Lenovo's EV-DO Z60t ThinkPad reviewed

PC Magazine got to play with the slightly heretical Lenovo ThinkPad Z60t and found that while the titanium cover and aspect ratio might not be exactly IBM-esque, the Z60t is a pretty sweet laptop that should offend few and provide built-in EV-DO and widescreen glory to many well-heeled consumers. The battery life is pretty strong at 4.5 hours, the keyboard is even better than the old ones, and the included card reader is a nice touch; but while the multimedia features are pretty sweet for a ThinkPad, they don't really stand out, and the integrated graphics aren't going to blaze through Doom 3 in any acceptable manner. You can get yours for $2300 or you can sit in the corner and pout about the optional titanium cover. We recommend option number three: Steal it.

[Somebody @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Theft encouragement. Considering it.
NOT

[Stoneman @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Thinkpads are incredibly expensive. The company I work for bought me a T40 with 2G of ram, and it came to just under three THOUSAND dollars Canadian. Yikes.

Honestly, I would have gone for a Powerbook if I had known it would have cost that much.

But, that's the company standard now: Boring black IBM laptops.

[charlie @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

I totally disagree... there is something hot about the retro computer styling. I mean, Apples and Sonys look good too, but after those brands I'd say I like the IBM styling the best. It looks solid and "expensive"... which I suppose is good since they definately are.

[epp_b @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Like your mom said, you get what you pay for. IBMs like this one are rigid, durable, high-quality notebooks. You're paying for quality, not performance.

[T. Wang @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

What some people have yet to understand is the total-cost-of-ownership price on a new notebook. An Apple, or Sony may be cheaper but since these corporate notebooks are going to be in use for at least 3+ years, a company needs to factor in all of the expenses incurred during those years.

So, lets say if the keyboard breaks on an IBM (which it won't :0 ) they'll replace it free of charge and you'll recieve it in a few business days. My friend once dropped a hole-punch on his keyboard and cracked a key. He called IBM about it and he recieved a package the next morning at 10:00am.

[Xindon @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

I found this page on the Lenovo Web Site and it shows another Z60t ThinkPad with EVDO starting at $1,999

http://www-131.ibm.com/content/home/store_LNV_PublicUSA/en_US/ThinkPad_ZSeries_WWAN.html

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Okay, first, I enjoy Thinkpad styling, for the most part. I think they have the sort of solid, utilitarian styling that makes Volkswagens of the last ten years or so look good. When everyone else was overstyling their laptops, IBM went simple, understated, and black. All of this is fine and dandy, but I have to say that you've painted yourself in a corner if coloring your laptops in a muted metallic finish has your customers rending their hair and gnashing their teeth. Apple had to color their laptops neon green before people started raising eyebrows. HP has people uncomfortable with their L2000 Special Edition's yellow LIVESTRONG accents.

I guess it's all about brand identity... I wonder how the titanium is selling against black.

['Cenzo @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

IBM has always meant something in the world of computers: stability and solidity. The titanium lid is lightweight and strong, improving the ability to survive drops and damage. I own two ThinkPads, 3 1/2 Y.O. T23 and a 6 Y.O. 380ED. They are bullet-proof. Nothing out there will cause me to spend 3 grand of my own money except a ThinkPad. Rock-solid and professional - what more do you need?

[Tom N @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Mike, if the WiFi reception of previous ThinkPads is any indicator, the EVDO of the new model shouldn't be compromised by the titanium cover.

Various ThinkPads have used titanium covers (only behind the standard black shell) for some time now. Indeed, IBM was the first major vendor to use titanium in their laptop line, followed by Apple. And unlike Apple's later foray into titanium with weak WiFi, IBM engineered the ThinkPads with screen embedded antennas that get excellent wireless reception.

That said, I agree with your concern over the whole EVDO idea. I'd be wary of paying for integrated laptop hardware that ties you to data contracts with one, at best two, companies.

[Ben Mullinger @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Sounds like Canadians are getting a raw deal, in UK Z Series is �730, which is around 1700 Candian. Persoanlly I've always owned ThinkPads and they are extremely reliable. Its also nice to see IBM/Lenovo trying out a new colour finally!

[Jim @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Yes I agree some of the new stuff they are binging out at the moment is good tablets widescreens and new colours all make me think that Lenovo is one to watch

[Nooorm @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Expensive, not for what you get. They are priced higher than most of their comp, but only by about 10-15%. They seem much more expensive because they are compared to Dell Inspirons, when they should be compared to Latitudes. Go to Dell's site and compare a Thinkpad Z60m to a Latitude D810. What you'll find is the price is very close and the Thinkpad will have features the Dell doesn't:
Fingerprint reader
Active protection system - nothing like having to replace your harddrive once you dropped your laptop.
A more rigid chassis. Heck, the Z's have a freakin' internal cage to protect the components and a new spill tray under the keyboard to channel your Big Gulp out the front of the case and keep it off your motherboard.

There simply too many things to list here, so go read for yourself.

Z Series features - http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/thinkpad/zseries/index.html

Thinkpad liturature - http://www5.pc.ibm.com/us/me.nsf/LenovoInfo?OpenAgent&key=Thinkpad+Literature&&cntry=US-L

OT - Sure would be nice if html or UBB worked here.

[DM @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

As someone else mentions in this thread, Thinkpads stand for quality and reliability.

I want to dispell some myths:

Cost: Do you rely on your laptop every day for your job? Do you need the internet to carry on being a professional? If you do, the extra few hundred pounds a thinkpad costs will pay you back in ways that only an economist could measure. Think of the cost of not having access to your data, emails, work tools and internet for one day, or even for a week? How much would that cost you : in terms of inconvenience and added expense of getting around this, in terms of your career, in terms of having free time to do other things?

Thinkpads also come with excellent warranties, so if your thinkpad should break down, they are so helpful that the problem shouldn't impact you too much.

Performance: When you friends laptops are having trouble with their screen going dark, or the laptop overheating and crashing, or windows crashing unexpectantly, or freezing up for odd reasons, and then having the motherboard melt because the fan had stopped working, or it's been sent back for the 3rd time after the 1 year warranty just ran out, whose's laptop is faster? Overall, the thinkpad, because it keeps working! O.k., so I'm exagerating, but you get the idea.

Performance also depends on what you use your laptop for. I use mine for Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop (as a hobby) and Outlook Express, Internet explorer and Adobe Acrobat. My 1.3Ghz centrino processor is still going strong, and handles all the above with ease, as well as playing my music at the same time. Even photoshop runs surprisingly fast. But for gaming it's probably rubbish.

I've had my T40 thinkpad for 2 years now, and I'm so happy with it, that I now regard some other laptops as being a bit like over-priced, plastic toys. But, of course, there are other excellent laptops out there - Latitudes, Powerbooks, Tecras and other top-line ranges.

Duncan.