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Twinhead r15b screen

post #1 of 25
8/31/04 at 12:49pm
Thread Starter 
Does anyone know anything about the quality of the screen on this notebook? It looks like a great package, but I have never seen one in person.
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post #2 of 25
8/31/04 at 2:09pm
I've been quite pleased with mine. No dead/stuck pixels or backlight leakage. I don't find there to be a miniscule "sweet spot", however, I might just be less sensitive than others. Horizontally, viewing angles are fine by my standards. Like most SXGA screens out there, vertical viewing angles are what suffer more. I don't know if this true for all SXGA screens, but looking upward (pushing the screen back further) does not result in the screen washing out. Look downward at the screen (standing above it, for instance) and this is where it washes out the most.

Hope that helps.
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post #3 of 25
8/31/04 at 3:00pm
Thread Starter 
It does help, thanks. I'm still trying to decide and see where I can get the most affordable deal. While this laptop is larger and heavier than I would like, the fact that it is semi-rugged is a strong selling point with upcoming Middle East travel.
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post #4 of 25
8/31/04 at 3:25pm

heh, me too

Hi RIT,
I gotta mention to you that I just ordered a Twinhead for my trip to the middle east. As I understand, there was another person here who ordered one for that purpose too.

I'll try to PM you with links to where I looked and where I ended up buying from.

Eric
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post #5 of 25
8/31/04 at 5:51pm
Thread Starter 
Hi Eric,

Thanks, I really appreciate it. As much as I like the smaller size of the Thinkpads, unless I get a really good deal on one (like say - Ebay) I'm going to go with the Twinhead. Thinkpads are tough, but the Twinhead is made to stay healthy in lousy places.

I have been told that the PC slot on the Twinhead is open and doesn't have a cover. That seems somewhat strange on a semi-rugged notebook. Does anyone know about this?
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post #6 of 25
8/31/04 at 6:09pm
There is no "door" to the PCMCIA slot. Not sure of the reason, but, quite frankly, the door that you typically find on a PCMCIA slot would not likely block the kind of particulates you will be encountering, imo.
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post #7 of 25
8/31/04 at 6:21pm
hence the "semi" in "semi-rugged". the only thing twinhead really pushes is the magnesium alloy case surviving drops, vibration protection for the hard drive, and the spill-resistant keyboard.

If you want protection against sand and water, you're going to have to go commercial-grade toughbooks. There's really no in-between other than the twinhead. I would seal the pcmcia slot, myself, with a simple solution like a packing tape.
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post #8 of 25
8/31/04 at 6:53pm
Thread Starter 
I may just do that. I'll insert the spacer from my current laptop and then put a piece of 100-mph tape over it. It does seem somewhat odd to have no protection for the slot though. I do agree though Unleaded - it would have to be a heavy sealed gasket to keep out the kind of dust I'll be dealing with.
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post #9 of 25
8/31/04 at 7:16pm

install something useful

What kind of pcmcia devices could be used in that open slot? I mean, can the open slot be plugged with something useful?

It would be great if I could install a Sony memory stick reader in there.
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post #10 of 25
8/31/04 at 7:28pm
Thread Starter 
I'm not sure if there are any devices out there that would provide enough of a seal to make it proof against blowing sand and dust. A memory stick reader would jut have a smaller aperture for dust to get into.
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post #11 of 25
8/31/04 at 8:06pm
Which, again, the typical "trap door" would not protect against either as it still leaves openings through which things even larger than dust/sand particles could enter.

I frankly have NO idea why they have not provided this...in fact, let me make a call and find out.
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post #12 of 25
8/31/04 at 8:14pm
Ok, this is what I was told by Twinhead. They had used the "trap door" for years and came to this conclusion, "it does NOTHING". In fact, Twinhead witnessed on more than one occasion that one or both of the "doors" might break and reach the motherboard causing more extensive damage. What I am investigating now is whether or not the systems still ship from Taiwan with a cover to the PCMCIA slot area and, if they do, Twinhead could provide this in shipping units (they normally remove them).
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post #13 of 25
8/31/04 at 8:26pm
Another little note as relates to the N15RB screen, I've been talking to Twinhead about revising their Dead Pixel policy. Right now it's rather scary, up to 24 dead pixels! Now, this policy does require some explaining. The LCD panel manufacturer only warrants the panel for 1 year while Twinhead warrants it for 3. In order to protect themselves they had set the policy to 24 pixels to allow for problems that might occur over the 3 year warranty period.

CoffeeShark was instrumental in making the suggestion that they revise their warranty statement to either a "dead pixel policy on delivery" or a "1st year dead pixel policy". I have word that revisions to the warranty statement will be forthcoming by the end of the week.

Those of you who purchase an N15RB prior to the adjustment in the policy rest easy as Twinhead offers a 20 day "evaluation"

http://usa.twinhead.com/java-jsp/sal...Day_Evaluation
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post #14 of 25
8/31/04 at 8:33pm
Thread Starter 
So as long as I purchase it in the next week or so I'll be covered? Thanks Unleaded, that is very useful information, especially since I had no idea that they allowed such a high number of dead pixels! It's tough finding reviews of this model as well, but I have found one or two. Thanks for looking into the PC Card door as well.

I'll probably pull the trigger on a purchase within the week, and I think that they're still offering an upgrade to a 60GB HD this week as well. So unless I find a great deal on Thinkpad, I'll be going with the Twinhead.
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post #15 of 25
8/31/04 at 8:40pm
The free upgrade to a 60GB only applies on 4200RPM drive, if that matters to you.

Edit: And now that I think of it, their literature stated it was through 8/31...but they might extend it or offer a new promotion starting 9/1.
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post #16 of 25
8/31/04 at 8:46pm
Thread Starter 
It matters, (and thanks again for the update since I didn't know that) but only to a certain extent since my main concern at this point has to be the cost of the notebook. Even with a 40GB drive I can deal since I use a 120GB external firewire drive for large files.
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post #17 of 25
8/31/04 at 8:48pm
Thread Starter 
And I was just outbid for a T41p, so it looks like I'm going for the larger and heavier yet more rugged Twinhead.
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post #18 of 25
8/31/04 at 8:48pm
Probably the best place to conserve money is with the processor. Heck, go with a P-M 715...upgrade it down the line when the prices drop. RAM and HD (RPMs in your case, not capacity) is probably not the place to skimp at the outset.
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post #19 of 25
8/31/04 at 8:57pm
Thread Starter 
The best deal I have been able to find is actually a 1.5 Banias. 512 RAM and a 40/60 Gig HD. While I was shown an excellent site that I think you may be familiar with that had customizable models, they're a bit too much for me to handle right now and I need to replace my again Comaq fairly quickly. So I have realized that I have to make a number of compromises for strictly financial reasons. At some point in the future I'll probably engage in some upgrading (certainly the proc), but I don't know when I'll be able to.
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post #20 of 25
8/31/04 at 8:59pm
Thread Starter 
Basically, this is what I'm looking at for under $1,500 right now:

Intel Pentium-M 1.5GHz Banias CPU
512MB DDR
40 GB ATA 100 Capacity Hard Disk Drive
DVD+CD-RW Combo Drive
15.1” TFT LCD with SXGA+ resolution
1400x1050 Display Resolution
ATI M11 128MB Dedicated Video Memory
Microsoft XP Home

I have an XP Pro upgrade disk, and the rest will have to come over time.
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