Flexview question

I'm planning to buy a T60p. The customize screen doesn't identify any of the screens as Flexview, but I believe the 15" is (and perhaps the 14")? How do I know whether the screen I am buying will be Flexview?

 

The 14" are not FlexView. Perhaps contacting Lenovo will clear it up. There has been some questions about whether or no the 15" Ts are FlexView. The XGA model is not.

 

To those who have a Flexview -- is it really worth it for photo editing? I do lots of photo editing, and if it makes colors much more true, I would get it.

 

Flexview is definitely worth it over the normal 14" screens. Everything is just so vibrant and bright. I'm glad I didn't succumb to the lightnes/smallness of the 14" T60.

 

A TN panel like in the 14" T60 is no competition for an S-IPS like the 15" T60p. There are those who would debate if it's as good as or better than an MVA or S-PVA. Sure the really absurdly high end monitors from Eizo and NEC are S-IPS, but because of the price range and the fact that it's a laptop, it's not so clear cut.

S-IPS tend to be very vibrant and saturated, but they have a lot of trouble with black reproduction. An S-PVA or MVA is more subdued, without as much vibrance. The colors are very accurate, they just don't jump out at you (they aren't washed out and inaccurate like a TN. well... generally). The blacks are also blacker, at least in the sub-$2000 market. I would liken it to comparing the brighter aperture grill CRT's like Sony's trinitron (the S-IPS) to a shadow mask (MVA or S-PVA). There are those like myself who absolutely love how easy the shadow mask is on the eyes, but others like the brighter colors or an aperture grill. Yet both have proven themselves as competent technologies for high end graphics applications.

But here you're comparing an S-IPS to a TN, and that's absolutely of no comparison. The TN's colors, viewable area, and everything but possibly the pixel response will be inferior to an S-IPS. I really wish they'd move the 14" SXGA+ to a better tech, maybe with the T61p

 

When you build yourself, you can see the IPS option for 15" SXGA an extra $140 or so. Express models explicitly indicate flexview in the display portion of the specs of select 15" models.

But the 15" is truly a BRICK !! And it's almost double the volume.

I dont know why they dont improve the quality of the 14.1" too.

Anyway, 14.1" and 15" are no comparison to an external LCD of at least 19".
So, I get the small screen laptop and use it with an external monitor at home.

 

Comparing the IPS on my 15" T60 to the SXGA screen on my old Fujitsu E7010 (which I believe was a S-PVA), the IPS is better, but not by much. Before I saw the IPS screen, the PVA was probably the best. While I can't compare them side by side now, I don't recall experiencing the differences you've mentioned. The IPS screen has got incredible viewing angles though, which has yet to be beat by any screen I've ever seen.

I don't really notice that much weight difference between my current T60 and my old Fujitsu (14" screen ~2.6kg). There is a difference between my T42 though, but not all that much.

 

It looks to me like the 15" is really only 0.5 pounds heavier on travel weight. That's a difference, but not a huge one. Have you seen the 15" and think I'm understating the significance? I'm coming off a 14" T42.

 

The weight difference is closer to a pound (or more), not just a half pound. Depends on config. That's 20% heavier.

The differnece in volume from your T42 is 30%.

Together they are significant. We have many of both in the office, and i have carried both around one in each arm. After a few moments, the arm carrying the 15" brick became longer! lol

What's wrong with your 14" T42? I was looking at picking up one of those new for ~$800 instead of the T60 which i can get new for !$1100 (14" sxga) or $1250 (15" IPS). Plus tax.

Probably nothing wrong with your T42, just add a nice external LCD monitor and a dock ?? (costs lots less than changing to a new laptop)

 

I live in Manhattan, and with a baby and a nanny living with us, we have no space for any kind of a desk. I work from home a lot, and a laptop is the only option. I get a grant from work for a new computer every so often, and that time has come up, so if I don't spend it, it's lost! That's why I'm getting a new computer. The T42 works fine. The T60 will be faster for sure, and that will be nice given that I do a lot of photo editing.

 

Is Flexview Lenovo/IBM speak for Brightview/Glossy/X-Brite/CrystalSomething etc... ?

 

No. Flexview is the best wide-viewing angle on the market today.
Thank heavens IBM doesn't put on that extra-glare coating.

 

Well, if you want flexview it's probably good for your photo work (and the feedback seems to suggest it's the best screen anywhere), but the flexview is only on 15-inches. So get this model ON SALE instead of customizing.

http://www-131.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/s...storeId=10000001&langId=-1&partNumber=2623DDU

That sale is this week only, and it's close to employee pricing. I think you'll find it's a lot cheaper than a custom build. And you'll get it weeks faster.

Have you had SXGA screen before on a laptop?? The type is kinda small. I am torn myself on whether to stick with XGA or try SXGA for a little more (i have an external monitor).

 

Oh, I see, thanks.
Does any other manufactures have that ? Flexview that is.

 

Others have something quite similar, but some say flexview is the best. I dunno, I haven't compared them myself. I don't think i really need it for my uses.

