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Lenovo T61 -- images courtesy Notebook Review

Lenovo R61
Lenovo rolls out the ThinkPad T61 and R61

The Santa Rosa leaks are still flowing with the latest offense being made by Lenovo. Fujitsu leaked three Santa Rosa notebooks last week and today is Lenovo's turn with the new ThinkPad T61 and R61.

Both systems are based around Intel's Core 2 Duo processors (T7100, T7300, T7500, and T7700) and used the Intel GM/PM965 chipset. 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista are offered as is Windows XP Professional. Intel's new Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN and the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 IGP will be available for systems without discrete graphics.

Both laptops will be available with 14.1" displays (WXGA, WXGA+), Intel Turbo Card (previously known as Robson) for increased system performance, full hard disk encryption, SmartCard support and discrete NVIDIA graphics.

The ThinkPad T61 and R61 will both be available in May 2007. WWAN models of the T61 will first become available in June while The R61 will be available with a Blu-ray DVD burner beginning in July.

Also of note with the new notebooks is that Lenovo has finally removed the "IBM" branding from the palm rests. The IBM branding has been a leftover vestigial since Lenovo purchased the company’s PC division in 2005 for more than $1 billion USD.

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Fugly^100
By SiliconAddict on 4/24/2007 7:00:49 PM , Rating: 2
Thank you IBM for selling one of the best laptop lines in the industry to an incompetent company.




RE: Fugly^100
By JoKeRr on 4/24/2007 9:38:38 PM , Rating: 2
I really loved the old T series with 14.1' SXGA+ screen, 1400*1050 was great for view PDFs and other stuff... So are all the T series going to be widescreen from now on??


RE: Fugly^100
By kkwst2 on 4/24/2007 11:09:30 PM , Rating: 2
I hope not. You could still get the T60p in the old 14.1. I'm still using my old T42. It works great, but I've been waiting for Robson to upgrade. I'm hoping it's not widescreen only, as the link implies. That will make my decision tough. It might make me go with a T60p instead. I just don't get widescreen on a laptop. I'm fine with it on desktops.

To me, this would be a major sign that Lenovo is losing touch with its business customers.


RE: Fugly^100
By UNCjigga on 5/17/2007 10:51:42 AM , Rating: 2
I disagree. I went through bschool just as widescreen notebooks started taking over, and for anyone who uses Excel on a regular basis widescreen was preferred (especially if its WSXGA+ or better res).


Typo
By HaZaRd2K6 on 4/24/2007 8:05:55 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
IBM rolls out the ThinkPad T61 and R61


They're no longer IBM laptops and they haven't been for years.




RE: Typo
By halcyon on 4/25/2007 1:28:33 AM , Rating: 2
Lenovo bought IBM PC business in Dec 2004. They also retained the right to use the name 'IBM' on their computers for up to five years.

Thusk, IBM Thinkpads they are, if Lenovo chooses to use that name.


RE: Typo
By defter on 4/25/2007 3:37:33 AM , Rating: 2
Sure, they are IBM Thinkpads, but Leonovo "rolled" them instead of IBM. Just like AMD, instead of ATI, will release soon ATI Radeon HD video cards...


ugly design
By zaki on 4/24/2007 8:47:47 PM , Rating: 2
if it wasnt for the purple/blue enter key and the red key this wouldnt look so bad, but with other companies killing it on the design end, lenovo needs to keep up.




RE: ugly design
By masteraleph on 4/24/2007 10:21:43 PM , Rating: 2
Errmmmm, that's not a red key- look at the expanded image. It's a Trackpoint (eraser-head like pointer thing), which IMHO, blow the touchpad out of the water when it comes to mousing around (I have my trackpoint as the only enabled pointer device on my T60)


RE: ugly design
By IBM guy on 4/26/2007 4:32:33 AM , Rating: 2
While everyone who has ever used the Trackpoint prefers it over Touchpads and even mice, Lenovo in their "wisdom" have chosen to ditch it on their own branded range while for now it is retained on the Thinkpad range.
They don't seem to understand like many others that people will not buy a laptop that doesn't have a Trackpoint, I even bought a USB keyboard with Trackpoint for my desktop PC. It's the best and easiest way to move the pointer and type at the same time bar none.


