Thinkpads Forum

jeffm wrote:You may be right - I don't know the actual stats. I do know that I haven't used an analog modem in at least 5 years (and I don't personally know of anyone else that has either).

I have. Probably 2-3 times in the last 12 months. When you are on the road an can't get a high-speed connection, a modem is better than nothing.

tomh009 wrote:When you are on the road an can't get a high-speed connection, a modem is better than nothing.

Exactly. I have a free Juno dial-up account for this purpose.

jeffm wrote:You may be right - I don't know the actual stats. I do know that I haven't used an analog modem in at least 5 years (and I don't personally know of anyone else that has either).

I rarely use one for internet access. But I DO send the occasional fax. Additionally, I worked for a company that manages hundreds (if not more) firewalls remotely. When there are network and/or hardware issues, or if a system needs to be remotely reinstalled, the customer is instructed to plug in the modem and provide the phone number. Not having a built-in modem when on call would be very inconvenient.

Keep the modem. It's a big world out there and there are still *lots* of places where a modem is the only connection option. Not to mention the occasional fax.
An economical, multi-frequency, not network-specific WLAN option that could be used anywhere in the world would be nice. You should be able to install it or upgrade it without disassembling the computer though.
As for screens, I don't care particularly about IPS. I like my old fashioned matte screen. But I would like a screen that has constant color tracking, brightness and contrast regardless of the *vertical* angle.
DVI port replacing S-Viceo? That's a no brainer since there is no S-Video port only. But DVI or, even worse, some flavor of DRM enabled port to replace the VGA port? No way. VGA is the only way I can connect to most projectors as I travel. I guess that the current T60 design, with no ports at all on the back (except power), would have to be revised if any port needs to be added.

claudeo wrote:DVI port replacing S-Viceo? That's a no brainer since there is no S-Video port only. But DVI or, even worse, some flavor of DRM enabled port to replace the VGA port? No way. VGA is the only way I can connect to most projectors as I travel.

Would you be happy with a DVI port and a DVI to VGA dongle, like Apple uses on MacBooks?

I think today that's a less than optimal solution as the majority of the projectors are still VGA (they don't get replaced as quickly as laptops). For travel that means carrying the dongle in your bag, which isn't great, but, worse, for internal meetings where you don't carry your bag, you would need to take the dongle with you each time you expect to use the projector. And not lose the dongle!

Looking ahead a year or two, though, this will at some point become the most reasonable solution.

Is this a problem to carry?

http://www.endpcnoise.com/e/images/dvi-vga.jpg

Not the size -- but will you remember to take it every time you leave your desk for a conference room? Or would you always keep it in your pocket?

Personally, if I were doing Lenovo product planning, I would ensure effective DVI support with ThinkPad docks and Ultrabases in the short term, and include both wherever possible, but not eliminate the VGA connector until 2008 or 2009.

tomh009 wrote:Not the size -- but will you remember to take it every time you leave your desk for a conference room? Or would you always keep it in your pocket?

That's also why I prefer laptops with built-in ethernet and VGA ports. Some ultraportables rely on dongles for these ports and it's easy to misplace them.

Don't have my T60 Widescreen to go by yet...but...

1. 14" Widescreen
2. 15.4" WUXGA option. I don't need gloss, but I want good solid color. LED backlighting wouldn't be such a bad thing, I know Asus' U1 will have it.
3. Another request for DVI. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing HDMI; after all, we're going to need a dongle for VGA anyway, why not just get something more or less universal. Plus, the room it takes on the side is smaller than a VGA, which would make room for #4.
4. Firewire, for the love of god, Firewire. They could give up the IR for all I care. I use external drives all the time, and daisy chaining a pair of external 750gb & dual layer burner off a single firewire sure beats using every USB port. (That's an exaggeration, I only have a 200gb external, but the fact is, I -can- daisy-chain more if I need to)
5. 5 in 1 card slot. (I can live without Compact Flash since most new cameras are moving to SD)
6. No webcam.
7. Fiber optic keyboard instead of Thinklight (half the time, the illumination it gives isn't that much better than the screen's illumination). I'm a touch typist, but backlit keys in the dark, such as were on my Logitech G15, are nice.
8. Better speakers. At least, on the widescreen, use that extra space on the sides for some good speakers, where the hands aren't at.
9. Use of titanium similar to the X series, or magnesium like the smaller T series instead of CFRP.
10. I'd like to see all of these in a sub 6lb w/ 9 cell setup, that's as thin as the 14" T43 I have now. I'd be fine with more weight and height if the screen was worth it (like the 15" T42P I had was), but one of the reasons I like using T series and X series over Inspirons is how thin they are. I'd like this to remain the standard: entire height of a closed Thinkpad being lower than just the palmrest on a 17" Inspiron.
11. This isn't that big of a deal, as I like the palmrests on the T series...but the Acer Ferrari 4005 I had during the summer of 05 had a rubberized palmrest that felt really good. It was more prone to showing the oil from the hands though.
12. A return to the IBM color scheme of the T43. Red & blue accents on the Trackpoint, grey lettering for the function keys
13. A larger touchpad. I don't use it (in fact, I disable it), but it seems there is a lot of wasted space between the trackpoint's buttons and the touchpad. A return to the T43's spacing would be nice; and a wider touchpad wouldn't hurt either.

1. DVI port or whatever new digital standard
2. Better 14in SXGA+ screen


Everything else is good for my needs.

7. Fiber optic keyboard instead of Thinklight...

I definitely have to agree with that one.

15.4" WUXGA option and DVI output.

jeffm wrote:You may be right - I don't know the actual stats. I do know that I haven't used an analog modem in at least 5 years (and I don't personally know of anyone else that has either).

