*NEW* T60 widescreen review (from NBR with great pics) !!

[creed_mty]

[quote= Should we rush to buy "last" good old T60 ?[/quote]

You don't have tu rush because the widescreen will be as an option and this means that lenovo will be be the only company who offers 4:3 ratio and widescreen form factor. Also I feel good about this because I want to buy the 4:3 ratio form thinkpad and this makes me to say "welcome the widescreen thinkpad" hahaha!

[pianowizard]

I personally think that by definition the word "laptop"/"notebook" should be associated with "small", "light", etc. What I like about IBM ThinkPad T-series is that they provide high performance, solid materials in the smallest case, equipped with only the most needed extras, that is - reliable and compact high performance. And that's why I hate Acers, Toshibas, Sonys and others - huge bulky/childish boxes.

How many Toshiba and Sony laptops have you seen? They have made many laptops that are much smaller than the X60s.

[allen]

i like my post in the countdown and rumors thread, but apparently nobody seems to think of it the way i do:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 4&start=30
2nd page.

it's great they have pictures, but i dont know if i'd call them great pictures. anyone care to compare in pictures all 3 T60 sizes next to each other?

[JonathanGennick]

Me too. I want to buy a really good ultraportable laptop in about half a year and am debating which of the following to get:

Fujitsu Q2010
Dell Latitude X1
HP nc2400
X60s

I've been looking at the nc2400 too. It's particularly tempting because it combines widescreen with a nipple for pointing. (There's just no weaning me from the nipple! ). There are some things I don't like about it too, but it's definitely in the running for my next machine.

[pianowizard]

I've been looking at the nc2400 too. It's particularly tempting because it combines widescreen with a nipple for pointing.

And an internal optical drive! Unfortunately, it doesn't have a built-in microphone, which is very important to me.

Anyway, I am convinced that widescreen is the way to go for 12" laptops. 1280x800 is 30% more pixels than 1024x768, and 12" laptops are the ones that we fly with most often, so the shorter display height is helpful if you want to use the laptop on a tray table. However, for 15" (more accurately, 15.4") laptops, widescreens make the machine way too wide.

[allen]

has anyone seen the exact meausurements of this thing anywhere?

[superhob]

has anyone seen the exact meausurements of this thing anywhere?

Here you go:

Height 1.13 in
Depth 10.0 in
Width 14.1 in
Travel weight 5.20 lbs

Found it here

[pianowizard]

Height 1.13 in
Depth 10.0 in
Width 14.1 in
Travel weight 5.20 lbs

5.20 lbs only???? That's about the same weight as a 14.1" T60 without an optical drive! I find it hard to believe.

[Scratch]

I think that this is just a stopgap design for Lenovo. They were caught with their pants down by the Hydis disaster and had to get a larger screen machine back in the lineup ASAP. You can see that they essentially stretched and adapted their old design to accommodate the new screen shape. Very little thought given on how to optimize for features.

The design does nothing to take advantage of the additional space created by the wider screen and the screen performance appears to be "me too/also ran" at best.

This is not the final answer from the company that gave us the 15" IPS T60p machine. The X1400 card used here won't satisfy the portable workstation market for long, if at all.

I look to see the T61p or T62p arrive with a 15.4 WUXGA IPS screen and the next generation of Video card, possibly something other than the traditional Fire** cards, as well.

They need to move the speakers & improve their quality. They need to add FW 800/400 in some of the additional space. I personally wouldn't mind the FW socket taking the place of the analog modem and provide that as a USB accessory ala Apple. I'd also hope, that with the added width, the Express Card slot could absorb the full length of the card so it could be left in to travel.

In the meantime I'll happily stick with my T60p (2623 DDU) until they make something else more appealing.

[maximus_]

I hope they will release very soon the WUXGA or the latest technology with the same specs. I heard that the technology W or UXGA is kind old as described at wikipedia on screen technology history

? WUXGA describes the resolution 1920x1200 not the technology used in the LCD.

