Looking for a new laptop - how's the Lenovo ThinkPad 61p?

Hi all,

I am looking for a new laptop.

I am a freelance technical writer and programmer. I can be running
anything on my laptop. So I need (i) a powerful one, but (ii) not so
heavy in weight - not more than about 2.5Kg.

My budget is middle of the road - not cheap but not too expensive.

I have noticed that the new offering are all WIDE - which means a low
screen. This means you have do more scrolling to see documents and
code - which is bad. And they are SHINY. Who needs the glare. Seems
like they have started to design all laptops for movie watchers rather
than for professional workers. I want a matt tall screen, as they used
to be.

Any recommendations?

I came across the Lenovo ThinkPad 61p? Any practical experience with
this?

TIA

- avi

<amakeler@gmail.com> wrote...
---CUT---
> I came across the Lenovo ThinkPad 61p? Any practical experience with
> this?

I'm a developer, in last 10 years i've used many IBM/Lenovo models and i've
seen many other laptops of other brands of my collegues.

The best one i've had (and seen) is the actual one that i have, the T61P.
Model is 6460-8YG (bought in December 2007). Matte screen (very very
important), trackpoint, 15.4 wide, the best keyboard i've found on a Lenovo
better than the old T30 that i had
(other producers keyboards aren't good for a developer), very silent (i
don't know how Lenovo does it...).

I use it with a 1440x900 resolution, higher resolutions give too small
characters.

Absolutely a must for a developer. No other choice possible. Don't waste
your time and forget the others.

On May 1, 2:25*am, "fpsoft" <fpso...@hotmail.it> wrote:
> <amake...@gmail.com> wrote...
>
> ---CUT---
>
> > I came across the Lenovo ThinkPad 61p? Any practical experience with
> > this?
>
> I'm a developer, in last 10 years i've used many IBM/Lenovo models and i've
> seen many other laptops of other brands of my collegues.
>
> The best one i've had (and seen) is the actual one that i have, the T61P.
> Model is 6460-8YG (bought in December 2007). Matte screen (very very
> important), trackpoint, 15.4 wide, the best keyboard i've found on a Lenovo
> better than the old T30 that i had
> (other producers keyboards aren't good for a developer), very silent (i
> don't know how Lenovo does it...).

I bought mine in Spetemebr 2007. I did post questions here before I
bought. I am glad to see your post.

>
> I use it with a 1440x900 resolution, higher resolutions give too small
> characters.
>
> Absolutely a must for a developer. No other choice possible. *Don't waste
> your time and forget the others.

[Follow-up set to comp.sys.laptops.thinkpad]
On Fri, 1 May 2009 11:25:27 +0200, "fpsoft" <fpsoft1@hotmail.it> wrote
in <49fac010$0$840$4fafbaef@reader5.news.tin.it>:

><amakeler@gmail.com> wrote...
>---CUT---
>> I came across the Lenovo ThinkPad 61p? Any practical experience with
>> this?
>
>I'm a developer, in last 10 years i've used many IBM/Lenovo models and i've
>seen many other laptops of other brands of my collegues.

Likewise.

>The best one i've had (and seen) is the actual one that i have, the T61P.
>Model is 6460-8YG (bought in December 2007). Matte screen (very very
>important), trackpoint, 15.4 wide, the best keyboard i've found on a Lenovo
>better than the old T30 that i had

<quibble>
While I agree the T61 is one of the best laptops/notebooks ever,
I think the best keyboard was the in the 600/600X.
</quibble>

>(other producers keyboards aren't good for a developer), very silent (i
>don't know how Lenovo does it...).

Yep.

>I use it with a 1440x900 resolution, higher resolutions give too small
>characters.

Not a fan of 8:5 widescreen display -- prefer 4:3; i.e.,
14.1" SXGA+ (1280 X 1024)

>Absolutely a must for a developer. No other choice possible. Don't waste
>your time and forget the others.

I used to say that, but Lenovo has been going downhill IMHO, case in
point: the recent elimination without warning of System Update.

--
Best regards, You are cordially invited to participate in the
John official ThinkPad group news:comp.sys.laptops.thinkpad

Somewhere on teh intarwebs John Navas wrote:
[snip]
> I used to say that, but Lenovo has been going downhill IMHO, case in
> point: the recent elimination without warning of System Update.

Yeah, that annoys me. It was a big part of the reason I bought my second and
third ThinkPads. It's hard to beat accurate and easy updating of drivers and
firmware/BIOS on a per-machine basis.

I note that it's nearly halfway through May and the message "Try again in
May" still comes up when I try to use it.

Cheers,
--
Shaun.

"Build a man a fire, and he`ll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and
he`ll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett, Jingo.

On 13 May, 11:55, "~misfit~" <misfit6...@yahoo.com.au> wrote:
> Somewhere on teh intarwebs John Navas wrote:
> [snip]
>
> > I used to say that, but Lenovo has been going downhill IMHO, case in
> > point: the recent elimination without warning of System Update.
>
> Yeah, that annoys me. It was a big part of the reason I bought my second and
> third ThinkPads. It's hard to beat accurate and easy updating of drivers and
> firmware/BIOS on a per-machine basis.
>
> I note that it's nearly halfway through May and the message "Try again in
> May" still comes up when I try to use it.
>
> Cheers,
> --
> Shaun.
>
> "Build a man a fire, and he`ll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and
> he`ll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett, Jingo.

