OLED Thinkpad a possibility

http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/24/lenovo-is-possibly-maybe-thinking-about-an-oled-thinkpad-t500/

"Laptops of all sorts are getting thinner, even the decidedly stoic and business-minded ThinkPad series. Hot on the heels of impressing us with its T400 refresh Lenovo is letting slip that it's having thoughts of putting its T500 series on a diet as well, with marketing manager David Critchley indicating that the company wouldn't be opposed to making a super-thin OLED version of the laptop -- "if demand is there." That's not really saying much since just about any company would do the same if they thought they could sell enough of the things. Well, maybe not Toshiba. That might be a little too exciting to fit in with the rest of its lineup."

 

OLED is amazing. My dad works at Intel and he tests production products to make sure they work with virtualization architecture. I tested out a Sony OLED screen and it was beautiful. Thin as a manila envelope.

 

some guy in the engadget comments says he works with OLED and that it reduces battery life as opposed to increasing it.

 

A T500s? I'm not really sure if there's a market for a light weight behemoth.

 

Yeah, the only thing I could see them reducing is the screen rollcage to make it thinner (like T400s screen). The rest probably shouldn't change because discrete graphics should always be an option on 15" screens.

 

I'm glad I'll be completing my undergrad right when OLED ought to seriously hit the market (~1.5-2 years). Hopefully SSDs will also be ubiquitous and cheap as well.
Right now I couldn't afford either on a starving-student's budget

 

If it doesn't have contrast and angles, it's just more marketing buzz.

 

It will be too expensive. but OLED is awesome !!!
ZaZ
OLED has very good contrast, but no angles because it is like looking on a paper, the color doesn't change or fade out with angle

 

My screen now I can push all the way back and it looks the same. If OLEDs can do that, I'll be impressed.

 

why do you need angles on a laptop ZaZ?

edit: oh you mean back and forth. i thought you were referring to side angles kinda like videophiles do with tvs.

then again, people usually use a laptop at 100 to 140 degrees. dont see why you'd want to push it back all the way.

 

I have a MP3 player with OLED screen. Black level is amazing. When used in a room with no light, the screen displaying an all-black wallpaper blends in almost perfectly with the background. Also, the viewing angle is nearly 180 degree from all direction. Colors are super vibrant too. I watch movies on the player more than on my laptop. It's the only screen that I feel is better than the Flexview screen I have.
If they do bring OLED screen to Thinkpad, that would be great.

 

Is it cowon S9?

I might skip this T500 if it comes out since the panel is only 16:9 and 1366x768. but hey this resolution is better than the 1280X800 LED offered in T500

http://www.oled-info.com/more-info-and-photos-lgs-15-oled-will-begin-production-june-2009

why cant lenovo come up with LED WSXGA+ and WUXGA screens? that would be awesome for multitasking, browsing and programming uses. with high res LED backlit screens and Mobility Radeon 4770, it is pure thinkpad bliss

 

Yes it is! Nice to see somebody who know about Cowon. Excellent sound quality, too, I might add.

 

So what am I with "only" an X61?

Well at least you own an X200 s which costs a pretty penny over an X200.
I can relieve you of your burden in exchange with my X61 and you can really be the starving student.

ok... just kidding. Yours is a sweet machine.

 

Does even more expensive OLED screens makes sense when Lenovo is still unwilling to offer IPS/Flexview screens as an option across its ThinkPad line despite user demand and willingness to pay?

 

I don't wish to push it all the way back, but the angles are so narrow on most notebooks now, a slight adjustment causes part of the screen to darken. It's not as bad for Office and Internet, where lighter colors generally are the norm. On my 14" R60, which had the supposedly best 14" SXGA+ BOE-Hydis LCD, I could never see the top and the bottom of the screen at the optimal angle. It's why I upgraded to the 15" IPS, which has no such issues.

 

I love cowon thanks to the Amazing sound clarity and massive battery life. Loved the display on the S9 the moment I saw it, one of the best I have ever seen. It is a pity there is no SDHC expansion on the s9. i am on a D2 now, will skip this gen and go to next O3 or S10 with SDHC,OLED and 100 hours battery .

What IEMs or Headphones are you using with Your s9?


On a different note, BOE-Hydis no longer offers a 14 or 15 inch Flexview screens. Maybe thats the reason, Lenovo does not offer one.

