Lenovo's T60 goes widescreen for the suits

Lenovo just launched a new, widescreen version of their T60 laptop. Already, NotebookReview have posted their thoughts on Lenovo's Core 2 Duo, flagship business lappie. The new 15.4-inch widescreens feature a hefty WSXGA+ (1680x1050) resolution; pixels-a-plenty for side-by-side windowing action. However, unlike Dell's and HP's 15.4-inch offerings, Lenovo has simply made widescreen an optional config as they'll continue churning-out 15.4-inch models with 4:3 displays that execs traditionally prefer to bumble about on. The IPS display is made by Samsung and is the same "solid" panel found in many Dell laptops. It offers good brightness (for a business laptop) and superb viewing angles -- something which may or not be desirable when working on your M&A strategy from the airplane. And the 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo performs as Core 2 Duos do, no surprises there. Overall build quality is rated as "top notch" coming in at just over an inch thick and 5.5-pounds. And while you might expect an enhanced keyboard due to the extra space, forget it, it's the same keyboard we've seen before (not a bad thing). With the all-business T60 gone wide, there should be little doubt about the future of widescreen laptops in the office now.

[Rohit Kapur @ Nov 28th 2006 9:37AM]

Price?

And why do they make them look so ugly? Seriously.

[wes @ Nov 28th 2006 10:38AM]

that design is classic and it doesn't count for a ibm (lenovo).
it's all about the workpower and i think it looks good :)

[Rohit Kapur @ Nov 28th 2006 10:41AM]

I know it's a classic. That doesn't always mean it's good though. While I appreciate the fact that it's ALWAYS more about the performance than the looks, it doesn't hurt to look good at all. Even from a professional businessman point of view, it would be a lot better if they changed the suitcase-look.

Times change. :-)

[James @ Nov 28th 2006 10:50AM]

Looks good to me. Maybe now there is a reason to replace my T41, that has continued to run like a champ for 3 years!

[Rynth @ Nov 28th 2006 11:26AM]

Times change, but businessmen dont.. eitherhoo, i think it looks damn sexy..

Anyway, i love my 15 inch version...

[Ben @ Nov 28th 2006 11:32AM]

To be honest I like the looks too. Simple and black ... nothing more.

I hated my old company and the dells. Now I think thats a ugly lap top.

[SHOTT3R @ Nov 28th 2006 11:33AM]

All the build quality, good system software, battery life and weight savings in the world, and they can't figure out to put the friggin Control key on the bottom left???

But I guess I should be thankful for the small mercy of a Windows key that they've graciously decided to offer in recent times...

[cjrenaud @ Nov 28th 2006 6:18PM]

The T60 still has Ctrl and Alt keys on each side of the spacebar...they're just narrower to fit in the two extra keys.

[Chris @ Nov 28th 2006 12:17PM]

Man, that's nicer than the non-widescreen T60 I just got from work a month ago. :(

[Food @ Nov 28th 2006 1:15PM]

It's got that "I'm so badass that ugly looks good" Rolls Royce attitude. I'm fine with it.

[GJP303 @ Nov 28th 2006 4:12PM]

i like the look of the Rolls Royce. I don't like the look of the lenovo.

[SuperQ @ Nov 28th 2006 2:16PM]

I love it.. then again, I've been using thinkpads for 10 years. Black, square, solid. They could do better on some of the screw hiding like apple does, but doing repairs on the thinkpad is 10x easier than the macbook (replacing HD is a 30 second, 1 screw task, vs the full teardown of a macbook pro)

What I'm waiting for is an X series wide screen with a higher DPI than the 12" 1024x768.

My dream world thinkpad would also use 10-12G of flash and be under 3 pounds. I don't run windows, so all the extra storage space on my 60G drive just goes to waste.

[dapkniht @ Nov 28th 2006 2:22PM]

It does have a Crtl key on left.

