What do you think of T61's screen is not centered?

I want to buy a T61, but the screen is not centered. I cann't decide.
What do you think of it? Do you think it's good or bad? What's the reason of making it not centered?

 

So they can fit a WWAN antenna in the screen.

 

I think it is a sign that the engineers need a new job. That was a very poor decision.

 

It's just a matter of preference. To me it makes no difference, but a lot of people are bothered by it. I rarely if ever notice the sides of my monitor.

 

I agree that it was a poor decision. I think if I were to get one of these the lop sided bezel would drive me crazy.

WWAN is the Verizon and Sprint wireless network right? I don't understand why they would build it in where you can buy the card for it. What happens if you switch networks or if you don't want it?

 

WWAN is just a name for cellular networks. Having the antenna on your screen is better than having a PCMCIA card sticking out the side of your laptop and risk damaging the card. I believe you can just swap out the mini-pci card if you plan to change carriers. The extra space in the screen is just the antenna, there's nothing else.

 

I saw t4x with different size hinges. I saw a t series with uneven edge. It is a unique design feature and can not be forgotten easily. It makes IBM black box unique and somewhat sophisticated.

But to put the screen a bit off centered is aesthetically annoying. I dont think in usability will have any effect that much though. It is like a when you get sudden attention of a dead pixel on the screen. Once you know it, it become really hard to ignore.

This imbalanced look is more prominent to get attention because the base of the laptop, that is the place of : keyboard, touchpad and speaker hole- is perfectly centered.

I just hope that their 15,4" model wont get this oddity. And in reality this laptop will looks better than in the photograph. Please....

 

The funky off centered screen is an abomination. They probably thought that the T61 was thick enough with the roll cage so they decided to keep the WWAN antenna on the side at the cost of shifting the screen.

Lenovo needs to offer a T61/T61p with the following as options instead of as standard:
Integrated WANN along with lopsided screen.
Roll cage along with thicker Thinkpad.

I would love to omit both since I require neither. You see, I won't be rolling my Thinkpad (I use a protective carrying case when moving it) and for the Internet I'm always using the Ethernet port.

 

Actually, the touchpad is off-center on Thinkpads. HP has a perfectly centered touchpad, and when you try to type, your right hand always touches the touchpad.

 

Yes, you are right. The touchpad actually few cm off-centered, in line with the space bar. Thanks for the correction.

 

I'm also concerned about off-centered screen... This notebook is the best one for me. I was just waiting for nvidia based machine with 14" screen and here it is. I don't like the Vista-only option, but it can be worked out, the screen is a bit scary though. I'm afraid it will become something like dead-pixel, that you spot and then see forever. Time shall tell.

 

i think the off centered screen is "annoying," but ultimately, it's just not a big deal. i mean 99% of the time, my desktop monitor is shifted left/right from my keyboard depending on the amount of stuff i have on my desk. it doesn't really make a difference because when you're using a computer, you're looking at the return carat or the center of action on the screen, not the bezel. being off by 1 cm is irrelevant when you're working.

if you think the T61 is the computer for you, a slightly off centered screen shouldn't stop you from buying it.

 

Yeah, to me it's noticeable, but not to the point of distraction.

 

That sounds annoying, but tolerable.

 

Do you think there will be a version with centered screen at all? I'm wondering if it makes sense to wait for it. My cousin from USA will come here in the summer, so I'll ask him to bring that baby with him. But if there's a chance to get centered one, I'd wait with the order...Thanks

 

I think it's lovely, and the designers were iconoclast enough to allow the break of symmetry. I think it's a great bold move