Owner opinions about mobility of 15.0" Flexview Thinkpad

I love the IPS flexview screen, and I'm thinking of grabbing a 15" IPS thinkpad T60 now that they're available again.

But I'm wondering if owners regret the size, weight or extra thickness for carrying around?

I've used the 15" flexview at work and I liked it, but I didn't like the thickness, so I chose an X60 instead last year for myself.

(i've never had a thinkpad bigger than 14.1", and i thought I'd love the X60, and I do love carrying it but the screen is too small for me except for comparitively short usage)

Thanks for your opinion

 

Screen size is such a personal preference. Toting around my T42 never really bothered me much, though I don't travel with my notebook frequently. I just prefer a smaller notebook. I suspect if you are carry your notebook all the time is when the extra weight is an issue.

My R60 is fine by me. Although small, if you stay within the comfort zone, it looks pretty good.

 

I don't mind carrying around my month-old T60 with flexview at all. (And I travel a fair amount) But I think expectations and experience determine whether a notebook is viewed as too heavy, too big etc... In my case, this is the first laptop I've owned, but I've been borrowing Dell Inspirons and Latitudes from work for years. Compared to a T60, the Dells are bricks, both in terms of weight and thickness. SO in comparison my T60 seems effortless to carry about.

 

I have an Asus V6J, which is almost exactly the same weight and dimensions. I walk through NYC with it on an almost daily basis. Basically, what I find is that if all I have in my bag is the computer itself and its power cord, then it is really quite portable and reasonable to carry. But it is just big enough that you kind of wish in the back of your mind that it was a bit lighter or smaller. Basically, in my opinion, it is right on the upper bounds of what I would want to carry without it being a pita as a pedestrian. So, I guess what I'm saying is that I don't think you would mind it... except when you're specifically thinking about it, or when you see someone else's smaller computer, etc. Basically what turnerpr said I suppose....

 

In addition to the laptop, I typically carry hundreds of papers and documents.

I walk only from the parking lot to the office, but I can carry all my papers and the X60 together in one case. Don't think i could do so with the 15" T-series (because the T is almost twice as heavy/big)

I don't know... is the superior screen on the 15" T worth the burden?

 

It really depends again on your expectations and needs. I've used for years a PVA desktop monitor (mid-between an IPS and a typical TN lcd in terms of color reproduction and viewing angles.) When I went searching for my first laptop, I realized the PVA had given me expectations that your standard TN lcd falls woefully short of. So when I read about the IPS available on the T60, it and the great keyboard clinched the sale for me. But I also make full use of its capabilities for photo editing, Adobe illustrator etc... Using these apps, you quickly become addicted to the IPS. But if your main use for the laptop is web-based or text-oriented business apps, having an IPS screen would provide a particularly nice -- but by no means essential -- viewing experience.

 

I think for that I personally wouldn't mind the extra weight. Perhaps a new larger bag would help.

 

Good point. Pics look so much better on the IPS, but I think even text looked perceptibly clearer when the text was image (eg., PDF's in adobe)

 

Too big & heavy altogether, so i need two bags... or a valet lol

Why'd you give up the flexview? I'm kinda afraid if i got used to it I might not be happy without it again.

 

Don't get me wrong I liked the FlexView a lot, but I personally just like a smaller notebook. I'm not doing anything where the FlexView would be advantageous like web design or heavy photo editing. I probably should have kept it since I am not the kind of user that would benefit a lot from the Core Duo, but I can always justify the new one even if I don't need it.

 

Anyone else have an opinion based on their experience about the bulk/weight of the 15.0 for a daily commute" ??
Especially if you've had both the 15" and the 14.1" standard aspects.
Thanks

 

I would like to hear it too.
Is the Flexview worth extra $187?

 

Yes! It's the first screen that at night I actually lower the brightness from maximum, as oppose to my older Dell that is always on its highest setting. The consistent contrast is unbeatable. Of course it would be great if it could come in smaller screen sizes or different aspect ratios but the 15" SXGA+ is a combination that I actually prefer so I'm happy as a clam.

 

Yes, Yes, Yes. But it will spoil you, which might prove a downer when you go shopping for your next laptop and find nothing but widescreen, glossy (glaring) TN screens that are meant for games and videos rather than serious work....