[Russ @ Nov 28th 2006 2:29PM]

Widescreen's great for watching movies, but when it comes to most business work, it's not practical or necessary for most applications. I used to have a widescreen laptop (Sony SZ) and I recently replaced it with a Panasonic CF-T5 4:3. Most documents are tall, not wide. I used to have all kinds of unused space on the side of my screen (yes, I know I COULD have thrown some app in the dead spot, but I usually didn't).

Incidentally, I have a T60 sitting right here. I just ordered 6 of them for my company, and the price/performance ratio is really good for those units. The Lenovo quality certainly feels better than most other brands out there. Don't forget Panasonic, though. If price is not such an issue, nothing compares with the specs on the Panasonics. The durability is unmatched and the battery life is incredible (on my JP version, 15 hours with the included battery). It's too bad they're not well-known here in the US..

[SM @ Nov 28th 2006 3:03PM]

I heard that they have already stopped shipping t60s due to issues with the flat screen, and that the manufacturer of the screens went belly up.

[SM @ Nov 28th 2006 4:01PM]

I take that back, the 4x3s are replaced by the widescreens. But no more 4x3 t60s

[v_dogg @ Nov 28th 2006 4:11PM]

gross, first thing i thought was oh wow an article about a crappy old computer. they seriously need to update their style

[SHOTT3R @ Nov 28th 2006 6:30PM]

I refer to the Ctrl and Fn keys being swapped, not size. I think more people use Ctrl much more than Fn, so why not follow convention and keep it on the bottom left corner so that touch typists don't have to look or adjust.

Example:
http://www.yappari.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/ibm-laptop-keyboard-fn-key.jpg

[cjrenaud @ Nov 28th 2006 10:39PM]

Ah okay, my bad. I looked at my Toshiba tablet and see what you mean.

But the ThinkPads have been that way as long as I can remember, so I expect the target audience is probably used to it. I didn't even realize that was "different" until you mentioned it, and I use other keyboards frequently. And I would think it would bug me more than most because I'm left-handed and hammer the hell out of my left-side Alt and Ctrl keys. I think it's because they're symmetrical is why it works...it's the same distance left or right of the space bar.

[Patrick @ Nov 28th 2006 11:18PM]

Until you use one, you'll probably think they're ugly. I got "shafted" with a brand new T42 two years ago, and I haven't looked back since. In fact during that time I was trying to get my hands on those HP workstation level notebooks...

All my consultants get IBM notebooks now. We tried Dells, HPs, Sony, Samsung etc. and they all fall apart. Thinkpads are the only ones that take a beating (aka normal usage) and still function great after years. They only need minor upgrades like HDD and RAM and they're good for another year. The finishing doesn't come off with use, just take a look at any "stylish" notebook that's been in use for about a year. They look ridiculous. Even leftover T42s in my office get more attention than any other used laptop, simply because they are better built.

I for one and happily typing on a T43 and can't wait to upgrade to this widescreen T60 (as soon as my FY2007 budget comes in, lol). I've been eyeing an Z61 for awhile but can't justify the bulk. This is perfect!!!

[eilegz @ Nov 28th 2006 11:53PM]

jeje too bad i have a lenovo z60m already defitnely looks almost the same kinda nice lenovo or ibm its classic and good quality

[Nick @ Nov 29th 2006 1:29AM]

So whats the difference between this and the z61p?

[Derek @ Nov 29th 2006 5:59AM]

I don't understand why people say that widescreen is useless for "most business work." Not only does a wide screen allow you to keep two tall pages side-by-side, thus enabling easy comparison of sources, or easy two-page layout work, or easy reference-on-one-side document-on-the-other work, it also allows you to see more columns in spreadsheets, thus avoiding horizontal scrolling. And in any application with toolbars, it is simple to have them all be visible without blocking any of your usual 4x3-sized workspace. Having a wide screen on my laptop when I'm out is the only reason I'm not desperately missing the dual 4x3 monitors on my desktop.