Lenovo T60p

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500389 · #1 Post by **500389** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 11:08 am

On 12 Jan Lenovo UK published a PDF datasheet for the T60P.

The url is:

http://www5.pc.ibm.com/europe/me.nsf/Le ... cntry=UK-L

#2 Post by **K. Eng** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 11:57 am

Nice find!

I find it curious that the models with integrated graphics are rated at up to 6 hours of battery life, while the models with discrete graphcis are only rated up to 4.3 hours of battery life.

I'd probably get one with integrated graphics, as I do very little on my ThinkPad that is 3D related.

Rose · #3 Post by **Rose** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 1:45 pm

Its odd. In those datasheets the T60 suddenly has s-video out.

christopher_wolf · #4 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 2:56 pm

Maybe the p models have the S-Video Out port? I would find that very strange though.

jjfcpa · #5 Post by **jjfcpa** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 3:05 pm

Nothing new here except for the processor and gpu.

Why don't they come out with a T60wp which would be a widescreen with similar specs.

ThinkPad R · #6 Post by **ThinkPad R** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 3:05 pm

I just want to comment that ThinkPat T60 & X60 look awfully ugly compared to T43 & X41.

For example, for the smart card button, they got rid of the rectangular blue stick & put in some clear, glass-like buttons...

Also, they don't have the mouse buttons color coded with blue & red.

The CD-RW/DVD button is white as well (not blue).

And the power on button as well as the sounds are silver (everything's silver nowadays--> people automatically think that they're hi-tech. To me, they look like cheap plastic).

And they have the ThinkVantage button... I liked the Access IBM better.

WildEye · #7 Post by **WildEye** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 4:04 pm

IMHO having ThinkVantage button is better than "Access Lenovo"

When thinking about the Access IBM button - if you aren't familiar with thinkpads, kinda makes it sound like a speedbutton for http://www.ibm.com

Come on... Does what color the eject button on a CD-RW/DVD player really matter when making a decision on what laptop to buy? And regarding cheap plastic... the whole keyboard is "cheap plastic" both on past models, and future models. Would having brushed aluminum or something else change that?

ruykava · #8 Post by **ruykava** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 7:32 pm

good point, wildeye. i certainly won't be put off just because the buttons are silver. although there is something very cool about the original - i see no point for them to change from purple.

i guess i could buy some model paint.....

i wonder what's the rationale for swapping the position of the video port and 2 USB ports? still, i'd buy it just for the third USB port.. maybe end of the year =)

Troels · #9 Post by **Troels** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 9:14 pm

I don't think it is ugly, to me it looks rushed.

I.e. flat sides, the weird handle on the right of the laptop screen part. And it's quite idiotic of IBM to design yet another Ultrabay Slim Advance IMO with a flat face drive instead of the curved Ultrabay Slim, yet there does not seem to be any difference. The re-arrangements are questionable, although those who use an external USB mouse will love the "new" USB ports. Still some of the port re-arrangement just seems made so they were 100% sure you couldn't install a T60 motherboard in a T4X thinkpad. (I.e. not better positioned - and a serial port is still missed for programmers using RS-232)
Also, why no 15" SXGA+ P version ? for many, this is the perfect resolution for a 15" display.

#10 Post by **thePCxp** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 12:09 am

ThinkPad R wrote:I just want to comment that ThinkPat T60 & X60 look awfully ugly compared to T43 & X41.

For example, for the smart card button, they got rid of the rectangular blue stick & put in some clear, glass-like buttons...

Also, they don't have the mouse buttons color coded with blue & red.

The CD-RW/DVD button is white as well (not blue).

And the power on button as well as the sounds are silver (everything's silver nowadays--> people automatically think that they're hi-tech. To me, they look like cheap plastic).

And they have the ThinkVantage button... I liked the Access IBM better.

The T60 and X60 are not ugly. And how they look doesn't matter.

mlli4 · #11 Post by **mlli4** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 12:12 am

I agree, T60 is ugly. I don't like the keyboard, they add windows key which is useless. They drop the red/blue strip on mouse button. And the new power on button makes the machine looks cheap. The ideal machine should have firewire, DVI not cheap vga, svideo out, hide the external antenna and keep the old keyboard layout. Besides, the micphone is fine just at the old postion (right above ESC key). The only thing I like about new T60 is they eventually dropped useless LPT port.

mlli4 · #12 Post by **mlli4** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 12:21 am

I forget about thing. There is a new hardware switch for wireless on/off. I still prefer Fn+F5. The hardware switch is not useful at all. Why do those guys designed the machine copy everyting from z60?

