T61 owners - quick questions. About to buy.

I called Lenovo yesterday and asked them a question about the blu-ray and the availability of it for the T-series. The sales rep I spoke to said yes it will be available soon, I told him great I want to order it. Later he told me he would have to confirm what he said and that he would call me back today.

Well I told him I want to take advantage of some discounts that end on 2/4. He said not to worry, he can honor any prices.

Well here are my questions and concerns.

1. I originally wanted to order the R61 because of the blu-ray feature but decided the added size and weight of that unit would be too much. So I am opting for the T61 with the goal that if they release a blu-ray in the slim format I can upgrade later. Question - do you think blu-ray will be added as an option down the road and if so do you think I could upgrade this T61 by swapping drives.

2. I read all about upgrading the memory yourself and saving a bundle. Can the same be said about the hard drive? I originally wanted the 200gb 7200RPM drive with encryption. If I were to buy the Hitachi 200gb 7200 RPM drive can I do the hard drive swap myself? How about the original software - does Lenovo provide install DVD's? Also is the encryption think anyything I should be concerned about and can it be done on other drives?

3. T61 screen. I am coming over from a Sony SZ series laptop. Will I be disappointed in the matte finish and picture on this screen?

4. Does anyone know what the actual discount was yesterday on the T61? Was it 30% like the R series was?

Thanks for any answers.

 

From what I can tell the prices were raised on the T-Series. Plus that new 15% code can't be used with EPP. I would have paid more than $200 for my computer now.

 

They are offering me a total of 16% off right now if I use my American Express Card. I should have just ordered it yesterday but the sales guy gave me the run around and after leaving him 3 messages today he has not called me back.

 

1. Doubtful but this is just my own speculation. T series is mainly business class and business + blu ray don't normally go hand in hand. Altho I wouldn't be surprised if it does eventually esp. if the competition offers that as an option..question is when?

2. Yes you can do the swap yourself. I have the same HD you mentioned and installation is a snap literally. Just pop a screw on the side casing, pull the tape to slide out the drive, remove the outer rubber brackets from the drive( this isn't shown on the video on the lenovo site but is necessary) by removing the screws on it. Remove the factory drive. Place the brackets on the new drive, slide it back in and reinsert the screw. There're tutorials on lenovo site as mentioned earlier.
No install DVDs provided. Everything is on the hidden partition.

3. Can't say too much as I dont have experience on the SZs. But mine is great. One caveat tho - I had to calibrate my monitor. I even use it to watch some tv shows occasionally and I prefer watching it on my thinkpad (the colors are vibrant and black levels have more detail than on my 24" desktop monitor). ..that's sayin something.

4. no idea.

 

Well first of all, why do you want to watch blu ray on a 15.4 inch screen?

Secondly, yes you can easily do HDD swap.

Third, I just canceled my SZ780 order even though I know the screen is better. I think having the high resolution is a good compromise for the massive brightness you get with the Sony.

Lastly, you can just call in and say you are a microsoft employee and have them add the $63 tech help that will save you like $100 of your laptop.

 

I am not necessarily wanting the blue ray to watch movies on my laptop. I am getting the 14.1 as I want the portability. I would like to be able to burn blu-ray discs and watch them if I wanted. I just want that as an option. I feel that by the end of the year everyone is going to be offering blu-ray in their machines and I don't want to get stuck wanting a new laptop 9 months from now.