Gateway sells a laptop in the US that is identical to the X10 (Same OEM) so I think it's unlikely you'll see an X10 in the US. Reviews of the Gateway clone were mediocre - I don't remember exactly what the problems were, but I think the general consensus was battery life was terrible (1.5 hours or so).
Check out the forums at leog.net, there was a thread there on the X10.
I agree - this review was fairly silly, but I'm probably a little biased. I bought my W2 about 2 months ago and I love it. First, lets clear up some misconceptions:
1. 512 Mb is not the maximum memory - See dynamism.com for example, or W2 owners can open up the DVI viewer and note that the memory controller supports MicroDIMMs of up to 512Mb, making the maximum 768Mb with the built in 256 module. Dynamism.com sells a 512Mb module.
2. The case is magnesium - The only thing that isnt magnesium is the back of the screen which is heavy duty plastic to allow more flexibility and prevent damage to the screen if dropped.
3. It's available in the US - I can't believe such a sloppy review was published. I'm typing on my US W2 right now, with English XP Pro CD, English manual, etc. Check panasonic.com to see the product page for the US version.
4. The screen lighting is not uneven - perhaps the reviewer had a bad unit, but my W2 has fine illumination. I even tested it with an all black screensaver just to make sure.
Now, I also looked at the 12" Powerbook, Sony TR1, and Fujitsu P5000 when I was deciding what to buy. I came closest to buying the Powerbook, and I think it is the best competitor to the W2, though it is relatively heavy. Personally, the 10.6" screens on the Sony and Fujitsu were too small to useful as a primary computer. I am a college student and I use my W2 for everything, taking notes, writing papers, games, etc. and I don't think I could live with a 10.6" screen. Also, the Sony is in my opinion very poorly built. It feels like a toy, weighs more, has an almost useless camera on the top, and sticks you with proprietary Sony shit (eg. Memory sticks). If you're thinking of the TR1, don't do it - get a Sony Picturebook or U3 instead. Also, you get a 3 year warranty standard with the Panasonic, which really inspires some confidence, as does their success with the Toughbook line. The Fujitsu is a little harder decision to make, and it mostly came down to screen size and poor mouse button placement on the Fujitsu.
Also, I'd like to hilight a couple of the coolest features of the W2:
1. Its silent - ahh, the joys of a silent computer. Some people like background white noise, but I don't, and you can always use a desktop for noise generation.
2. VGA out - No dongles like for the TR1. Its so useful if you give presentations or like to use an external monitor.
3. Full size keyboard - 19mm keypitch - don't settle for anything less if you plan to use it to do anything keyboard intensive (eg. code, write papers).
4. Battery life - I average about 6 hours of battery life so far, with light to moderate CD usage and the wireless radio on. I got 7.5 once with no CD usage and the wireless off, so those who don't use the wireless or CD should be able to expect at least 7 hours or so.
5. Price - I paid just over $2050 US for my W2 including shipping, not the $2399 crap that the review says. Its cheaper than the TR1 (with XP Pro) and is so much nicer, with longer warranty to boot.
To be fair, there are some downsides to the W2:
1. Ports - I don't have a problem with the port placement, but I do wish it had firewire and S-video out. However, you have to compromise on some things with such a small computer.
2. Monaural sound - Lack of stereo sound stinks, but thats what external speakers are for, and the speaker is surprisingly good and not that tinny considering its just a dinky monaural laptop speaker.
3. Lacks physical wireless switch - I wish I could turn wireless off with a switch on the case, but its not a big deal. I mostly just leave wireless on anyways, and its only 2 mouse clicks to turn it off as it is.
The RAM limit for the W2 is not 512Mb - its 768. Panasonic lists the W2 as having a max of 512 for the US model because they only sell at 256 microdimm here, but in Japan, or via importers like Dynamism (dynamism.com) you can buy a 512 Mb module to supplement the 256 meg built in module to get you up to 768. The DVI viewer on my W2 confirms that the memory controller can handle microdimms of up to 512 Mb, and the hardware is the same for the Japanese and US models.
As a quick aside, I bought my W2 about 2 months ago and absolutely love it. I am a college student, and its wonderful to be able to work anywhere and not be lugging around 10lbs worth of stuff. Plus, you get lots of stares at your local coffee shop - the coolness and/or geekiness factor is incredible. I do wish I had more than the standard 256 Mb of RAM, but Christmas is coming up in a couple of months. I have no other complaints really, but those who are considering buying a subnotebook should check out leog.net - a wonderful resource for the Fujitsu P-Series notebooks and just subnotes in general, including high rez photos and reviews of the Panasonic W2.