Where did ya pinch em ? Let me guess. Trade me. Same diff.

Somewhere on teh intarwebs k9nick wrote:
> On 13 May, 11:55, "~misfit~" <misfit6...@yahoo.com.au> wrote:
>> Somewhere on teh intarwebs John Navas wrote:
>> [snip]
>>
>>> I used to say that, but Lenovo has been going downhill IMHO, case in
>>> point: the recent elimination without warning of System Update.
>>
>> Yeah, that annoys me. It was a big part of the reason I bought my
>> second and third ThinkPads. It's hard to beat accurate and easy
>> updating of drivers and firmware/BIOS on a per-machine basis.
>>
>> I note that it's nearly halfway through May and the message "Try
>> again in May" still comes up when I try to use it.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> --
>> Shaun.
>>
>> "Build a man a fire, and he`ll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire,
>> and he`ll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett, Jingo.
>
> Where did ya pinch em ? Let me guess. Trade me. Same diff.

<yawn>

You know that you're doing something right when you have a stalker who
follows you all over usenet.
--
Shaun.

"Build a man a fire, and he`ll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and
he`ll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett, Jingo.

"amandaF" <amandaf37@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:5c4b3aae-f42a-41be-99d2-d0e05f5c5402@s1g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
On May 1, 2:25 am, "fpsoft" <fpso...@hotmail.it> wrote:
> <amake...@gmail.com> wrote...
> The best one i've had (and seen) is the actual one that i have, the
> T61P.
> Model is 6460-8YG (bought in December 2007). Matte screen (very very
> important), trackpoint, 15.4 wide, the best keyboard i've found on a
> Lenovo
> better than the old T30 that i had
> (other producers keyboards aren't good for a developer), very silent
> (i
> don't know how Lenovo does it...).

> I bought mine in Spetemebr 2007. I did post questions here before I
bought. I am glad to see your post.>

And I'm also listening.

>
> I use it with a 1440x900 resolution, higher resolutions give too small
> characters.
>
> Absolutely a must for a developer. No other choice possible. Don't
> waste
> your time and forget the others.

I'm just started doing homework for a laptop to replace my desktop. I
don't care about weight per se beacuse it will spend 99% of time on my
desk. When I go on vacation, it stays home. Anyway, I have a lot of
homework yet to do.

I see from the web page that the T61 is being replace by the t400/500.
Any thoughts, judgments?

-Doug, a retired beemer but no alligience.

[Follow-up set to comp.sys.laptops.thinkpad]
On Mon, 5 Oct 2009 08:30:04 -0400, "Doug Freese" <dfreese@hvc.rr.com>
wrote in <hacorg$1nrt$1@news.ett.com.ua>:

>I'm just started doing homework for a laptop to replace my desktop. I
>don't care about weight per se beacuse it will spend 99% of time on my
>desk. When I go on vacation, it stays home. Anyway, I have a lot of
>homework yet to do.
>
>I see from the web page that the T61 is being replace by the t400/500.
>Any thoughts, judgments?

The T61 (and T60p) may be the best ThinkPad's ever. Highly recommended.
The new T400/T500 are also very good, but aren't that much better than
the T61 IMHO. Good place to buy: <http://outlet.lenovo.com/>

--
Best regards, You are cordially invited to participate in the
John official ThinkPad group news:comp.sys.laptops.thinkpad

"John Navas" <spamfilter1@navasgroup.com> wrote in message
news:68fpc59bhvbqka3vv7ket4q7il8reat8ed@4ax.com...
> [Follow-up set to comp.sys.laptops.thinkpad]
> On Mon, 5 Oct 2009 08:30:04 -0400, "Doug Freese" <dfreese@hvc.rr.com>
> wrote in <hacorg$1nrt$1@news.ett.com.ua>:
>
>>I'm just started doing homework for a laptop to replace my desktop. I
>>don't care about weight per se beacuse it will spend 99% of time on my
>>desk. When I go on vacation, it stays home. Anyway, I have a lot of
>>homework yet to do.
>>
>>I see from the web page that the T61 is being replace by the t400/500.
>>Any thoughts, judgments?
>
> The T61 (and T60p) may be the best ThinkPad's ever. Highly
> recommended.
> The new T400/T500 are also very good, but aren't that much better than
> the T61 IMHO. Good place to buy: <http://outlet.lenovo.com/>

Juan,
I stopped in my local computer store to get some basic information plus
I like the guys. Anyway they suggested to me, unless I'm in a hurry,
which I'm not, to hold off since a new spin of hardware is about to
unfold in a month or so and of course to wait for Windows 7. Curious if
you get early versions of both hardware and software for education.

As far as OS's go it looks like Gates and company, just like other 'BIG'
companies, puts out a less than stellar OS every other release. Remember
ME then XP? I'm hoping that Vista is ME and 7 better. Rhetorical. I
wasn't going to buy until the first fix package was available for 7
anyway. Yup, they ship software long before it's ready for prime time.
I could tell you mainframe stories to make you blush. The old time to
market notion, translated, let the customer play system test and collect
money earlier.

Since you are also into the photography, we haunt the same groups, how
color true(yes, subjective) are the displays for photo editing?

-Doug