Students and faculty receiving new laptops this semester are getting something different compared to the laptops of the previous years, in the form of the Lenovo Thinkpad Twist Multi-touch Ultrabook that is being provided to eligible students and faculty.
According to Mark Shevy, associate professor of communication and performance studies, the new laptops are not only representative of the direction technology is moving, but exactly the devices students should use.
“Everything is moving toward tablets and mobile touch screens.” Shevy said. “These laptops are a kind of hybrid that are meant to ease us into the next step where we no longer need laptops.”
According to Shevy, the current major concerns are a bug that can sometimes prevent connection with WiMax or Wi-Fi until a reboot has been completed, as well as the display will flip with the screen in the wrong direction when being handled. So far, the issues have not prevented the computer from being used.
“They have potential once the bugs are worked out, and they do
have some interesting bugs,”Shevy said. “These will be good computers.”
According to Shevy, the new Twist’ computers are a marked improvement over previous hardware, in particular the inclusion of Windows 8 as the operating system of choice for the laptops.
“They do boot much faster, which is a plus, considering the WiMax bug required a reboot to fix each time,” Shevy said. “That’s been patched now, but the speed is still a plus. It has to do with the use of solid state drives, which are just as if all your storage is just one giant flash drive.”
According to Shevy, one of the downsides to the Twist’ computers is that they do not have as many USB ports as the previous, which had three ports where the new Twist’ has only two. Another downside is that the Twist’ computers do not have a VGA port. This makes connecting to video projectors in classrooms require the use of an adaptor for the DVI socket the Twist computers do have, according to Shevy.
“I’ve heard that the plugs for video projectors in the classrooms will be changed,” Shevy said. “So far, some rooms have been upgraded and some have not been attended to yet.”
Shevy said students with the older Thinkpads have a DVI socket and should not be affected by the upgrade in the classrooms.
Still, according to some students, the Twist’ computers are worth the few remaining glitches.
“They act up a lot and tend to overheat once in a well, but its an all around good computer,” Katelyn Gladwell, a freshman athletic training major, said. “It works fast. I’m happy with it.”
Gladwell also said that the new laptops are an excellent tool to help new students complete their class work.
Bug repair information for the Lenovo Twist Ultrabooks can be found on the NMU I.T. Services webpage. For further information or help with the new computers, please visit the technology services helpdesk in the LRC across from Starbucks.