Maybe lenovo should offer the w700 type screens on the t500 and w500.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-9320-9876

The review says the W700 screen is better than t60 IPS screen in some aspects

 

I think the problem is not Lenovo's willingness, but rather the fact that right now nobody manufactures IPS panels for laptops. IPS for notebooks is dead and is probably never coming back. OLED, on the other hand in theory should be cheap to manufacture once things get sorted out and is really the future of screens on mobile devices. I really hope Lenovo picks up this tech and makes something out of it that will put them above their competition.

 

If you're willing to pay enough you usually can grease the wheels. My understanding of the situation and it's admittedly sketchy, is the notebook manufacturers are playing second fiddle to the TV makers the LCD manufacturers make more selling panels to TV makers than notebook manufacturers. You'll also notice in the meantime the prices of notebooks is way down. When the T60 was released the price points were in the $1,500-2,000 range for a SXGA+ T60, even more for the UXGA. What's a typical T series notebook now, maybe $800-1,200.

 

Insightful observation as always, ZaZ. I know you don't need the rep points, but I'm sending you one anyway.

Folks in the TV monitor world are enjoying all the visually stunning tech like IPS/PVA while notebook users in general are stuck with crappy TN panels just because manufacturers want to save costs to offer a cheaper product.

Why don't Lenovo offer hi-quality panels as an option for buyers who're willing to pay across its entire ThinkPad line? I know you would as the CCFL won't hold out forever. Also, it's nice to have a good panel to match the shiny new tech that gets released regularly.

Lenovo's strategy to lower entry cost to its ThinkPad range by reducing its 3 year warranty as standard to 1 year mail-in/depot is not in keeping with its premium image/product quality. A marginal price-sensitive buyer won't appreciate the quality (since he's likely to be happy with crappy of the other brands/lower lines) and enthusiasts lose out because total overall budget for support is now reduced.

Maybe I'm still nostalgic about the good old days of excellent IBM support. Corporate/enterprise-level support, would of course be different, dare I say more reliable?

 

they can try the OLEDs on like a netbook or something. I will so buy a thinkpad netbook if it is of quality. I'd love for thinkpad to make a better one than the HPs which are one of the only worthy competitors right now.

But OLEDs have reliability issues. THey dont last as long. THey are also expensive.

 

It is my understanding that OLED overall life expectancy is way lower than LED counterparts so I doubt they would make a machine with these panels, not to mention the price you pay for them.

 

I'm using the Sony MDR-EX300 IEMs with mine. Sound quality is superb!
I used to have a D2 before I upgraded. Got my 16GB S9, and figured that this is enough storage for me. I would love it if it has a SDHC expansion slot, though, as you said.
Good choice on waiting for the O3. The O2 was not quite up to par, I've heard, despite it having the OLED screen like on the S9.
And yes, it is quite unfortunate that BOE-Hydis no longer offer Flexview display for 14" and 15" laptop. The current display sizes that they have are 13.3" (yes, the size of X300 screen, anybody want to try swapping the panel?) 12.1" (CCFL version confirmed to work with X200, LED version works with X200 tablet) 10.4" (installing into netbook anyone?) 8.9" (again, netbook anyone?) and 4.3" (probably can be used in a UMPC)

 

Prices and reliability will (hopefully!) be improved. However, the benefits of OLED are already there, like superb color reproduction and wide viewing angel. If they can perfect the technology, there will probably be no need for Flexview panel anymore.
And consumers get what they wanted, decent display in laptops.

 

If only Cowon puts the 4.3" Boe-Hydis panel on the Cowon O3 . I think the Flexview screen should be made compulsory with premium flagship products like x300 or x301, they should also offer a non touch screen version of the x200s

 

OLED has not been extensively tested yet and has many disadvantages at this point in time: expensive, low life expectancy, wears out too quickly etc. I would wait until they are "true and tested." When they do hit main-stream production, they will offer far better quality. I have to admit, the stunning color production and exceptional viewing angles is a good thing.

For now, high-end LED displays seem like the best choice. Lenovo should include an RGB LED Display option on the T500/W500 similar to the one on the W700, which based on reviews had excellent quality and in some cases surpassed the IPS screen on the older Thinkpad models.

It would be great if we could set-up a petition and have people sign-it, send it to Lenovo, and convince them that there are many people who are willing to pay the price for a GOOD display.

I am truly disgusted by all of the glossy TN displays on notebooks these days.

Thinkpads are good notebooks and should come with good displays.