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Gateway sells a laptop in the US that is identical to the X10 (Same OEM) so I think it's unlikely you'll see an X10 in the US. Reviews of the Gateway clone were mediocre - I don't remember exactly what the problems were, but I think the general consensus was battery life was terrible (1.5 hours or so). Check out the forums at leog.net, there was a thread there on the X10.
I agree - this review was fairly silly, but I'm probably a little biased. I bought my W2 about 2 months ago and I love it. First, lets clear up some misconceptions:
1. 512 Mb is not the maximum memory - See dynamism.com for example, or W2 owners can open up the DVI viewer and note that the memory controller supports MicroDIMMs of up to 512Mb, making the maximum 768Mb with the built in 256 module. Dynamism.com sells a 512Mb module.
2. The case is magnesium - The only thing that isnt magnesium is the back of the screen which is heavy duty plastic to allow more flexibility and prevent damage to the screen if dropped.
3. It's available in the US - I can't believe such a sloppy review was published. I'm typing on my US W2 right now, with English XP Pro CD, English manual, etc. Check panasonic.com to see the product page for the US version.
4. The screen lighting is not uneven - perhaps the reviewer had a bad unit, but my W2 has fine illumination. I even tested it with an all black screensaver just to make sure.
Now, I also looked at the 12" Powerbook, Sony TR1, and Fujitsu P5000 when I was deciding what to buy. I came closest to buying the Powerbook, and I think it is the best competitor to the W2, though it is relatively heavy. Personally, the 10.6" screens on the Sony and Fujitsu were too small to useful as a primary computer. I am a college student and I use my W2 for everything, taking notes, writing papers, games, etc. and I don't think I could live with a 10.6" screen. Also, the Sony is in my opinion very poorly built. It feels like a toy, weighs more, has an almost useless camera on the top, and sticks you with proprietary Sony shit (eg. Memory sticks). If you're thinking of the TR1, don't do it - get a Sony Picturebook or U3 instead. Also, you get a 3 year warranty standard with the Panasonic, which really inspires some confidence, as does their success with the Toughbook line. The Fujitsu is a little harder decision to make, and it mostly came down to screen size and poor mouse button placement on the Fujitsu.
Also, I'd like to hilight a couple of the coolest features of the W2:
1. Its silent - ahh, the joys of a silent computer. Some people like background white noise, but I don't, and you can always use a desktop for noise generation.
2. VGA out - No dongles like for the TR1. Its so useful if you give presentations or like to use an external monitor.
3. Full size keyboard - 19mm keypitch - don't settle for anything less if you plan to use it to do anything keyboard intensive (eg. code, write papers).
4. Battery life - I average about 6 hours of battery life so far, with light to moderate CD usage and the wireless radio on. I got 7.5 once with no CD usage and the wireless off, so those who don't use the wireless or CD should be able to expect at least 7 hours or so.
5. Price - I paid just over $2050 US for my W2 including shipping, not the $2399 crap that the review says. Its cheaper than the TR1 (with XP Pro) and is so much nicer, with longer warranty to boot.
To be fair, there are some downsides to the W2:
1. Ports - I don't have a problem with the port placement, but I do wish it had firewire and S-video out. However, you have to compromise on some things with such a small computer.
2. Monaural sound - Lack of stereo sound stinks, but thats what external speakers are for, and the speaker is surprisingly good and not that tinny considering its just a dinky monaural laptop speaker.
3. Lacks physical wireless switch - I wish I could turn wireless off with a switch on the case, but its not a big deal. I mostly just leave wireless on anyways, and its only 2 mouse clicks to turn it off as it is.
The RAM limit for the W2 is not 512Mb - its 768. Panasonic lists the W2 as having a max of 512 for the US model because they only sell at 256 microdimm here, but in Japan, or via importers like Dynamism (dynamism.com) you can buy a 512 Mb module to supplement the 256 meg built in module to get you up to 768. The DVI viewer on my W2 confirms that the memory controller can handle microdimms of up to 512 Mb, and the hardware is the same for the Japanese and US models.
As a quick aside, I bought my W2 about 2 months ago and absolutely love it. I am a college student, and its wonderful to be able to work anywhere and not be lugging around 10lbs worth of stuff. Plus, you get lots of stares at your local coffee shop - the coolness and/or geekiness factor is incredible. I do wish I had more than the standard 256 Mb of RAM, but Christmas is coming up in a couple of months. I have no other complaints really, but those who are considering buying a subnotebook should check out leog.net - a wonderful resource for the Fujitsu P-Series notebooks and just subnotes in general, including high rez photos and reviews of the Panasonic W2.