[mgmueller]

Lenovo ThinkPad 8
------------------------------

You'll all probably consider me crazy.
I've reordered it.
From another reseller.
I was a bit pissed about the first one: The seal on the box clearly had been opened. My guess: Demo unit or customer return.
And the build quality left a lot to desire.
But the display seemed worth another try.
So I've reordered from another reseller.
I'll keep this one and send the other back.
Normally, I'd never do this.
Usually I keep, what I've ordered.
In the worst case, I'd send it back.
But reordering?
Never did that before.
But in this special case, the first reseller really did seem a bit dubious to me.

Anyway...

The build quality still is not great. Unfortunately, Lenovo sticks to its reputation...
There are some small gaps in the housing and some sharp edges.
No disaster. But in comparison not as good as the Dell Venue 8 Pro, which cost about 200 Euros less.
In general, the materials used seem fine. And they clearly made an effort to go elegant, kind of a "poor man's iPad". But the manufacturing process and quality control doesn't seem to be on the same level.
I'd rank it about the same level as my Nook HD (not the Nook HD+, which is far superior).
But the build quality of my 2nd is definitely better than the 1st one.
The QuickShot cover is nice enough, once you get used to it. It's a bit inconvenient at first, as it's extremely sturdy. But if one doesn't compare to iPad's SmartCover, it's good enough.
Basically:
The display is fantastic.
But that's more or less all that's outstanding about it.
On one hand, the display is amongst the most important parts of any tablet. On the other hand, for a gadget listed at € 550, you'd obviously expect more.
Still: I think, the display makes up for the rest.

I'll keep using my Dell Venue 8 Pro + the great keyboard for light work on the road.
For heavy work, I've got my Surface Pro 2 (Pro 3 in about 4 weeks).
And from now on my Lenovo ThinkPad 8 as my Windows 8 mobile gadget.