Which Thinkpad To Get

Not sure to get t43 with flexview or z60 m with american express. I heard t43 has lots of fan noise issues or get a t42 with little bit slower chip.

I need a laptop with dedicated video , 2 or more usb ports, good to have wirefire. Has has a flexview(does that mean higher resolution ??)

 

IIRC Flexview is what they call their IPS panels - IPS allows for improved viewing angles.

 

You'll only notice the performance difference between the T43/42 if you are really pushing it. If you need Firewire, the T series don't have it unless you want to go PCMCIA. The FlexView is very good, but not offered on the Z series. It is only offered on 15" SXGA and UXGA screens. It does consume a little more power as well.

 

Will I see a big difference in typing , using dreamweaver on a 14.1 vs 15" SXGA. What is flexview a higher resolution.

 

FlexView is a matte screen that is brighter with better contrast and wider viewing angles. It is only offered on 15" SXGA and UXGA. No difference in typing.

 

Fedex just delivered my new Z60t to my office. Its great, a lot better than i expected. The screen looks a lot brighter than the one in abaxter's review, i notice a 2nd backlight along the top of the lcd and the sideviews are pretty close to my t41p. I will continue setting this puppy up and let you know how it goes. So far so good.

 

I think what you've noticed is a "track light" that's in the top bezel of the screen ([Fn]+[End) to turn it on/off]. It's designed to illuminate the keyboard in low light conditions, like flying on a plane at night or working in a dark conference room.

Try it out in a dark room in your house. It takes a couple of minutes for your eyes to adjust, then the letters on the keyboard pratically glow. It's very cool and a feature unique to the thinkpads, iirc.

 

congrats....please do indicate the battery life on the machine once you get a chance.

thx.

 

The only thinkpads you will find that have Firewire are the Z models from what I have seen so far. I'd like to have it myself, but I still wanted the T43 anyhow. Figure'd I'd live without it. I don't have an iPod and the only other thing I could want Firewire for is either a) faster External HD or b) transfer video from a camcorder. And to begin with, most of the portable size external HD's do not use firewire. I've looked at a lot of them.

 

I still like the t-43 better than the Z series although Z series seems built really well and has the brightest screen option amongst all the thinkpads (300nits).

 

I'm referring to the actual LCD screen. At the start in screen when most of the the screen is black, you can notice a slight blacklight on the lcd along the top. From the pictures in the z60m review, it looked like the z60t only had one backlight at the bottom which got me worried, but when I turned mine on, I was relieved to see the brightness wasn't that bad and saw another backlight along the top of the screen. The "thinklight", which I guess lenovo has coined now isn't as good as the one on the t41p. They are using an amber light now instead of a white fluorescent like light they used before, which isn't a big deal really, but I did like that bright white light shining down on my keyboard when I needed it. The amber light they use now barely shines compared to the one on the t41, but tilting the screen a little will give me the same affect.

 

ThinkLight is dumb and pointless anyway. I'd much rather see a webcam in its place, as some boutique rigs have.

 

does anyone has a z60m is it pretty heavy to carry around, I really cann't decided between z60m or t43. How easy it is to upgrade the hd on thinkpads and install a bluetooth module on a t43 if it doesn't have obe.

 

Modding your Thinkpad will definately void any mfgr and extended warranty you have, just to point that out if it wasn't obvious already (that is if the warrany is of any concern to you).

