T60 15" users/general laptop choice comments

Do you find your 6 lbs of laptop very portable say compared to 14" thin and light laptops you might have had in the past?

There are two things that attract me to the Thinkpads both flaws in my last laptop:

Durability
Good screen is available

However, my last lappy was/is an ultraportable... so 6 lbs makes me realize good screen = heavy.

If I don't bring my laptop there is no point to having it...

You may have noticed other posts by me, that's because I really haven't made up my mind.


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The general options I am thinking of are:

Compromise:
Z61t for balance of power/weight with good durability (the nc6400 falls in this class too, though I wonder about the hinges there)

The T60 in 14" for a mixture of things the Z61t doesn't have and the fact I might be able to actually get one in a timely fashion. (Its on special at the moment too...)

The works:
T60 flexview 15", with good graphics card, standard battery, extra AC adapter (leave at my office). This is appealing because it might be almost as good as a desktop but somewhat portable. I fear the weight that I might not lug it around. Light leakage has been noted by some on the LCD, since that is 90% of the point here, that is disturbing. (I do photography as my biggest hobby). The cost is also discouraging. On the plus side if the screen is good, I would probably be able to use it many years. Having discrete graphics negates some benefit of waiting for Santa Rosa in spring, while costing battery life.

Cheap:
HP/Compaq V3000t. Its heavier than a Z61t with the same screen size, but... its cheap, about 30% less, at the moment only imprint finish though which is no go for me. Durability issues probably.

Another Dell: Durability, ugly.

Apple:
I don't want a white notebook. Black, cost as much as a flexview T60, I don't care about OSX, specialized apps are limited unless I want bootcamp, one mouse button... etc etc. Heavy for screen size.

 

For a while, I had an older HP nc6230 14" model, and I can safely say that I never noticed the little ~2lb difference between 14 and 15 inch models. I am a decent sized guy at 210 or so, and 2lb more on my back is like a little corner of a business textbook missing

I guess if you are used to an ultra portable model like something in the 11-12" range, it could be a bigger difference. For me it was an easy choice since I wanted an IPS/Flexview screen.

 

I weigh 118 lbs... haha Edit: I'm not short either I'm 5' 10.

 

May I suggest one of these then

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/215348-64929-215381-314903-f67-421420.html

5.8 oz

 

I don't think I can run Matlab or OrCad on that, or use my RAW converters...

I have a Dell 300M (3.0 Lbs) right not first generation Centrino, (Banias based) 1.2 GHz, 12" screen. I had to repair the motherboard myself to fix the power connector its very ghetto, as the exact power connector could not be had...

 

Oh yeah if you know anything about the Dell 300M/X300 you know the screen is a POS. My hinges are pretty much dead too, oh yeah my screen has an arc of black totally dead (or backlight bad) pixels that is 5mm the bottom, 2 cm wide and 2 mm tall.

It runs and I can get my work done on it...

 

I just got a 15" T60 to replace my 15" A30. I have to say that the weight is not bad at all. I'm a college student and I lug the laptop around with a bunch of books all day and its much lighter than before. I pretty much got the works: 15" Flexview, 2ghz Core 2, 1 gb RAM, x1400. It runs flawlessly. I can multitask like never before. I also got the advanced mini dock, so i lug around the extra power adapter too. I had a flexveiw on the A30 and I opted to get it again. I love not having to find the "right" angle to not have the colors change. If you are into photography, get the flexview, it will amaze you. As for battery, even with the x1400 I can get about 3 hours with the 6 cell battery. I'm sure that the 9 cell would boost it to at least 4.

EDIT: I also have matlab and pspice (orcad) on it and they run flawlessly. In fact I can even run them both at the same time, all while playing music on itunes without any lag.

 

Well that's certainly true they both run at the same time on my 300m too. I just was point out why a pocket PC wouldn't work...

Thanks for the input. Your battery life estimates are better than most peoples. I probably won't get a 9 cell if I get a 15", the extra weight can chip into a travel AC quite well if I plan to do serious work.

 

I've heard great things about the Flexview screen but, its currently only available as a $215 option. Can I ask how much each of you paid for your T60 Flexviews?

 

I know I am not either of the people you reference, but it has been that cost at least since Nov of last year.

I am considering the WS now a bit as the cost is less than the flexview, but the viewing angles are better than the 14" (I think). There was a rumor of a 14.1" WS but probably just that a rumor.