 

It's personal, but I find the 15" SXGA+ is more comfortable to read than 14" because of the slightly larger pixel size. It doesn't sound like much, but the eyes do notice.

But what about the 38% increase in bulk (and the extra 0.2" of width)... is it worth the extra mass? (i've never had bigger than 14.1).

 

Thanks, it's OK to spoil me
Too bad I can't have T60p with flexview screen.

 

Does that mean 38% heavier? so sad

 

no it's 6.3 pounds vs 5.5 pounds... some lucky ppl find a travel bezel and remove the optical to bring it down to 5.6 lbs.

 

Aint that the truth, lol

So if you were getting one today, would you try making it last longer buy spending more than you wanted by getting a high-end Core2duo processor with the 4MB cache (kinda outta my budget), instead of a substantially cheaper Core Duo?

 

skibunny,

do you know if lenovo is going to make a widescreen x60 anytime soon? i know that the x61 won't be widescreen, but what about future models?

a widescreen 12" would be even more practical on planes where vertical space is limited.

 

I have no idea and i'm not privvy to that type of info.
I've only heard rumours of limited runs of 15" T61 with flexviews (for corporate accounts at least) but that's jsut rumors not inside info.

 

I believe the cheapest you can get now is T5500 on T60 or T7100 on T61 which are core2duo. Get that, you can upgrade later (I know you won't)

 

we can also get leftover T2500 core duo 2.0 ghz equipped T60 machines for almost $200 less after tax than the T7200 processor equipped model costs.

Is C2D and 4mb cache worth that much more?

 

How can you get that? Just curious. Nothing like that on lenovo.com

 

there's different availability for ibm internals... we get old leftovers lol

 

So... somebody... what about core2duo T7200 (2.0 ghz 4mb cache) vs coreDuo (2ghz 2mb cache). Apart from more performance (which i dont need), is there any big advantage of the C2D ?? (eg. does 64-bit matter really?)

 

People have said that core2duo is more future proof than coreduo but I think its really hard to say anything is future proof when new models can have so many improvements over computer of 2 years ago or more. I don't know if it's just with the c2d, but I have some complaints with the noise in the c2d and I've heard others with the c2d complain about it too and say its from lenovo putting the fan settings higher for c2d, etc.
I love the flexview on the t60 I recently received. Of course the decision for you depends on what you plan to use the computer for and how important the increase in weight and cost is for you. For me, I use it as my primary computer and with no docking port so screen size and quality are really important to me. I also like to have the mobility to take my computer different places and for work when I travel to meet with clients and it really satisfies me there too. It already came in handy for business too, an attractive female client was trying to see something on a coworkers computer and couldn't see anything but said she could see it on mine and she really liked it and it sparked a conversation. lol, that could be a commercial for the flexview.
imbfan, I'm not 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure you can get a t60 with the fire gl card if you call in to lenovo for your order, but if you're talking about a 15.4 flexview, im not too sure at all about that and doubt it. You could also get the leftover t2500 and other coreduos from other places that sell lenovo (places like newegg, staples, etc).
For me, the only reason I'd think of not getting the flexview was if I knew I would need a computer to be mobile with everyday for hours a day. And if that scenario came up, I'd still debate over getting the flexview or 14in or the x series.

 

It usually from architecture to the next where the performance difference is very noticeable. For things like office and internet you could probably get buy with a PIII. Now if you are crunching databases or coding video that's a completely differnet story.

 

You can now! It's back on Lenovo's website with a better price than ever and probably for a very limited time. They removed the 14.1" T60p though and it was only up for < 2 weeks. I wonder if the T60p flexview currently offered has the WWAN antenna sticking out from the right side? Probably not I’m thinking, which is a big plus!!

 

I wonder if IPS is compatible with LED backlights...

 

however the T60p currently available is NOT uxga, which is what some ppl are really after.

 

What are LED backlights? Same thing as thinklight? I have IPS flexview and it has thinklight, although I keep it turned off.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED_backlight

Better contrast and colors, better battery, etc..

Check out the new Macbook Pro that has them in a 15.4" screen.