 

Is this a good deal or I am not going to know the difference between 1.8 and 2.0 or 14.1 vs 15"
Processor: Intel Pentium M Processor 760 (2GHz 2MB L2 533MHz FSB) (Standard) 1
Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Display type: 15 inch SXGA+ IPS (1400x1050) TFT FlexView Memory: 512MB PC2-4200 CL4 NP DDR2 SDRAM SODIMM Graphics: 64MB ATI Mobility RADEON x300 (Standard) Hard drive: 60GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
Optical device: ThinkPad Multi-Burner 4X Max DVD Recordable Ultrabay Slim Drive
Integrated communication: Gigabit Ethernet and 56K V.92 designed modem (Standard) 1
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN: Wi-Fi wireless upgradable
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: 11a/b/g Wireless LAN
Battery: ThinkPad T40/R50 Series 9 Cell Li-Ion Battery
USB ports: 2 USB 2.0 (Standard) 1
Security: Integrated fingerprint reader (Standard)
ThinkPlus ServicePac® for warranty and maintenance options: Warranty service upgrade; 2 year onsite repair 9x5/next business day
comes out to 1478 +tax with no bluetooth

 

That's a reasonable price for that configuration on a T43.

As for 1.8 vs 2.0, you probably won't notice the difference too much unless you had the machines side by side to benchmark them or something...

14.1" vs 15" yes you will know the difference. Even if you didn't know the difference visually, you would definately notice the weight difference. lol.

 

You will not notice the weight difference, unless you weight the machines side by side, I think.

The screen is much better on the 15", though.

 

Bluetooth USB adapters can be found for $10-$25 at newegg.com, tigerdirect.com, and compusa.com, among others.

The problem with the Z60M, if you decide on it, will be that you won't get it until at least the middle of January.

Howie

 

re: what dr_st said about the screen... I think the screen will only be better if you get the Flexview or whatever they call it which is *in theory* nicer.... I have no experience with it however... JMHO.

 

The 15" SXGA+ on the T series are _all_ Flexviews, that's why I said what I did.

 

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. alright then What a shame they dont offer flexview on the 14" . makes no sense. Most other companies offer high quality 12, 13, 14" screens for an additional price. Whatever. IBM is wierd like that. The don't compete or even compare themselves with the other mfgrs. Just go their own merry way. *sigh*

 

I don't know enough about other brands to tell you how high quality their particular LCDs are (glossy coating does not high quality LCD make, it all depends on the panel underneath it), but, do know that there exists one more laptop from IBM with a higher quality screen (offering super wide viewing angles) - the X41 Tablet with the 12" tablet LCD. Unfortunately, the regular X41 offers a "regular" 12" screen.

 

I wouldn't consider the tablet a wide viewing angle, simply because you can twist the monitor to show whoever you want. lol. Unless you know first hand that it has a good angle without being twisted. I'm sure you get my point

 

Smartguy:

Where did you get a price like that?? When I try to configure that on the EPP site, it won't even let me choose a T43 with the flexview screen. When I do it as a 42, I get a price of 1485 and that is with only 1 yr warranty, what's your secret??

 

While I understand that they could mean that, that's not the case.

I do. I saw one myself and was impressed.

 

I just bought a T43 with 14" SXGA+. That means non-Flexview screen. Still, I don't feel like the screen is deficient in any way. I probably would find the Flexview more impressive if I saw them side-by-side, but that's probably the only way I'd notice a difference (aside from size/weight).

Also, I haven't noticed any excessive fan noise or heat yet. Granted, I've been using it in the same room with my desktop, which sounds like a 737, but I've leaned up close to the laptop fan and it sounds...like a fan sounds. Yeah, it gets warm, but it doesn't burn.

With all the complaints I've read, I expected it to sound like a Cuisinart and feel like a George Foreman! Maybe I just don't have the right basis for comparison, but I think it's a winner.

 

I've had my girlfriend's T42p (15" UXGA with Flexview) next to my T43 (14.1" SXGA+). I can notice the size and weight difference. I like the size of my 14.1" better. The UXGA screen adds a around .2-.3" thickness. Screen quality, about the same, viewing angles, yes the Flexview is better. For some reason the speakers on my T43 are MUCH better than on her T42. I don't have bluetooth, she does, but I could add it buy buying a chip and popping up the keyboard.