Wanna sell one of your RAM sticks? lol

 

No sir, my ram sticks are not for sale, they're my only connection to the laptop world right now, I sometimes put them in paper notebook and pretend I've got a laptop, with 2gigs of ram

 

Another "connection" would be a wireless mouse... Wanna buy a new Logitech V200 (silver) cuz i have 2 extras. lol. $29 including shipping. ... if so, pm me

 

I actually already have a wireless mouse on my current desktop... but thanks, lets not turn this thread into an electronic bazar.

 

I bought a T43 with the Flexview screen pretty much based on it's advantages for photo editing. Excellent choice.

 

i was wondering the about the flewview too but i was wondering if the new z61p was a flexview because i perfer i widescreen thx mike

 

No flexview avail on the z61p, mike
But it's anti-glare, UXGA 1920x1200 ... hmm can u read text that small?

 

thx skibunny yea i can read it just fine i have a t40p right now i run it at 1400x1050 and wish it would run at 1600x1200

 

The current flexviews are only available at 1600X1200: the T60 flexview at 1400X1050 is no longer available. (I got one recently, to upgrade a T60 standard 1400 screen The vewing angles are clearly superior, however I was surprised that overall brightness, whether on battery or AC, were not significantly different. The monitor profiles are different, so the color balance is different, but that is not a function of the LCD per se, and could be easily user changed. Of concern is that to get a 15" flexview, you need to have the increase native resolution of 1600 - while this is fine for graphics, video etc., it would create type extremely small - probably too small for regular office work.

 

Huh?
I appear to be able to build a 1400x1050 flexview no problem:
http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/epp_cto/thinkpad/tseries_byo.html

 

It looks like that's only through the EPP.

 

There' express models with flexview in 1400x1050... 2623DCU for example
search specs here for 2623
ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pcinstitute/psref/tabook.pdf

 

Well, that's one step. Now they just need to shrink it down to 14" and put it in both the T60 and T60p.

 

It's not really up to IBM/Lenovo... When a screen manufacturer decides to make a 14" IPS/Flexview screen, I suppose IBM will put it on their 14" models. Until then, you're either gonna have to be satisfied with the screen on the 14" T60 or go for the 15" ones.

 

What?? There is no place on the Lenovo site where you can build to order a 15" flexview with 1400X1050 anymore. This was also confirmed by sales. They are only available on the T60P at higher res.

 

I was on EPP site yesterday, and there you CAN build to order flexview. Strange, the customer site should offer MORE choice not less.

Anyway, dont despair because the build-to-order are more expensive than the back-to-school sale ones.
There are a few pre-configured 1400x1050 t60's in 15" flexview... better value than the custom-built when i compared yesterday.

 

What matrix type do t60's have (non-flexview) in 1400x1050 resolution?
Is it TN or xVA type?

 

I'm fairly certain it's TN, from the characteristics.

 

And how come Lenovo state their display has 16.7 milion colours (TN has "only" 16.2m but accomplished using dithering).

 

Well I'm going more on viewable angles people are reporting, that's more telling than the rather sketchy color depth specs we're seeing these days. Maybe I'm wrong and it's an MVA or PVA screen, but I'd be surprised.

 

I spent time today with a T43 15" flexview screen beside non-flexviews on a T43 14.1" sxga, T60 14.1" sxga, T43 xga, X60 12.1" and X41 12.1"...

I must say, that the flexview blew all the others away for vertical and horizontal viewing angles - even viewing small angles makes a noticeable difference, enough so that I would really prefer one! I wish it came in the 14.1" tho, so now i have to decide if i wanna carry around a big 15" brick

 

Between the cost and the size, I don't think I could justify the 15" T60p myself. Right now I'm hoping that the wait for Merom will yield a T61 or T61p with a 14" flexview, otherwise I don't think I'll be able to resist the Portable One UX should the screen be *VA or IPS and have a quality keyboard. I'd really love the modular bay and SXGA+ of the T60, but I'm pretty finicky about LCD quality. I don't think I could handle the transition between 740T's and L568's at work and a cheap TN panel on my laptop, no matter how good the keyboard.

Heck, the 14" T60 is already at the upper limits of my size range, and there are just too many things keeping it from my ideal.

 

Me too didn't want more than 14", but I loved the 15" IPS Flexview i saw today on the 266895U (made the non-flexview 14" screen look washed out), and the 266895U with 15" IPS Flexview is only Cdn$1200 (US$1100), so i ordered one.
It's *fully* loaded, granted with a 2.0 ghz pentium solution, but the cheapest *employee* price for a flexview sxga+ core duo is US$1500 with less trimmings & warranty. I dont think core duo is worth an extra ~40%. I'll put the savings toward buying a Merom machine circa Jan 2008 when merom is old tech.

 

Let us know what you think of the size, will you?

I definitely think core duo is worth it to me, simply because I multitask a lot, and a lot of compilation and encoding routines are even multithreaded. I've been considering a couple different single core solutions (T43, Asus Z33Ae) but I just can't bring myself to do it. I've dreamt of dual cores for too long.