Thinkpads Forum

hi, I am thinking of purchasing a Thinkpad T60 with dual core CPU. One of the functions that I want the laptop to provide is the ability to watch DVD movies. I am very worried about thinkpad screen brightness and viewing angles. It seems that thinkpad screen seriously lags behind other laptop screens in terms of screen brightness.
The 15" TFT models claim that they have FlexView, but I have read that those have a significantly shorter battery life. Also, 15" models are expensive. I want to be able to use thinkpad to watch movies on the bus with friends (assuming the laptop screen is about 13 in front of you), and I wonder whether viewing the screen from the angle has been an issue to anyone with a non flexview screen. And I'd like to stick around with 14" T60 rather than more bulky, heavier T60 with a short battery life.

You can only evaluate quality in comparison. You have mentioned the basic drawbacks of Flexview - they only come in 15" models, which might be only slightly bulkier and heavier, but do have noticeably diminished battery life. The biggest drawback is of course the price. On the positive side, it is brighter and it does provide complete viewing angles.

In the past I have been watching movies on my older Evo laptop, whose screen is probably not even up to the level of IBM's non-Flexview screens. It's possible. Horizontal viewing angles on the screens are fine, it's the verticals that suck.

In comparison to my Flexview T42, I like working on my Evo much less, in part because of the screen. I find myself having to adjust the lid frequently, and my eyes get tired faster, because the screen is dimmer and contrast isn't as good too.

It's a hard choice if you are concerned with battery life and portability, especially if you throw price into the mix.