 

My company recently acquired a T43 14.1" SXGA+ and a T43 15" SXGA+ FlexView. I compared them side by side today. With the caveat that this is a highly subjective area, the main difference I see with the FlexView is the great vertical viewing angle. As you increase the angle of your viewing position relative to dead-on, the 14.1" image fades, and white areas become bluish. Text can still be read, but it's harder. The FlexView shows little of this washout, if any.

Under single-user circumstances, I submit you'd rarely notice the difference; you might have to adjust the angle of your screen a bit more often with the non-FlexView. If you frequently want to show something on the screen to people standing behind you, FlexView is the way to go. On the other hand, you might not care to have your business so clearly displayed to someone standing behind you in some circumstances (cafe, airplane, name it).

The two displays seem quite similar with respect to horizontal viewing angles, so a colleague seated next to you should be able to see your spreadsheet/presentation just fine with the 14.1"

Dead-on, I find the displays comparable. In fact, I found the 14.1" more vivid in some situations.

Everything is just a little bit bigger on the 15" screen (with both screens being SXGA+), so if you don't have (or correct to) 20/20 near then the 15" would be a benefit. I wear glasses and the 14.1" is perfectly readable for me.

The 14.1" has an advantage in size and weight. To me, the perceived advantage is greater than one would expect based on the numbers. The 14.1" is a fraction of an inch smaller in every dimension, and I believe a fraction of a pound lighter - yet it feels and looks much more portable to me. Holding both of them vertically with arms at my side and fingers curling around the battery ridges, my hand starts hurting with the 15" relatively quickly. I'm guessing this is the slight increase in weight combined with the increase in size, which probably creates a greater lever effect that your hand/forearm has to work against. The 14.1" also supposedly has an advantage in battery life.

One other thing to consider is the wrist rest area. The 14.1" and 15" models have the same depth of wrist rest flat surface, however, the 15" has a fractional inch deeper rest which gently curves down to the front edge of the base. If you have really big hands, you might be a bit more comfortable with this extra partial support.

 

strange to see that on the IBM website, they're offering the R52e (manager's special) with Celeron processor offered higher than what you can pay for a 1.86ghz centrino T-43 with a flex view screen!!

 

These are my choices
ThinkPad T43 2668AJU with 14.1 for $1597.10 , T43 WITH 15 inch SXGA+ IPS (1400x1050) for $1697.00 or hp4000 with 15.4 which gives me extra usb, firewire and a better graphics card so what I am loosing or gaining by getting hp or ibm.

I am looking for a reliable laptop with nice keyboard, I will be using this laptop for programming , web design . Does anyone has the t43 with 15" screen , also none of the model above have bluetooth can that be added or no.

I guess thinkpads are worthwhile paying extra for in a long run correct ??

 

There are a number of T43 models that have integrated bluetooth. But you will have to put more cash on the table.
Only 2 of them are 15" if that's important.

ThinkPad T43 14.1" 266871U - $1,599
ThinkPad T43 15" 2687DUU - $1,899
ThinkPad T43 14.1" 26686CU - $2,099
ThinkPad T43 14.1" 266875U - $2,399
ThinkPad T43 14.1" 2668J1U - $2,549
ThinkPad T43p 15" 2687D5U - $2,599

 

Usually there should or will be a Z60m modell with a 15,4" IDTech WXGA MaxBright TFT-panel, which can be expected to offer similar quality like the IDTech based 15" FlexView Thinkpad TFTs.

But actually that 15,4" WXGA MaxBright IDTech panel is not listed at all among the IDTech products...

http://www.idtech.co.jp/en/products/index.html

...since I believe the once from Chi Mei Corp. and IBM Japan established "International Display Technology (IDTech)" Yasu LCD manufacturing factory/facility...

http://www.idtech.co.jp/en/news/press/20010704.html

...has been aquired in the meantime by Sony...

http://www.idtech.co.jp/en/news/press/20050107.html

...and thus the web contents at the IDTech site may not have changed for longer times.