T61 for my mother

My mother's 8 year old desktop has finally broke and I'm planning to get her a new laptop (her first) for her birthday.

I'm leaning towards a T61 but I'm wondering if this will be appropriate. Are thinkpad screens extraordinarily dim? I myself am on a 4 year old emachines m6805 (the first 64-bit laptop...can't believe i bought something i've never used in the last 4 years!) with a weak screen compared to today's Dells.

I definitely think a matte screen would be better than glossy, but even a matte Dell screen is fairly bright.

How do Thinkpad laptop screens compete with Apple laptop screens, or HP/Dell laptop screens?

Should I get her a higher resolution screen as well? Her eyes are not the best, I'm not sure if she'd prefer the larger text.

 

my dad has a new t61, and i have to say that i think it is bright enough. it is on par with my 2 year old acer, which is reasonably bright. However, traditionally, Thinkpad screens (my dad has had a new one every 2 years since 2000) can be quite dim compared to other laptops. Also, if you want better contrast/colors, a glossy screen might now be a bad idea, as they produce better colors than matte screens. Again, this isn't always the case, but is a good rule of thumb.

If her eyes aren't the best, i'd say get a standard 1200x800 res. widescreen. The higher res. screens usually produce smaller text, especially on a laptop to fit everything in.

 

Hmm...I am not sure if I would get a WSXGA+ laptop if your mother can't see the greatest. It is pretty small if you aren't used to it. Maybe go with something that is WXGA+. I think it would also be a good idea to get a Matte screen since it is easier on the eyes. Maybe check out some of the Dell business class models and see what you can find there. Otherwise I think the T61 would work, but she might need to get used to it.
Tim

 

My dad has bad eyesight, and he says he can't read the text on my WSXGA+ T61p....get an R61 with the WXGA or WXGA+ screen, it costs less, and is offered as both a glossy or matte screen.

 

The widescreens are brighter than the standard screens. The WXGA+ is 200 nits and the WXGA is 185 nits while the standard screen is 150 nits. I have the 150 nit screen on my R60. I would agree it's kind of dim. Cranked up it looks fine, but that cuts into the battery life. I think and I could be wrong the Dell D630 is 220 nits if you are looking for other options.

 

ThinkPad R61 would be a better choice, you'd be hard-pressed to spot the physical differences between the two new Centrino laptops from Lenovo, the ThinkPad T61 and the ThinkPad R61. Both 14-inch models include all the important parts of Intel's revamped Centrino platform, including new Core 2 Duo CPUs, extra onboard Turbo Memory (for boosting access times), and 802.11n Wi-Fi. While the slightly bulkier Centrino Duo R61 aims for the sweet spot in the price/performance matrix, the more expensive Centrino Pro T61 is a little thinner, a little lighter, and adds Intel's Active Management Technology, allowing the IT department to manage the system from afar, even when it's in sleep mode or powered down.