Thinkpads Forum

Hi guys,

Ever since my teacher gave me my 600e I became a fanboy of Thinkpads. Now that I'm college, I need something more poweful for my Engineering classes.

I've been really interested on the new T60 but it seems that they don't offer it in 13.3". I saw and touched a 14.1" and it was huged compared to my 13.3" 600e. On the other side, 12.1" was slightly too small. Mind you, if I would have to choose I would prefer the smaller one because I bring my laptop everywhere.

Now my question is, Is there a chance that new generation of thinkpads will be offered in 13.3"? Will they offer Flexview as an option to smaller than 15" screen?

Thank you in advance.

The only answer is: no such plans are known in the present, and considering the plentora of possible directions in design and development, I wouldn't count on it.

The 13" form factor is increasingly rare, and few system builders offer them. I don't believe that Lenovo has any intent to release a third T6x chasis to accomodate a 13" display.

Fujitsu offers a thin/light class notebook with a 13" display:

http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecomme ... series=S62

I used to have a 570E, which featured the same 13.3" XGA display as your 600E (and was feature-wise very similar to the 600E/X). When I had to replace it, I faced the same dilemma as you: I felt the 14.1" T's display where too big and the 12.1" X's display to small. In the end, I went for an X22 and I don't regret it. I adapted very quickly to the slightly smaller display and keyboard. Every time I see a 14" or 15" XGA display, I say to myself: what a waste of space, how ugly these coarse pixels are. IMO, the only reason for having a 14" or a 15" display is to have a higher resolution (SXGA+ or UXGA). I eventually switched from the X22 to the X31, and it's crystal-clear to me my next TP will be an X60s.

I remember when I went from my 10.4" Screen on my 701c to 14.1"; I thought "Huge! Argghhh" More so than going from 13" to 14" or 15"

christopher_wolf wrote:I remember when I went from my 10.4" Screen on my 701c to 14.1"; I thought "Huge! Argghhh" More so than going from 13" to 14" or 15"

My TP history (1996-present) was more Darwinian than your quantum leap: 701C (10.4" VGA) -> 560X (12,1" SVGA) -> 570E (13.3" XGA) -> X22 (12.1" XGA) -> X31 (12.1" XGA). Weight-wise: 2.04 kg (701C) -> 1.88 kg (560E) -> 1.80 kg (570E) -> 1.68 kg (X22) -> 1.64 kg (X31).

I think we can safely say "no" to this, but I suspect that you would find the 14.1" to your liking in very short order, were you to actually invest in a new T Series machine. As with most other things, familiarity tends to redefine one's baselines a bit, and to be honest, anything less than 14" is probably unsuitable for use as one's primary machine. Smaller footprints and better case design make such displays much less of an issue than they once were, certainly.

You have to keep in mind that modern apps, browsers, etc. use ever-increasing amounts of screen real-estate, and your 600e, capable as it is, was really built for a different era. I've gone through much the same migration as the others here, and suspect it is only a matter of time before I find myself moving back to a 15" panel -- albeit in T Series trim. I don't miss the heft of my old 15" A31 by any means, but that screen was something special.

Chief

On the subject of a new generation of thinkpad screens: I don't understand why Lenovo doesn't bump up the brightness of the screens on the T series. The are all 150 nits, except for the 15" Flexview which is 200 nits. The new MacBooks are going to be 300 nits (so like a desktop lcd). And many other laptops seem to be at least in the 200 nit range.

I know the flexview burns more power. But if power consumption is an issue can't the user just turn the brightness of the screen down? When I'm using my laptop, even in cafe's, at the airport, etc., (to say nothing of at home), it is very often plugged in so battery use isn't an issue.

It seems like brighter screens would offer more flexibilty, without ruling out the possibility of turning the brightness down and still getting good battery life.

Am I missing something?

donking! wrote:On the subject of a new generation of thinkpad screens: I don't understand why Lenovo doesn't bump up the brightness of the screens on the T series. The are all 150 nits, except for the 15" Flexview which is 200 nits. The new MacBooks are going to be 300 nits (so like a desktop lcd). And many other laptops seem to be at least in the 200 nit range.

I know the flexview burns more power. But if power consumption is an issue can't the user just turn the brightness of the screen down? When I'm using my laptop, even in cafe's, at the airport, etc., (to say nothing of at home), it is very often plugged in so battery use isn't an issue.

It seems like brighter screens would offer more flexibilty, without ruling out the possibility of turning the brightness down and still getting good battery life.

Am I missing something?

Yes, you are...

300 nits means usually 2 CCFLs, one on the top, the other on the bottom and in between the semi-trapezoid light diffuser.
The Corvette has 8 zylinders, the Beetle only 4. One has more "umph", the other runs and runs for a very long time on given amount of gas.

So, Thinkpads are designed as work horses. I want loooong working hours from the battery.
If I want multimedia etc. then I want power and brightness. That's when I would choose the Z-series. The Ultrabright has 300 nits.
Go figure...

However, noone would prevent you from exchanging the screen or the inverters and CCFLs. Connectors and screens are industry standard. Get a Sony X-Black 4:3 15 inch and put it in our Thinkpad. What's the problem?