From: Randal Whittle (rwhittle_at_usa.net)
Date: Thu Dec 04 1997 - 02:13:27 EST
At 05:20 PM 12/3/97 -0700, hzkd0_at_eng.amdahl.com wrote:
>I am thinking of buying the ThinkPad 560. I have a few questions
>about this machine:
>
>1. Is the display color? (I am assuming it is; want to make sure tho')
Yes. Your choice of dual-scan or active TFT.
>2. I know it does not have a built in CD-Rom. But, I can hook up an
> external CD-Rom to the parallel port. Any problems with this set up?
> Or is there a better alternative?
I've done both through the parallel and via a PCMCIA SCSI card (Adaptec).
Prefer SCSI for speed, but parallel works fine and is about as fast what
with my meager 4x CD drives.
>3. This does not have a built in modem, but, If I buy a PCMCIA
> modem card, I should be able to dial anywhere. Correct me if I am wrong.
Most people with laptops run PCMCIA modems anyway. Individual features
depend on the particular PC card modem you buy.
>3.1. How about connecting an external modem (regular PC modem) to the
> serial port? Any problems with this setup?
Haven't done it, but the serial port supports 14550-type buffer chip, so I
don't foresee any problem in doing so.
>4. This comes with only 8 MB of RAM. Can I add another 16MB, bringing
> the total up to 24MB? Any problems with that?
Works fine. I later sold off my 16 MB module and upgraded to a 32 MB
module for a total of 40 MB.
>5. How about connecting external speakers?
Works fine, if you want it. I don't particularly care for noises anyway,
so I don't bother. The built-in speaker is adequate, though it sounds like
a tin can.
>I have never owned a laptop, and my ignorance may be showing here.
>
>Basically, I would like to use it - while travelling - for everything, I
normally
>use my desktop for - word processing, presentations, lite programming.
>Occasionally use the modem to get e-mail, web etc..., and sometimes use
>it for multimedia presentations.
>
>The usage is light. So, I don't need a bleeding edge laptop. I just need an
>adequate system. Will this do?
I'm quite happy with mine, but I use both a laptop and a desktop, so when
I feel like I need more horsepower for a particular task, I go to my
desktop. Do keep in mind that laptops are inherently slower than the
same-MHz desktop--i.e., a 560 running at 133 MHz is *not* going to be as
fast as virtually any desktop running at 133 MHz. Just part of the
tradeoff you make for the benefit of portability.
Personally, I think the 560 is a great choice for people who want a
quality, light, reasonably "fast" but not bleeding-edge fast laptop at what
I consider to be a good price point. Sure you can by cheaper, but I think
its worth it to have the major brands as laptops go--Toshiba, IBM, etc.
-------
Randal J. Whittle whittle_at_usc.edu (213) 740-7775
Director, Electronic Commerce Program
Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California
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