that fanfare and your name is a hamburger?
Can we see a side to side comparison photo next to the x200 please?
can we see a side to side comparison with some asian models.
@andres: Why? To see whether the laptop or model is flatter?
Oh no he di'in.
But srlsy. I know what you were getting at. I've never seen Lenovo bring out models, though. It seems to be more of a Korean tech company trend (LG, Samsung, etc.)
dude are you crazy?
the model would have to be a wrestler to hold it up!
or they could also use 5 models which would be quite nice... :>
It's definitely an awesome laptop, those are some insane specs, I just wish the design was a bit more pleasing to the eyes. Some people may like it, but it really looks like it's stuck in the mid 90's or something haha.
yea. i just the bezels, the trackpoint and the blue enter keys. semi-fail.
hate*^
Ultimate Mobile Porn Machine
aka UMPM
Shouldn't they have co-branded that with Hummer? Y'know abit like Acer and Ferrari (or what that Lambourghini?)
... I mean, this thing needs cup holders - plural!
BR drive= Cup holder. really, after the price tag your not buying any disks. might as well use it for something
Wow. I'm slightly scared, yet titillated.
I don't see why it would have a battery at all. You will clearly need a small generator and end table to prop it up (it'd break your legs).
Maybe they're tucked in there somewhere.
Anybody know if the Wacom digitizer is a configurable option ? I DONT WANT IT. It makes it ugly...
I have to agree, it looks pretty small...
Now if the screen was a Cintiq...
It's called a regular laptop??
Yep...the pen is configureable...just about everything on it is.
Choices:
Pointing Device
Ultranav + FPR [New]
Ultranav + FPR + Pantone Color Sensor [add $70.00] [New]
Ultranav + FPR + Pantone Color Sensor + WACOM Digitizer [add $150.00] [New]
if you configure your own model on Lenovo's U.S. site, you can leave off the Wacom digitizer.
They could put a picture of Jessica Biel in place of the digitizer and this laptop would still be fugly
At first that Wacom digitizer looks cool, but on further thought its pretty s****, firstly it looks tiny, smaller than a 6x8 tablet (which is by no means large) and the obvious better way to implement a wacom digitizer is what other companies (including lenovo I think) have figured out-put the digitizer under the screen. Direct draw on the screen is great (hell wacom just came out with the Cinitiq 12wx) and it is a much larger area.
P.S. a 6x8 tablet is about the perfect laptop tablet as it is just about the same LxW as a 15'' lappy
ahh, i see lenovo has finally released its combo laptop/ dining room table. yeah, yeah, you can cut cake with a mac air but can you carve a turkey on it? thanksgiving is going quad this year.
Lol.
But will it blend?. Actually im surprised it dosen't have a blendtech blender built in.
We brake for NOOOOOOO-------------------OOOOOOOOBODY!!!!!!!!!
Hang on, Engadget had one of these to play with, and showed it was the quad core model, yet say there is no word on speeds, did they miss the fact that Vista shows the speed on the god damn Welcome Center. Or is this just some BS legal thing.
Best part was hearing these two make fun of the Linpus name. Classic!
So glad I watched. Gonna be the best night's sleep all week.
ooops wronga tab.
aka macbook pro killer
Only if you dropped it onto one...
Hardware Alone you can configure this about $7k - sweet lord
this is huge! I dare not call this one a 'lap'top, god stopped making such kinda laps
Here in America, there is no shortage of suitable laps for this monstrosity.
How can something sound so sexy and yet be so ugly
Did anybody look at the pictures.. my favorite is the one that they show of the task manager and they show the cpu process was 0% usage. that is awsome b/c if you noticed they had about 5 or 6 windows open and the CPU wasn't even breathing.
But but but,
Does it blend?
I don't think it would fit in the blender! :-) And, if you had a blender that big, wtf would you be doing wasting it on an overpriced laptop that gets 30 seconds of battery life? I'd be making some large batches of margaritas!
topping this thing out will cost a fortune... but I dig it as a desktop replacement.
As a photog, the tablet is def. cool I just don't see myself using in "in transit"... and if I am not in transit... I will use my normal sized tablet anyway.
An amazing machine none the less. As a Thinkpad fanboi I do enjoy the fact that these guys are innovating... I wonder if Apple will step their game up with a workstation like 15 and/or 17 (in black pls) Macbook Pro Pro?
There's a lot of power in this machine - no doubt; but I don't like the integrated Wacom pad and I don't like the looks of this machine at all. And please don't say looks don't matter... to most (including me), they do.
Now from a usability and creative standpoint, if I'm going to use a Wacom pad, I'm going to buy a machine a bit less expensive and spend $1000 on a Wacom Cintiq 12WX with the integrated 12" LCD screen.
Integrating a Wacom pen tablet into a laptop has too many drawbacks:
1.) First of all, it's counterproductive and doesn't allow for the kind of ergonomic and positioning flexibility an artist and photographer (both of which I am) would need to do his or her best work. It's a neat idea, but in practice is really impractical - at least to those who would seriously make use of a pen tablet for workflow and creative purposes.
2.) Secondly, you can't use the tablet with another computer.
3.) And thirdly, when it comes time to get another computer, you're going to have to buy another Wacom tablet, anyway.
So as it stands, it just isn't a good idea.
