Lenovo W700 Ds - the new ultimate travelling workstation (for now?)

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/le...pad-w700ds.aspx

Now let's see... 72% NTSC color calibrator built-in, quad core, 1GB VRAM, 8GB expandable, RAID capable, Wacom tablet and a slide out 2nd screen?!? Geekdom defined!

Being able process photos/video on the road is always a pro's nightmare due to work screen space, color accuracy and CPU power. With the W700Ds, you can have it ALL! Even with a 1920x1200 resolution screen, the screen space for NLE and photo editing is limited. With this computer in PS, windows/tools can be activated in the 2nd screen and the main screen has the whole picture. For Premiere Pro, cutting Red Code or DNG will be faster (still need eSATA for more disk space)

Cons: Windows Vista (now where's that Mac OSX hack? not that OSX is 64bit anyhow!), no 802.11N, no eSATA/FW800 (FW400 is so last season), weighs like 11lbs (5 more lbs and it's over the air travel limits for many countries, and don't forget the power brick is another 1.8lbs!). You also have to throw away your LV, TUMI, Mandarina Duck or Porsche Design notebook bags, because it's just so big and fat! Price? over $5000 with the second screen option and RAID config.

Nice...hopefully a preview of things to come from the other players... but with at least FW800 and half the weight thanks...

Well I think the Dell M4400/6400 covet series is also very nice and a bit lighter. No second screen but full Adobe 98 gamut LED and quad core too. I think I may pick one up and do the hackintosh OS X leopard to see if it works well enough. I mean my Psystar discs should work on the Dell.

Well I think the Dell M4400 covet series is also very nice and a bit lighter. No second screen but full Adobe 98 gamut LED and quad core too. I think I may pick one up and do the hackintosh OS X leopard to see if it works well enough. I mean my Psystar discs should work on the Dell.

I have the w500 ... nice machine. Doesn't have the "wide gamut" display, but otherwise a solid little workstation.

I have the w500 ... nice machine. Doesn't have the "wide gamut" display, but otherwise a solid little workstation.

I have to say - that Dell looks REALLY nice ... Kinda wish I had looked at that before buying the W500.

Drew,

I've been considering a hackintosh notebook. I first purchased a Sony AW series but it had some fatal flaws so I returned it. I then considered the Dell 6400 Covet. The problem with that machine is that it requires the big video card that not only costs a fortune but has a 100W power requirement so the Covet includes an immense 210W supply. I then purchased the 4400 Dell but, as far as I can tell, the panel is 6 bit so the wide gamut comes with increased posterization. The screen is glossy, too, though that is commonplace. Finally, I ordered an HP workstation with the DreamColor display but HP credit department was so lax in processing my order than I cancelled without taking delivery. Didn't want to deal with them after two weeks on non-action.

It is clear by displaying a Granger Rainbow that the Dell and Sony displays are functionally more like my desktop wide gamut display than like the current LED-backlit, glossy MBP displays but in terms of saturation and contrast they are all similar. Without knowing that a PC workstation notebook has an 8 bit panel I'm hesitant to invest in a hackintosh considering Snow Leopard coming and all the frequent updates we've been getting from Apple recently. Hackintoshes frequently break on updates as I understand it.

I'm in possession of a perfectly fine Dell 4400 wide gamut notebook that I will be finding a new home for. Nothing wrong with it but I'm not sure I want to travel down the OS X path with it. I'm hoping the new MBP 17s come soon and come serious.

I'm hoping the new MBP 17s come soon and come serious.

Two more days One rumor is that non replacable battery like the Air but with alot better battery life.

Haven't heard anything else about it ... I still want them just to throw a FW port into the d#$n Air for dive trips where all I need is some email, internet and the ability to download/view photos, dump video to hard drives. Came real close to getting the new Macbook for the last trip, but went with a refurbed 15" MacBook Pro instead that was priced well.

Now if the 8-10" iPod Touches/Tablets come this fall with a USB and FW port, could be my next toy...

>>> Now if the 8-10" iPod Touches/Tablets come this fall with a USB and FW port, could be my next toy...

Now you're talkin' ... I've been dreaming about that device since about 1984 ...

Drew,

It is clear by displaying a Granger Rainbow that the Dell and Sony displays are functionally more like my desktop wide gamut display than like the current LED-backlit, glossy MBP displays but in terms of saturation and contrast they are all similar. Without knowing that a PC workstation notebook has an 8 bit panel I'm hesitant to invest in a hackintosh considering Snow Leopard coming and all the frequent updates we've been getting from Apple recently. Hackintoshes frequently break on updates as I understand it.

Craig, the hackintosh group releases hacked updates to go with their hackitosh install of leopard, albeit they come out later obviously. Since you're 10x more of a techie than I am, I'll let you do the Hackintosh mode in your M4400 first . My Psystar is working very well as a server/home processor. I wish some enterprising geek starts a home business making hackintosh computers work. I already pay $700 premium for Apple products, what's wrong with giving that to some kid who can get me a quad core note book running Mac OSX.

Now if the 8-10" iPod Touches/Tablets come this fall with a USB and FW port, could be my next toy...

I'm happy with 6"

Craig

Have you seen this?

http://www.efixusa.com/p138/EFi-X%E2%84%A2...fe63ace46d4153e