[RUSH2112]

This kind of reminds me of the HP ZT3000 (WUXGA on the one I had). Great laptop IF you dont carry it around with you everywhere.

[christopher_wolf]

They need to move the speakers & improve their quality. They need to add FW 800/400 in some of the additional space. I personally wouldn't mind the FW socket taking the place of the analog modem and provide that as a USB accessory ala Apple. I'd also hope, that with the added width, the Express Card slot could absorb the full length of the card so it could be left in to travel.

God no, not the modem dongles. Taking the modem out of a perfectly working T Series Thinkpad and making a USB dongle out of it is pretty useless, unless it is for a good reason (like it is an ultra-mobile system that doesn't have the space for it, smaller than an X60/s, not the T Series).

It doesn't look like this is a stopgap solution at all, as the Z Series was the first Widescreen offering and there really was no reason to make the T60 widescreen unless they got specific requests for it. It isn't just stretching the chassis and making the screen wider, it takes a bit more than that.

[pianowizard]

I think that this is just a stopgap design for Lenovo. They were caught with their pants down by the Hydis disaster and had to get a larger screen machine back in the lineup ASAP. You can see that they essentially stretched and adapted their old design to accommodate the new screen shape. Very little thought given on how to optimize for features.

If this new T60 is really only 5.2 lbs, then that's by far the lightest 15.4" laptop ever made and is a major breakthrough IMO. I think the lightest 15.4" laptop currently available is the Macbook Pro, which is 5.6 lbs.

[superhob]

5.20 lbs only???? That's about the same weight as a 14.1" T60 without an optical drive! I find it hard to believe.

The 14.1" T60 without the optical is only 4.6 pounds. The optical weighs about .5 pounds.

Here's what I've come up with on the weights (Approximately):

T60 14.1" (No Optical Drive) = 4.6 pounds
T60 14.1" (w/ Optical Drive) = 5.1 pounds

T60 Widescreen 15.4" (No Optical Drive) = 5.2 pounds
T60 Widescreen 15.4" (w/ Optical Drive) = 5.7 pounds

According to Apple, the Macbook pro is 5.6 pounds with the optical drive installed. However, the Macbook Pro optical drive cannot be uninstalled like the ultrabay on the T60. So, The ThinkPad is theoretically the lightest 15.4" Widescreen laptop as long as the optical is not installed.

[creed_mty]

I hope they will release very soon the WUXGA or the latest technology with the same specs. I heard that the technology W or UXGA is kind old as described at wikipedia on screen technology history

? WUXGA describes the resolution 1920x1200 not the technology used in the LCD.

i know that, i only meant to match quality including resolution of course, but with other technology because IPS is getting kind old now and also there is no uxga on 4:3 ratio only will be available the sxga and the soonest wsxga but not wusxga yet for the T series I think. if i made a mistake I apologize then!

[Puppy]

because IPS is getting kind old now

Kind old ? There is no other notebook vendor having anything better than old ugly TN panels.

[creed_mty]

because IPS is getting kind old now

Kind old ? There is no other notebook vendor having anything better than old ugly TN panels.

you right then ! maybe this type of screen has long time of existence.

[allen]

has anyone seen the exact meausurements of this thing anywhere?

Here you go:

Height 1.13 in
Depth 10.0 in
Width 14.1 in
Travel weight 5.20 lbs

Found it here

hey,
how did you navigate yourself to that?
so it looks smaller volumewise than the 15" T60p, lighter than the 15" T60, but so much more expensive! and no flexview kills it.

[nxman]

I would say welcome to the new T60 W i hope it maintains the
same quality.

[maximus_]

Kind old ? There is no other notebook vendor having anything better than old ugly TN panels.

you right then ! maybe this type of screen has long time of existence.

The technology is old but it walks all over any laptop I've seen. The cleint I'm with today is using Dell 610/810s and my 4 year old A31P with IPS is 100 times better in brightness, color, and color balance.