SpaRood · #13 Post by **SpaRood** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 1:12 am

Perhaps it is actually an improvement? The engineers have probably conducted usability experiments, and a hardware switch to turn wireless on/off might be more intuitive and usable, as the user does not need to remember the shortcuts. The shortcuts will still work, but they have added more features to increase the usability. I think you are a bit too conservative.

I agree that the Thinkpad is a kind of ugly. But the Thinkpads have always been ugly. No Thinkpad has ever looked nice. But few people are buying the Thinkpads for the looks, but for the usability, reliability and because it's a black box hard to destroy. If I drop a Thinkpad, the chance is very big it will survive, possibly without even a scratch. With the latest cage construction, it is even more sturdy than ever.

snife · #14 Post by **snife** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 1:12 pm

I don't know why you would complain about having the wireless switch either - its not like you can't use Fn&F5 normally - so if you don't like the switch then don't use it but I think it is useful if your on a plane and you want to make sure all your antennas are off before you turn the system on/bring it out of suspend.

WildEye · #15 Post by **WildEye** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 2:10 pm

The hardware wireless switch is very usefull when using the system while traveling. No matter if you use Fn-F5 to turn off the wireless, next time you start the system its back on... Not good for airplanes etc.

stangri · #16 Post by **stangri** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 4:06 pm

snife wrote:I don't know why you would complain about having the wireless switch either.

Doesn't look like there's a lock built-in to prevent it from acidentally switching on/off when you pull it out of the bag or just move it around. not a very big deal for me, but I'd also classify the switch more of the dislike, than like.

mlli4 · #17 Post by **mlli4** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 5:45 pm

WildEye wrote:The hardware wireless switch is very usefull when using the system while traveling. No matter if you use Fn-F5 to turn off the wireless, next time you start the system its back on... Not good for airplanes etc.

Airplane is a good point. I did not think that far. My philosophy is when people design something, the question they should ask is not what should be added but what cannot be dropped. This is why I don't like redundant switch.

Steve007 · #18 Post by **Steve007** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:35 am

mlli4 wrote:I don't like the keyboard, they add windows key which is useless.

Unless you don't use Windows then I agree. Those of us that do use Windows find the key very useful.

Troels · #19 Post by **Troels** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:57 am

Steve007 wrote:
mlli4 wrote:I don't like the keyboard, they add windows key which is useless.
Unless you don't use Windows then I agree. Those of us that do use Windows find the key very useful.

Heh, i'd rather be able to do crtl-alt-del with one hand than two

. Have never used the windows keys even though my desktop has had this since 1999 or so. I have to use the mouse either way.

Steve007 · #20 Post by **Steve007** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 9:17 am

Troels wrote:Heh, i'd rather be able to do crtl-alt-del with one hand than two . Have never used the windows keys even though my desktop has had this since 1999 or so. I have to use the mouse either way.

I find it useful, Windows key + E for example

And there's plenty more:

http://www.seoconsultants.com/windows/key/

500389 · #21 Post by **500389** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 9:33 am

It seems that we might be losing the plot ...

Whilst we can all:

* find fault with the little we know of the T60 series (colour and shape of buttons (etc.))

* and make suggestions as to improving the spec (e.g. I would like a much brighter screen, DVI, eSATA, firewire and a nice little "hole" {in addition to the Ultrabay} to insert swapable 100 GB drives, longer battery life, half the weight, a much wider range of ThinkPad bags, widescreen, better speakers, built in camera, etc.)

....... as of today, it would seem to me that the T60p will be the most-awesome, reasonably-portable laptop, period. Nothing else seems to match the combination of:

* processor, disk, RAM and video card
* keyboard
* ruggedness
* portability
* support (which prospers, globally, under Lenovo)
* three year international warranty (I hope).

Whilst I am a new registered user to this forum, I am a long time ThinkPad user (X and T series), whose loyalty to ThinkPads is more or less rational - at least to me. (However, I must admit I was v. interested in the new duo core Apple laptops).

Clearly, we all await some hands-on reviews and the delivery of some machines rather than brochures ....

Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that there are four times as many posts about the X60 than the T60 series in this forum. I am guessing that the X60 could encourage some T series owners to buy a second machine and some Sony, Apple and other machine users to move to Lenovo - I hope so!

And, so far Lenovo seems to be performing. Support is still good, Z series is better than OK and the software improvements (such as "Software Installer" and "Access Connections" are much improved). The sooner they become disentagled from the IBM image, websites and other vestiges, the better?? (But, their UK site suffers from occassional broken links).

Or is it I that have lost the plot?

Oh, and in closing - Dell's machines are too ugly! And, for those of you in the US, think of the poor Brits who do not have connections in the US, they have to pay even more for ThinkPads.

snife · #22 Post by **snife** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 3:25 pm

couldn't agree more - ever since the Lenovo takeover, people have been using any slight annoyance as a reason to claim the end of ThinkPads. "OMG the button is silver - its not a ThinkPad"

ThinkPads are designed and supported by the exact same teams as they were before the takeover, same thing goes for Lenovo machines in china etc so nothing has changed and I think the Z60, X60 and T60 are carrying on the ThinkPad heritage nicely

davidspalding · #23 Post by **davidspalding** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 3:55 pm

Most notable to me is the rather lame design of those -60 brochures. They used the same NE angle photo 3 times. Why, I can't imagine. And then there's the rather silly writing on the T60P datasheet:

Hold on tight. It’s fast. Built for thrill seekers,....

Since when are Thinkpad T-series owners "thrill seekers?" Maybe Lenovo's Marketing suspects they need to compete with Alienware.

beeblebrox · #24 Post by **beeblebrox** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 5:04 pm

What a funny discussion here about what is a real "ThinkPad" and what is not.
I remember my first few thinkpads being white and having a blue trackpoint. And they really looked like a concrete brick.

Guys, that's evolution when things change and improve. Every time something changes, a whole group cries foul.

And then after some time folks complain, that Thinkpad look plain ugly and old. Aaargh....!

christopher_wolf · #25 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 5:41 pm

Ah, but it is that very difference in opinion that produces the best ideas for the overall "Design" of the Thinkpad. I can bet you that the Engineers got into many a heated debate about everythin from the "Look" to the Ports that should be put in. Generally, there is a touch, sometimes *more* so, of OCD in the R&D, then engineering processes of a new Laptop; especially a Thinkpad.

Trip · #26 Post by **Trip** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 7:30 pm

My only real complaint about the T60 is the distance between the trackpoint buttons and the touchpad. I use the upper set of buttons a lot when I'm using the trackpad, but moving them farther away will make that a little less convenient. Where did they even find the room to do that?

I think it looks good, though. Pretty slick.

Do we know what it's made of?

christopher_wolf · #27 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 7:42 pm

It apparently has a Magnesium "Roll Cage"; which I take it is how they describe a Magnesium alloy backing. I could be wrong though...

I suspect it is made out mostly out of the same materials that the current T4X Series is made out of.

Trip · #28 Post by **Trip** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 11:59 pm

Yeah, they make a big deal of the magnesium frame (which sounds pretty excellent), but I was more interested in the case materials. The same titanium reinforced CFRP bottom and magnesium top as the T4* would make sense; I'm just curious.

davidspalding · #29 Post by **davidspalding** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 9:38 am

With all the "design" and "look" discussion, it might be worth pointing out that ... if you believe the lore ... the distinctive ThinkPad design was inspired by a Japanese Shōkadō bentō, the new Lenovo TPs are probably inspired by ... previous Thinkpads.

rleo25 · #30 Post by **rleo25** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 10:19 am

The good news is that Lenovo is alive and deeply engaged in the Thinkpad's development, not on its burial (which has been my main concern) - see they still use the "IBMThinkpad" oblique logo- .

Let's give them some time to make mistakes and rethink the design and manufacturing issues. I believe they will succeed because they are working on the core strategies the original brand developers had in mind.

Maybe by the end of the year they will be offering the totally new brand updated Thinkpad, and if that's so I am in the line to buy one of those machines. (Besides, what other notebook would you buy now, which surpases the TP quality?... Dell? HP-Compaq? Apple/Windows? Asus? Toshiba? Fujitsu?, name me only one... I bet none...)

Lenovo T60p

Lenovo T60p

It looks great to me ...

I ... M ... H ... O ....

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