I was told buy an IBM salesman that Flexview was only available on 15" UXGA screens. Is this correct?

No, there seems to be a 14.1" FlexView now.

The TAbook from IBM, which some consider the most accurate source, says that the 14.1 is NOT flexview. It's the same 14.1 from before. Supposedly only the new high res (> 1024x768) 15 inch screens are flexview.

Yeah, only on the 15" has them, SXGA+ or UXGA. That's also listed in the HHM, so there are no 14" flexviews.

Still not sure. Does the 15" screen have Flexview in SXGA? I'm told it's only is in UXGA.

There were/are already R40 ThinkPads with 15" SXGA+ IPS (Flexview) panels. This will, I am sure, continue with the R5x and T4x machines.

HTH

Neil

Following up on my Flexview vs. non-Flexview questions in Daniel's 2373-CYU thread, I'm wondering if this is how dull non-Flexview is:

http://t41p.hardware-metz.com/100_0029.JPG

I think this is a T41p 1400x1050 non-Flexview(IPS) next to a Sony (most likely a non-IPS screen) laptop that the the proud owner previously used.

The full series of pictures can be found at:

http://t41p.hardware-metz.com/

Now, what does an IPS screen look like compared to these two LCDs above? Can someone please post a IPS next to a non-IPS laptop LCD photo?

I don't think many screens hold up well under the flash photography test, TFT or otherwise. I'm quite interested to see the quality of the 14.1" TFT. I've seen a couple Sonys with their "XBrite" display, which I'm guessing is their version of an in-plane switching display, and I was impressed; the other "normal" TFT displays on the rack there at CompUSA didn't stack up well against the Sonys, I'm hoping the IBM displays have better luck in that regard.

i'm not a big fan of taking pictures of LCD screens.. it just doesn't work.
go to bestbuy/compusa or whatever computer store is near you, and look at some laptops. there will probably be some ips laptops. just look at it from low angles to figure it out.

Here's a repost from the last Flexview-vs-non-Flexview discussion:

As far as Flexview vs. non-Flexview, it is amazing to me how different everybody's perception of monitors is. With some people you can stick them in front of a Flexview-quality (i.e. IPS, MVA, PVS, CASV, etc) monitor and they never in a million years will be able to detect the difference between that and a standard one. Likewise, you can put them in front of a $1500 high-quality high-contrast Trinitron or Diamondtron CRT monitor and they will see no difference between that and a same-sized $200 one. Quite frankly I wish I was one of these people.

On the other end of the spectrum are people like me...I personally am *very* picky about monitors. For me the Flexview screen is a no-brainer. I am willing to put up with the extra bulk of the 15" T42 because whenever I look at the screen, it will bring a smile to my face. On the other hand, I *wish* I did not care about the screen because the 14.1" model is precisely the form factor that I want.

I do not know why there is such a huge difference in monitor perception between people. Perhaps some folks have a more advanced visual system that removes the effects of blurriness and lower contrast so that they perceive the same sharp image no matter which monitor they look at (whereas my brain is just too lazy to do this).

The key is to figure out your personal threshold of perception. One thing I have found that really works well is if you have a Fry's near you (or any store that carries Fujitsu laptops...I like Fry's because they always have lots of Fujitsu models to look at), go there an look at any model that has a "Crystal View" (which is MVA) display: these include the N5000, S6000, and C2300 series. Then compare these to the Fujitsu models that do not. IBM's IPS implementation may or may not be quite as nice as Fujitsu's MVA, but it will be in the same ballpark and this will give you an idea as to how big of a difference this will make for you.

If you are not near a Fry's, the second best thing is to go to CompUSA and compare Sony laptops. Most Sony laptops in store displays are also TN technology, but a couple of their latest models have "XBrite" display: A series, TR series, GRT 16" only, K series. The the Sony PCG-Z1VA or Z1WA have a 14.1" TN display that looks to me about the same the T41 14.1" TN display (actually, I think the Sony looks a tad better). So compare the PGC's display to the XBrite displays and that will be about the same difference as between the T42 Flexview and non-Flexview models.

Mofongo

Hey everyone,

I'm going to make my first Thinkpad purchase in the VERY near future and I just wanted to say that this board has been invaluable. Thank you all (and especially Bill) for the great threads. Its definetely been enough that I'll, at the very least, email Bill for a quote.

I've been reading previous posts on the T42 and thought the whole 14.1 v. 15" Flexview mystery was solved. However, I just spoke with an IBM sales rep and he assured me that the 14.1 model (2378FVU) does have a Flexview display... and it still says so on the website as well (even after all the T42s have been reposted). I know the TAbook, which is supposed to be the final word, says otherwise. However, I need to know for sure. I'll be going to law school in the fall, and want the privacy that a non-Flexview affords, even if it means getting a T41 instead!

Does anyone have the final final word? Thanks!

Will

The sales reps have almost universally never even seen a T42, let alone one with a Flexview display. They're reading from scripts on their computer monitors and have little more information available then what you see when you lookup a Thinkpad by model number on the IBM website.

Until the technos at IBM can get the sales types to update their product descriptions, you'll continue to get this differing info.

For the record, the 14.1" SXGA+ display is NOT a flexview, only the 15" SXGA+ and UXGA displays are. That word is direct from engineering, not sales.

Regards,

James

Actually, you forgot the 15" SXGA+, which is also a Flexview... I know, because I'm looking at it right now as I type this message.

Daniel.

Thanks Dan, I've corrected my post and can only blame my oversight on a momentary brain-fa*t!

Regards,

James

>The sales reps have almost universally never even *seen* a T42, let alone one with a Flexview display. They're reading from scripts on their computer monitors and have little more information available then what you see when you lookup a Thinkpad by model number on the IBM website.
>

This is very true. During the time that I was heavily into choosing and directing the standards for my former employer, I went through 4 different sales reps. The first one and the fourth one were very, very good (particularly the fourth one), and I *always* knew more than they did about the products just by reading tabook/tbook, by doing my own digging on the internet, and by working my network of sources. Sometimes, they would ask me to ship my eval unit back a day early and straight to them instead of directly to the loaner pool just so that they could have a day to actually hold one.

My fourth sales rep was very honest about not knowing the detailed answers that I wanted and would willingly pass along my questions to engineering, and the response that usually came back was "How on earth did she find that out???".

Folks,

Here's a direct quote from an email I just received in response to my questions about the discrepancies between IBM.com, TABOOK, and HMM:

"There was a big problem with the way data was flowing to the web for the T42 products. That is where the confusion is coming from. it should be fixed soon, if it is not already. The 14" are not Flexview, only the 15" SXGA+ and UXGA are Flexview.

B.B.
WW ThinkPad Marketing Manager"

Yes, it's true, I've got friends in low places... lol

Daniel