I realize a lot of geeks (most of whom will never buy this) will go goo-goo over this thing because of its horsepower and because they've never seen anything like it before. But this laptop will have limited appeal overall, and although some will buy it, my belief is that it will have zero appeal to most artists and photographers. Besides, this won't be the only machine to afford that kind of horsepower.
Now that I watched the video and looked at it more, I guess the looks of it aren't as bad as I first thought.
But I still think the pad will have very limited appeal.
"You know there are options when you buy it, right? You can buy it WITHOUT the Wacom pad."
There are options when you buy anything, but in this case, no, I wasn't aware the Wacom pad was optional... why would I be? (I don't visit every configurator there is, especially of a system I'm not interested in). But thanks for the info.
"There are options when you buy anything, but in this case, no, I wasn't aware the Wacom pad was optional... why would I be? (I don't visit every configurator there is, especially of a system I'm not interested in)."
Because it's clear you didn't bother to read the previous comments before scrambling to post your own preachy thoughts. Scroll up.
"Because it's clear you didn't bother, bla bla bla, preachy and boring, boring, boring..."
Ha ha ha ha!!! Hey, looky!!! It's another troll who thinks he's the comment police!!! Yaaaaayyyyyy!!!
Oh and by the way... the integrated Wacom pad... NOT gonna be a big seller.
As long as it has a crappy TN screen, all the rest is irrelevant.
Considering the integrated Wacom tablet, that's an excellent point. Maybe it's an IPS display, or maybe it's not and won't even match HP's DreamColor laptop displays.
I highly doubt they would be so cheap (and stupid) to pack this thing all full of bling and leave out a decent LCD panel. Yes, Lenovo is known for using TN panels - but that would just make the rest worthless. You'd be better off getting a Macbook Pro.
Until now I thought my T61p was a behemoth. I guess it's time for a new laptop.
[vid]
oh i'm excited
he's got a photo up on the screen
he's going to do some mega airbrushing and show us the tricks of the fashion trade
he's started
....
and
..
he's
..
drawn
..
a line round her face??????
the retard doesn't even have pressure sensitivity turned on.
come on guys, lame demo no?
I agree. And doesn't he mumble something about "making selections" while using the red paintbrush?
Weak sauce, dude.
fixed wacom is dumb.
would be nice if it was detachable/slide in to pack
Why does Lenovo insist on making the most hideous laptops known to man?
Looks like Lenovo were nice enough to give you the specced out (including WUXGA) model to play with...
Tell me you don't have to return it... and then tell me that you're going to be giving it away soon ;)
Seriously.. I'm already at $6994 configuring one, without being (very) greedy.
thinkpads are to corporate middle management suckups what iphones are to 20 somethings...if you don't have one, you're not with it.
one day lenovo will be remember as the company that kept 1998 design alive for decades.
Very nice. But the trackpad looks terrible ergronomically and unfortunatley, the people who will actually benefit from any of these extra features wont touch with a 40ft barge poll because it looks butt ugly.
Its a very nice system though for video editing. But im happy with my desktop editing suite thanks.
Pretty stupid to see the wacom pad on the hand rest there, why not take advantage of the centriq technology where you draw on the screen itself.
And Vista still takes 4 1/2 minutes to boot.
I think most of you are missing the point on this system. If you put it in the docking station it is close to as powerful as a desktop workstation and you can use what ever Wacom you want. It even has Dual-link DVI and can run a 30" LCD.
What makes this thing spectacular is you can bust it out when you are on the train and have a smokin' idea you want to add to your project. I don't think Lenovo expected the most users to make the built in Wacom tablet their main tablet.
I don't think this will fare well with the "creatives" because Thinkpad screens aren't the best. Although I love my T61 to death, I am disappointed with the screen. Terrible viewing angles.
I'd rather have Lenovo focus on having two sizes for a tablet pc. Looking forward to the revamped version of the X61. Though I wish they would also release a 14" widescreen screen with dedicated graphics.
Er...
Is no-one aware of the Clevo D900 /D901C Laptop chassis?
they've been geting pumped out by resellers for a while now with Core 2 Quad Extreme processors, and with a whole host of other insane specs..
aside from the digitiser, all other specs noted about the W700 are already out there in the world..
Thanks for the info., JEZZMUND. There is an awesome configurator for the D901C here ~> http://www.avadirect.com/product_details_configurator.asp?PRID=10051
I'm always leary when I hear: it's 'the first" or "the fastest" or "the only one in the world". Is there any responsibility at all left in Journalism? Maybe they should say "its the first one that WE know about" but then it would sound like they didn't know EVERYTHING. haha
Anyway, I can't imagine buying something like a D901C and not souping it ALL the way up (many, many $ but wouldn't it be great?) Wow!
My thoughts are simple: they should replace the touchpad with the wacom digitizer; that is innovation. *All* laptops should now have wacom digitizers... or, at least, more than this one model (echoing the thoughts of another reader who wanted it in the 15" model). Personally, though, I prefer a tablet, as I do too much note-taking to rely on one of these, but I recognize the W700's potential (and, hopefully, with its example, less loaded laptops with the innovative wacom digitizer) in bringing tablet technology to more people (not just artists).
I bought myself a Lenovo T61p 8 months ago paying 4.500 $... That sucks, really... Because I WANT THIS W700 - And it has to be NOW!
Not having to carry around a digitizer would be so nice... I can't find any specs on the monitor, I assume it's UWXGA (1920x1200)... Anyone?