As mentioned in my last post, it was time to buy a new tablet, so I decided to follow my own advice and pick up a brand new, yet discontinued, tablet PC for a fraction of the price. The model I selected was offered on a reputable website, but would save me quite a bit of money in the end. I needed a new Tablet PC to run all my design software, like Photoshop Elements, Illustrator, and Art & Stitch.
The model I purchased was a Lenovo Thinkpad x230, which I purchased from B&H Photo brand new for only between $600-659. It is currently offered now for $634 US here.
I want to let blog readers know my first impressions and how my purchase has worked out so far.
The package shipped promptly from B&H, and arrived just fine in a brand new box. This was indeed a brand new machine and not a refurbished one. I opened the box and then proceeded to set up my machine and install all my software. This notebook does not have a CD/DVD player, but I just used my portable one that connects to the computer with a USB plug to install all my software.
Once I had Photoshop Elements 13 installed, it was time to try it out. Sure enough, it worked perfectly! It has similar specs to my last Tablet PC, the Fujitsu T902, but I paid less than 1/3rd the cost.
The pros: Lenovo x230 is a fine tablet and comes highly rated by other artists. The price was right. Tablet works as advertised.
The cons: The keyboard set up takes some getting used to, but I added a mouse for ease of web surfing and clicking. The Wacom digitizer and pen are a bit different than previous Tablet PCs, it seems to have some pressure functionality. It will take some time to get used to the new set up. This machine was released a few years ago, and is now discontinued.
All in all, I am very happy with my new tablet, and love that I spent less than $660 US. I think this is an excellent value for what you get. I can now start drawing and designing once again!
Let me know if you have any questions. Hugs, Carla
Carla Barrett 
Hi Carla
Thank you for that review. I am looking to see if I can purchase one here in Australia. Just have one question. I have read reviews where they comment on that model getting quite hot in use. Have you noticed or had any issues with the heat?
Sharyn
Hi Sharyn, no, haven’t experienced that issue yet. I wonder if the user is working with the device on their lap? Will let you know if this happens to me.
So far, so good! Good to be up and running again. I really was bummed when the Fujitsu bit the dust. I still need to get it fixed so I can retrieve all my files.
Sharyn, when I researched this issue, I ran into lots of online heating issues with the prior model- the x220. Will run some experiments today to see how cool it runs with some heavy work loads and streaming.
I will be following along on this experience as I will be needing a different “machine” this summer (if this one even holds on that long!!) and will want the advantages yours appears to have. Thanks for the informative posts on this (and all else, of course!!!). Hugs…..
Hey Carla – just a “heads-up” but you probably already know this – B&H sells “gray market” goods so the warranty is probably void….but I suspect you already know this. Glad it’s working well for you!!!
Hi Roberta, yes, I knew that. However, B&H has good customer service, so if it arrived in poor condition, I knew I was dealing with a quality company. I have purchased photo supplies from them for years.
I figure that buying from a reputable company was better than making the purchase on ebay. Ebay purchases can be a bit hit and miss. Anyway, I have been suggesting buying a older Tablet PC model as a way of saving $$ in my classes, so I thought I would give it a try myself. 🙂
Hi Again,
I have purchased camera gear from them and have always been satisfied. I’ve never needed warranty work on anything so that’s good! Glad you knew about it!!
Carla, Thanks so much for in the info. I printed out your post, took it to my most favorite techie guru, and she agreed that this was a real deal. She also stated that if I had info from someone who used this tablet the way I would (that would be you…) and that they liked the machine, I couldn’t ask for a better endorsement. So, Carla! I spoke with B&H today and I’m sure I’m going to be pushing that BUY button in the next couple of days. Thank you again for all the work you do for us! Sylvia
Good luck, Sylvia! As I have been working with this new Tablet PC more, the other con is it is heavier in weight than modern tablets. I do not mind this, though. I just wanted you to be aware of the weight specs.
Glad your tech guru approved! 🙂 You were very wise to check this out independently with a trusted adviser. This is now my 4th Tablet PC Convertible, but I also own a Wacom Tablet and of course, several iPad tablets. Let me know how your own experience is.
Not worried about weight. My computer seldom leaves my desk. I just hate the thought of transferring all files to new computer. Have Carbonite but they say it’s going to take days to transfer all the crapola I have. Might just be using two computers! One for designing applications and one for all that other stuff…thanks again.
Carla, I was searching for a tablet/computer combo and your article provided a wealth of information, so thank you very much. I was looking at the Surface pro 3, but now Im unsure with it not having the wacom pen. You mentioned above that you also have a wacom product,If you could don’t mind, can you tell me what wacom product do you have and maybe why you chose that product. Thanks.
Mary, my only complaint with the Surface Pro 3 is that Microsoft went to nTrig instead of the Wacom digitizer. There is a difference in feel. I suggest you visit a Best Buy or similar retailer to test drive and see if you care for it. My preference is for the Wacom digitizer.
While my latest tablet works fine, the discontinued one with the wacom digitizer, I do miss my last computer. All of my previous Tablet PCs have had a Wacom digitizer. Over the years, since about 2004, I’ve owned a Toshiba PC Tablet (long discontinued), then an HP Tmt2 (again now discontinued), then my Fujitsu, and now my Lenovo Thinkpad X230 Tablet. Oh yes, an XL Intuos tablet peripheral by Wacom, and an iPad 1, The New iPad (the iPad 3), and the mini iPad. All the iPad products have Apple iOS.
I choose the Wacom digitizer tablet peripherals mainly because Wacom has a much better product and track record than nTrig. The main difference is in the lag time- with ntrig lagging way behind the pen and cursor. Anyway, there are a number of You Tube videos which illustrate this difference if you are interested. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any further questions.