Z61m & Z61t impressions...

[underclocker]

FYI, I picked up two Z61m's recently. I am somewhat impressed. They are very solid machines, they seem to be built well and strong. I also recently picked up a Z61t. I'd say the Z61m's are a lot like the 15.4" R61 and the Z61t is a lot like the T61 14" widescreen, but even lighter and thinner (better, in general).

The Z61m's are within millimeters and ounces of the R61 15.4" models but the design is considerably sleeker. The R61 is like a big black block, the Z61m is somewhat aerodymanmic looking. Both the Z61m's and R61's (15.4") are very heavy, 6.5 lbs. minimum.

I'd say it's a nice desktop replacment (like the A31's of yore, minus the third spindle).

The Z61t is nearly a perfect machine. It's a miniturized Z61m with the same aerodynamic design and similar options. It's hard to believe Lenovo killed it. The cover has the same rubbery finish as the T series machines, it's very sleek and thin, and only weighs 4.6 lbs. with the 4 cell battery. It's a great machine for work, home and travel. There are/were also options for camera and titanium cover. All Z61t & m's have built-in SD card readers. The Z61t use the same Ultrabay Slim drives as the T60's.

Performance is as expected with these Core Duo/Core 2 Duo/Celeron machines. There are a few video alternatives, too.

Overall, the Z61m is great for parking on a desk, and the Z61t, is great for everything else. The Z61t is a perfect widescreen upgrade from a T4x machine.

I'm glad I took them both for test drives (I'll probably keep one of each).

[ZaZ]

Yup, I was Zs I saw were rock solid. I personally like the titanium cover, but it seemed a bit scratch prone. I'd agree the M is a bit heavy for everyday travel, but was so sturdy it could be used as a weapon.

[pianowizard]

The Z61t is nearly a perfect machine....The Z61t is a perfect widescreen upgrade from a T4x machine.

I am so glad that I can finally chime in. I received a Z61t today with the following specs:

Product: ThinkPad Z61t 9443-A41

Original description: Based on 9443-88U: T2400(1.83GHz), 1GB RAM, 60GB 5400rpm HD, 14.1in 1440x900 LCD, Intel 950, DVD, Intel 802.11abg wireless, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, IEEE 1394, 4c Li-Ion batt, WinXP Pro

There are many things that I like about this laptop:

1) It feels pretty sturdy;
2) The 1440x900 resolution provides an acceptable amount of working area;
3) The screen is almost perfectly centered, unlike the R6* and T6* series;
4) he form factor is nice (not too wide and fairly short, shorter than the 14.1" 4:3 T series);
5) The manual WiFi switch;
6) There are 3 USB ports as opposed to only two for the R5* and T4*;
7) The SD card reader;
8 ) Most importantly, it weighs about 0.5 lbs less than a 14.1" 4:3 T series: my unit weighs 4.71 lbs with optical drive, and 4.35 lbs without. That's pretty good for traveling.

I recommended the Z61t on this forum a few times before even though I had never seen one in person, because the specs looked good. Now that I've finally played with one, I'll recommend it even more strongly from now on.

[Harryc]

Now that I've finally played with one, I'll recommend it even more strongly from now on.

QFT...nice machine.

[KristianJ]

Even though the Z series I owned was a Z60m, I wholeheartedly agree that these machines were ones that Lenovo were a bit hasty to discard - they're excellent alternatives to the equivalent T series. On a slight aside, the HP nw8240 that I've very recently acquired is very similar in size, weight (6.3lb fully laden) and functionality as the Z60m, and, surprisingly IMO, has as good a LCD. The extra USB port, manual WiFi button, card reader and Firewire are some of the reasons why I may end up using it just as much as my T42p. Only chief difference is that the HP has a WUXGA LCD, whilst the Z60m's maximum resolution was WSXGA+