I still use mine. It's still the handiest way to send a fax. When we have a power failure, the backup batteries in the cable network only last a couple hours and then we lose broadband, so we're back to dialup. I do have an old PCMCIA modem card I could use, but since the built-in modem isn't using all that much space, it seems worthwhile to keep it.

megalosaurus wrote:

jeffm wrote:You may be right - I don't know the actual stats. I do know that I haven't used an analog modem in at least 5 years (and I don't personally know of anyone else that has either).

I still use mine. It's still the handiest way to send a fax. When we have a power failure, the backup batteries in the cable network only last a couple hours and then we lose broadband, so we're back to dialup. I do have an old PCMCIA modem card I could use, but since the built-in modem isn't using all that much space, it seems worthwhile to keep it.

Same here. Once or twice a month I travel out of town to my elderly mothers apartment in a senior citizen complex and spend a couple days or more helping with various tasks. There is no broadband connection so I have to use the built-in modem and dial-up. I regularly order her prescriptions, do banking, and sometimes send and receive faxes to her doctors or other medical providers. If they removed the modem I would at least have to have modem access through a dongle ala Apple.

I miss the great laptop speakers of the old TP 600X.

Either do away with the speaker and reduce size/weight on the T60 lines or add true multimedia capabilities such as the Mac PowerBooks and include high S/N & directional stereo microphone(s), a tilt-adjustable webcam above the LCD screen, and better speakers.

This would go a long ways towards a desktop replacement.

Add Digital Audio Out by having the line out / headphone socket with an Optical connector as well same as other laptops like LG.

Dual Link DVI or HDMI is a must now

WiMAX would be good.

I can't help but think that most you would be better served by a consumer targeted computer and not a T series machine.

Temetka wrote:I can't help but think that most you would be better served by a consumer targeted computer and not a T series machine.

No true. I think it's a given that most of us like the robustness of the integration and form-factor we find in the T-series and, yes, we want more.

Back to the T4x Volume controls knobs. The T60 ones looks sooo cheap....Also the ThinkVantage and the Power on-off knob.
Even on the Lenovo Homepage they are talking about how design is important and than they came up with these knobs...
And please the volume knobs not so close to each another so that you always have to look. The T4x was perfect...

Nilonym wrote: 1. 14" SXGA+ IPS screen [not likely]
2. ATI Mobility Radeon X1800 or X1900 [not likely]
3. Replace S-Video port with DVI port
4. Model with HSDPA (supported by chipset, but up to vendor to integrate)
5. Reduced fan noise (back to T40-T42 levels)
6. Option for 200GB, 7200RPM HD [maybe 120]

Okay, I'd trade every point above for:

7. A full x16 PCI Express slot in the Advanced Dock

I'm not sure if IBM has 14" screen with Flexview? I want to buy new T60p with exelent screen but 15" are not that tempting for me now.

I would like to see
*web cam
*latest video cards: XT1900 or latest GT cards

Yes, at least middle class gfx cards. or at least some models with decent cards. i mean it is 2007, even in business good gfx cards are more often used...

1) WSXGA+ or WUXGA screen
2) High end graphics on the T61P..please! The x1700 based v5250 is getting long in the tooth. The new Nvidia 8800 Go would be excellent.
3) If no A or B, then a good desktop replacement laptop, A la R series, but with T series level graphics and speed
4) reasonable prices on 2GB SO DIMMS. 4GB is going to be fairly standard for Vista soon enough.
5) DVI port
6) HD-DVD drive...
7) Firewire..although not such a big deal, since firewire=usb2 bandwidth.

sjhwilkes wrote:I can't buy another Thinkpad until the 15" 1600X1200 display returns.

Apart from that, replacing the SVGA port with a DVI is overdue, and fixing the PCI hole so 4GB really is 4GB would be nice.

Longing for the 7k200 too, but I can get one of those for this T60p anyhow.

Agree with all of that. Especially the 1600x1200 15''. Not a fan of widescreens, up the brightness on the 14.1'' 1400x1050 and I'd be very happy too.

It is my opinion that WS is the way to go for laptop LCD's. That is purely subjective though. I do love the 1400x1050 LCD in my T41P and agree that in the T61 it should be brighter.

I would really love to see one of those hybrid hard drives in excess of 120GB in the T61 though.

Have to agree on the hybrid hard drives, if the performance figures are good. I don't have a problem with widescreen per se but it seems as if they want to move the whole T series to it, I think the 14.1'' 1400x1050 and the 15'' 1600x1200 are just so perfect that they can't abandon them.

Proteus wrote:1) WSXGA+ or WUXGA screen
2) High end graphics on the T61P..please! The x1700 based v5250 is getting long in the tooth. The new Nvidia 8800 Go would be excellent.
3) If no A or B, then a good desktop replacement laptop, A la R series, but with T series level graphics and speed
4) reasonable prices on 2GB SO DIMMS. 4GB is going to be fairly standard for Vista soon enough.
5) DVI port
6) HD-DVD drive...
7) Firewire..although not such a big deal, since firewire=usb2 bandwidth.

The "new" T60P thinkpad seems to have the WSXGA+ screen.
Model Thinkpad T60 Wide 8743CTO

Any idea on it's full config?

Proteus wrote:4) reasonable prices on 2GB SO DIMMS. 4GB is going to be fairly standard for Vista soon enough.

This really has nothing to do with the T61, ThinkPads in general or even Lenovo -- it's all to do with memory prices on the market. Once memory costs drop, you will see price decreases for ThinkPads, too.

One more item for the wish list: a travel bezel for the battery. I rarely run my laptops off the battery even when I'm on the road, but I always carry the AC adapter. So, it would be great if I can leave the battery at home and fill the battery compartment with something. With both the battery and the optical drive removed, a 14.1" T series becomes pretty light.