
Lenovo ThinkPad Chromebook - for schools - fidotron
http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2013/01/for-schools-new-lenovo-thinkpad.html
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ConstantineXVI
For what it's worth, this looks like a CrOS variant of the existing X131e[0]
which is also an .edu-only model. Not new and shiny, but gets Lenovo in the
CrOS market. I'd like to think this is a precursor to a mass-market CrOS
ThinkPad.

EDIT: it's available to mass-market as well[1], but the sales pitch still
makes the target market fairly clear

[0] <https://www.lenovo.com/education/us/en/edu-series.html>

[1]
[http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/thinkpad/x-series/x...](http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/thinkpad/x-series/x131e-intel/)

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epochwolf
The X131e is available for purchase by consumers. I have the AMD model.

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pwthornton
As a CR-48 owner, I think this is both good for education and bad.

The good parts of this is that ThinkPad's are well built machines and this
particular model has been ruggedized. This form factor seems perfect to me for
the educational environment: light, portable and rugged.

The negative is ChromeOS itself for an educational environment. It's a fine
machine for doing Internet research and light writing, but more traditional
OSes allow for more experimentation and learning. You won't be messing around
with video editing on these in any significant way. Web design wouldn't be
easy either. Web design was one of my favorite high school classes.

For library and research computers, this seems like a great option. Rugged,
secure, portable. For a learning tool, wouldn't something more open, more able
to run more applications be better?

From an IT perspective I get it. These machines require so little maintenance
and are much more hardended than your typical PC.

In many ways, I feel the original ThinkPad that this is based off of would be
a better educational tool. This of course comes down to whether or not school
want students experimenting these days. I hope they do.

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glesica
Students have never been allowed to "tinker" with school-owned computers. I
have been involved in educational programs that relied on school-owned laptops
at the college level. In my experience having a locked-down machine is really
the only way to make this sort of thing work well.

Unless you're teaching CS or networking or something along those lines there
is just no benefit to allowing students fiddle with the computers that isn't
completely overwhelmed by the negative effects of students accidentally hosing
the machines.

I guess in a perfect world we would let everyone tinker with everything. You
never know where the next brilliant idea will come from and all that. But in
the world we live in, there are costs and there are benefits. When the costs
of something dwarf the benefits of that thing you don't do it.

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meaty
We weren't allowed to meddle with them, but did that stop us? No.

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glesica
Yeah, and that's fine. What I'm saying is that when the computer is a primary
mode of delivering course material or is otherwise absolutely necessary for
the curriculum, malfunctions, whether caused by user error or otherwise, are
unacceptable. Most schools just don't have the resources to support "real"
computers in the hands of the students.

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meaty
Yes they do. Most of them are contracted out to companies which have state
restoration software on, so if someone screws it up, they can re-image it
instantly.

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brudgers
When it comes to Google, HN often exhibits a surprising amount of tolerance
for vendor lock in.

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jeffk1337
It promotes using web apps, web apps which can also be accessed with browsers
on any OS. Not happy with Chromebooks? Use Windows or Mac instead and access
the same webapp. That's the _exact opposite_ of vendor lock-in.

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tga
Unless the build quality is stellar and/or the size makes a difference, I
would much rather pick a machine from their Essential series (to keep the
discussion to the same manufacturer, similar options exist). It is not tied to
an ever-changing online service, it has the specs to act as a stand alone work
machine for myself, let alone school students, and only costs $369.

[http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/essential/g-series/...](http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/essential/g-series/g580/)

I recently picked one up for a family member and was impressed by how much
computer <$400 will get you.

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jsnell
You're suggesting giving schoolkids a 3kg 15.6" laptop? It seems clear that
it's not acceptable no matter how good the specs are. A rugged 11" laptop
makes way more sense.

As for ChromeOS, it seems like a perfect fit to a school environment. But the
same ThinkPad model has been available for about a year with Windows.

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christopherorr
Good to know there's now a ThinkPad flavour but it's a shame about the chiclet
keyboard. Seems to be a trend at Lenovo. They might look better but that
doesn't mean they are any easier to type on. The keyboard on my x220 is one of
the best things about the laptop. Molded keys are so much more responsive but
if I remember rightly they went chiclet-style on the x230 too. If it ain't
broke...

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pwpwp
I've been using Thinkpads for years and find the new chiclet keyboards just as
good, if not better than the older ones.

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christopherorr
Fair play. Ought to admit I haven't used one on a ThinkPad yet. Never enjoyed
typing on other manufacturers' chiclet keyboards so I am judging them on that
skewed basis. It's my first ThinkPad so I'm still a bit spellbound about the
sheer quality of the keyboard compared to every laptop I've used before.
Shouldn't be all too surprised to learn Lenovo's are a cut above the rest and,
in light of your comments, I won't be so dismissive of them when buying my
next ThinkPad. Don't knock it and all that!

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RexRollman
Sweet. Too bad it is for students only because my CR-48 is starting to show
its wear.

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NegativeK
What was your usage pattern for you with your CR-48?

I tried using it initially, but I very quickly ran into speed issues when I
was trying to rapidly find information and take notes in Google Docs. The
hardware simply couldn't keep up.

I've recently ressurected it by connecting it to my stereo and running Rdio on
it, but I have a feeling that this is a misuse.

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RexRollman
Mine is mainly used for everyday web browsing while sitting in front of the
TV. I agree it is a bit slow but I am generally not in a rush.

Personally, if I had to fault ChromeOS for something, it would be that there
is no way to create an account on the machine without having a Google account.
I believe that needs to be changed.

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so898
Chrome OS with Thinkpad? Sweets. However, if I get one of this laptop, I will
install Ubuntu or other Linux system on it. Because in most time, without
networking, Chrome OS is useless.

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r00fus
It boggles my mind how popular ChromeOS would be if it did indeed have strong
offline capabilities (like say, an Android tablet).

This is likely why I would recommend a Transformer+keyboard instead - around
the same price, but higher utility.

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Evbn
Chrome supports offline apps.

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iomike
Why is it double the price of the other chromebooks 0_o?

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epochwolf
Better construction and it's a bit more armored than your typical laptop.

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KaoruAoiShiho
Too heavy. Samsung ARM still the best Chromebook.

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mtgx
They should've used a quad core Cortex A15. It would've made them cheaper, and
there's no reason for x86 in these machines.

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JoshTriplett
Half of the Chrome Web Store uses Native Client, which doesn't work on ARM.

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riobard
Honest question: for $430 why would anyone want this crap instead of a decent
tablet?

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freehunter
Build quality. Support. Keyboard and mouse. Able to be locked down to limit
app installs. Many reasons why a laptop, even a Chromebook, is more useful in
certain situations than a tablet. This isn't meant for your home, it's meant
for the classroom.

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recoiledsnake
$430 seems to be expensive for something with no real hard drive (only 16GB
solid state) and with a Celeron processor.