I just found a new 2623 DDU for 2700 bucks so I think I'm going to pick it up and replace the proc with the T7600 until Lenovo gets another high end UXGA or WUXGA screen. I really can't go to a non IPS...

[pianowizard]

The cleint I'm with today is using Dell 610/810s and my 4 year old A31P with IPS is 100 times better in brightness, color, and color balance.

Is brightness one of the advantages of IPS? I owned an A31p with IPS and while the display was superb, I didn't find it particularly bright. The difference between your A31p and your client's Dell is probably due to the Dell having an unusually dim display.

[deodeo]

When you take the Optical drive out, do you just leave the bay open, or there is something that can fit in the opening?

5.20 lbs only???? That's about the same weight as a 14.1" T60 without an optical drive! I find it hard to believe.

The 14.1" T60 without the optical is only 4.6 pounds. The optical weighs about .5 pounds.

Here's what I've come up with on the weights (Approximately):

T60 14.1" (No Optical Drive) = 4.6 pounds
T60 14.1" (w/ Optical Drive) = 5.1 pounds

T60 Widescreen 15.4" (No Optical Drive) = 5.2 pounds
T60 Widescreen 15.4" (w/ Optical Drive) = 5.7 pounds

According to Apple, the Macbook pro is 5.6 pounds with the optical drive installed. However, the Macbook Pro optical drive cannot be uninstalled like the ultrabay on the T60. So, The ThinkPad is theoretically the lightest 15.4" Widescreen laptop as long as the optical is not installed.

[pianowizard]

When you take the Optical drive out, do you just leave the bay open, or there is something that can fit in the opening?

You replace the drive with a travel bezel

[npish]

just to share this info, a Lenovo rep with whom I spoke yesterday assured me that a widescreen IPS/Flexview option would ultimately be available...he estimated a couple/few weeks into Dec;

of course, this contradicts what some have said about there being no manufacturer of widescreen IPS panels.....whatever the case, I'm hoping this rep knows what he's talking about....

[deodeo]

which one should I order? I thought it will come with the laptop.

When you take the Optical drive out, do you just leave the bay open, or there is something that can fit in the opening?

You replace the drive with a travel bezel

[allen]

man, how do you get them to give up this information? i mean i only asked one guy, but still, they know if they share with you that info they're less likely to make a sale... just like when i read that here i'm like... man... for real? should i wait even more?

[npish]

man, how do you get them to give up this information? i mean i only asked one guy, but still, they know if they share with you that info they're less likely to make a sale... just like when i read that here i'm like... man... for real? should i wait even more?

allen, assuming you're replying to my post, I actually spoke with two different people yesterday; the first guy seemed like he might as well have walked into the Lenovo office and picked up the phone by mistake, didn't have a clue...then a called again a little later in the afternoon, and talked to a guy who did seem somewhat knowledgeable, actually said something to the effect that they would have to offer that option to meet consumer demand, and seemed certain that it would be available, just didn't know exactly when;

I've been in this laptop game for nearly six months now, and my patience is wearing thin; my plan of action is to give Lenovo until X-Mas to offer a widescreen IPS; if it doesn't become available within that timeframe, I'm buying the original 15" IPS/Flexview so I can be done with it (but of course I would prefer 15.4, hence my desire to wait...)

[allen]

oh yeah thanks npish, i was, when i started typing it, there wasnt a post after yours.

wow 6 months, i thought i was bad with 2-3. i actually called lenovo today to order the 15" T60p w/ flexview... but havent finalized yet, apparently if it came out in 2 weeks, i could still exchange for the widescreen after buying tomorrow... but man the widescreens so far are looking too expensive to be worht it anyhow, personally.

[kjjb0204]

Is IPS the same as Flexview? If it is, there are already T60P widescreens ready to order with WSXGA+ (1680x1050) with Flexview.

[allen]

yes IPS = flexview. where are you seeing widescreen flexviews?