Design
By SSJGohanMlm on 4/24/2007 6:09:25 PM , Rating: 2
In my opinion, i like the older Pre-T61/R61 laptop design. I know that they are not IBM made anymore but who agrees that these thinkpads are looking too much like the regular lenovo C series ... blah! :-p! bring back the old designs!




RE: Design
By kkwst2 on 4/24/2007 11:15:06 PM , Rating: 2
While I agree that the package is not quite as nice as the IBM days, it's still not bad. I'll keep buying them unless the quality really goes down. They still are solid as far as I can tell. The real kicker is I just can't do without the red nipple (Trackpoint?). If I could saw the pad off my T42, I would.


New Intel GPU?
By Assimilator87 on 4/24/2007 6:15:29 PM , Rating: 2
Is the X3100 new or is that a typo?




RE: New Intel GPU?
By Brainonska511 on 4/24/2007 6:35:04 PM , Rating: 2
The X3100 is Intel's new integrated graphics chip to replace the GMA900/950.


14.1"???
By pauldovi on 4/24/2007 7:49:24 PM , Rating: 1
Why no 15.4" models? Thats a bummer!

I wonder how this 1GB Flash memory works. I have not seen any demonstrations of it yet. :(

I would also like more info on the X3100 and the new processors. How are their power saving features?




RE: 14.1"???
By kkwst2 on 4/24/2007 11:11:21 PM , Rating: 2
Don't agree. I always thought the 14.1 was the sweet spot in the T series. Saves you about a pound, and still decent real estate. The real bummer for me is it appears to be widescreen only.


New processors?
By ohbrilliance on 4/24/2007 10:33:50 PM , Rating: 2
While it's great to see Santa Rosa on the near horizon, I wonder when we'll see news of the C2D processors with 800 FSB (T7300/7500/7700)? That'll complete the full Santa Rosa package.




tablet when?
By Visual on 4/25/2007 4:52:02 AM , Rating: 2
any news on a tablet convertible on the horizon? preferably with a dedicated vidcard?




WXGA+ = 1440 x 900?
By kenyee on 4/25/2007 12:06:43 PM , Rating: 2
Seems like a downgrade if the old one was 1400x1050?

Any idea what nVidia graphics chips will be used? That's a big change. I thought they only used AMD chips for discrete graphics...




eww
By BucDan on 4/27/2007 1:49:01 PM , Rating: 2
i would rather like to see a hp or a dell laptop...but the best..asus laptops...




is it just me
By zaki on 4/25/2007 1:25:35 PM , Rating: 1
Is it just me, or do Thinkpad laptop owners seem completely disillusion, I dont see whats so great about their notebooks, but every single person who owns one acts like its the best thing in the world.. is it really that good?

i mean i've used their desktops which are fine, and judging by the specs and pics these laptops look pretty average, so what makes thinkpad owners defend their pcs like they are their offsprings.

im just curious, this is not meant as a bashing of thinkpad laptops, in fact if im convinced I may even buy one judging by all the hype it gets.




By rrsurfer1 on 4/24/2007 6:45:11 PM , Rating: 1
Agreed. Every laptop they come out with looks the same. I mean these are business laptops, so looks are not everything, but still, throw us a bone here. They look they're 5 years old out of the box.


By Trippytiger on 4/24/2007 7:48:50 PM , Rating: 5
That's kind of the idea. If newer models look basically the same as older ones, then employees aren't as likely to complain when their co-workers get new laptops and they don't.

Besides, ThinkPads are gorgeous works of industrial art. Why mess with a good thing?


By Samus on 4/25/2007 3:47:08 AM , Rating: 5
I agree, Thinkpad's look industrial. There are always little things they change between models, but you can always expect a solid well-built black machine.


By robp5p on 4/24/2007 7:06:28 PM , Rating: 5
Bulky? Thick? The T-series is one of the slimmest 14" notebooks on the market. Even if you don't like the looks (to me everything else looks/feels plasticy and cheap), if you get a chance to use one for an extended period of time you wont care about the aesthetics. Far and away the best keyboard, and great durability make it one of the most successful notebooks for people who actually need to get work done. My old t40 survived many things an ordinary notebook would not, including a spill onto the freeway from the top of a moving car as I stumbled out of a hotel to catch a flight...I'm not proud of that move, but very proud that the t40 is still running to this day!


By phaxmohdem on 4/24/2007 7:32:12 PM , Rating: 3
I second that. I have a 14" T40p and I love it. It is light, thin, not to shabby looking IMO. You guyz can have your cheap plastic bling, I much rather have sturdy construction and an orgasmic keyboard :)

However I must agree that those T61 photos look a bit too fugly for my tastes. It just looks cheaper. I'd be curious to see the 14 inch model though, the widescreen models look a bit bloated to me in general.


By phaxmohdem on 4/24/2007 7:36:01 PM , Rating: 1
Just a side note, after further consideration of the photo of the T-series notebook, I think the reason that it doesn't please me aesthetically is the 90's style 5" bezel on all sides of the LCD. Seriously guyz. either make the screen bigger or compensate some other way, but that just looks dumb. (Not to mention how off centered it is.)


By phaxmohdem on 4/24/2007 7:38:02 PM , Rating: 2
After even FURTHER consideration...

http://www.dailytech.com/Lenovo+to+Cut+1400+Jobs+W...

Maybe the designers found out they were getting fired and just said F*** it. :)


By Trippytiger on 4/24/2007 7:45:45 PM , Rating: 2
Ah, not so. The bezel around the screen is tiny compared to the massive ones found on, say, a Macbook. The bezel on my T43 is barely a centimeter thick, and I'm pretty sure the T60 is no different. The reason why you think it looks so thick is because of the lip that runs around the edge of the entire screen that gives it way more rigidity than any other laptop screen you'll ever find. The pictures shown are at different angles, and that changes how much of the lip you see in each picture, which makes the screen look like it's off-centre and has a wide bezel.


By rqle on 4/24/2007 7:18:34 PM , Rating: 2
i actually prefer these simple, thin, mag. plastic, black, laptop over the other fugly, cheap plastic, dragon, pop up junk. Those neon lights etc look too unprofessional and would embarrass me on a business trip other than a lan event.


By kkwst2 on 4/24/2007 11:21:48 PM , Rating: 2
At the risk of trolling a troll, you're an idiot...

....but seriously, I can't believe you've actually spent significant time with a T-series and came away feeling like it was not solid. I've had two and they've been champs. I've convinced many many friends/colleagues to get them and they've all held up incredibly well.


By Samus on 4/25/2007 3:49:14 AM , Rating: 2
That'd be the first, comment, EVER, to dis a Thinkpad T series.


By halcyon on 4/25/2007 1:26:10 AM , Rating: 5
Lenovo (ex-IBM) black laptops sell, because:

- corporations are conservative (and not style slaves)
- they stick to what WORKS (not what looks like the latest fashion colours)
- travelling businessmen actually prefer a laptop that is sturdy and can take a beating (ever wonder why IBM/Lenovo always comes on top in these comparisons?)
- Black is neutral, utilitarian in the context of use of hordes of businessmen, engineers & consultants
- The actual functional DESIGN of those laptops is very good and has several nifty features (what people call 'design' is 99% of the time surface styling, nothing more)

So, why not keep it the way they are.

It works.

If you want a pink bamboo covered mini-notebook with crystals on the surface, go buy a limited edition Acer or whatnot. But don't expect it to last or be as good to type & use as a Thinkpad.


By Stan11003 on 4/25/2007 9:15:08 AM , Rating: 2
I love my T60, for business its the way to go. I never find it bulky at all. IMHO if you are looking for a work tool not a toy go with a Lenovo. I've used toshibas, compaqs, dells and HP, they are have similar specs but the feel and sturdiness is not there.


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