ThinkPad Z60t Laptop
 "Is that the new ThinkPad, nice..." I received my first laptop complement when my Z60t debuted on its first flight. I think it must have been the titanium top or the new widescreen ThinkPad design. Nevertheless, it was nice to get noticed. Replacement Reasons The Z60t ($1,999) replaced my previous 14-inch widescreen HP DV1040 ($1,499) laptop which was about a year old. I mainly purchased the -- newly released -- ThinkPad because of its integrated fingerprint reader (for security) and the reliability track record of the IBM (now owned by Lenovo) ThinkPad line. Long battery life and ease of portability were also important factors. A Lightweight Widescreen The Z60t is the first "widescreen" notebook in the ThinkPad line along with 15-inch Z60m. During my travels on Southwest the Z60t fit comfortably on the tray table. I have used larger laptops on planes and always felt cramped. However, any 14-inch widescreen laptop is about the largest size you'll want to use in coach. Besides being lightweight, and small, the widescreen display was helpful for viewing documents side by side, or watching widescreen movies without the black bars. Good Speed The Z60t is not the fastest laptop on the market, but it was more than adequate for my "everyday" tasks. It was noticeably faster than my previous laptop, which was to be expected due to the Z60t's faster hard drive and processor. Sweet Keyboard The keyboard has a nice solid feel. The main keys are all full-size which made typing easy, compared to the ultra-portable (under 12-inch) laptops which generally half-size some of the keys. My only gripe was about the odd placement of the seldom used "Fn" key in the lower left corner. Most other vendors reserve this area for the more frequently used "Ctrl" key, which I use for cutting and pasting shortcuts. It took a few weeks to get used the interior placement of the "Ctrl" key, but I eventually got used to it. Otherwise, the keyboard is the best in its class.  No Frills Monitor Initially, the Z60t monitor appears dull, when compared to the glossy (BrightView or XBrite) screens, which are becoming very popular in HP and Sony laptops. However, I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was on my eyes. The screen looks best when viewed directly in the front, because it will lose clarity off-axis. I have seen better laptop screens, but it was adequate for everyday business tasks. TrackPoint Lives On The touchpad (mouse controller) worked well. The speed and sensitivity of the cursor were perfectly set for my needs right out of the box. The TrackPoint knob device is also available, but having never used it before, I found little use for it. Limited software Pre-installed software is sparse, consisting mainly of offers for Symantec AntiVirus/Firewall and Diskeeper Lite. I did like the ThinkVantage Productivity Center which guides you through the security setup process, and fingerprint reader activation. Additionally, it helps you create a secondary, secured virtual hard drive to encrypt your private data for an added layer of security. In very little time I had secured access to my Z60t by fingerprint and multiple passwords, plus had an encrypted hard drive. I don't think there is another laptop that can match this level of integrated security. Bio-metric Security I liked the fingerprint reader, but I was not good at getting it to read my fingerprint on the first swipe. I thought I would eventually get the hang of it, but it still seemed to be hit or miss half the time. I'll be the first to admit if it was user error, but I have noticed other ThinkPad owners repeat the fingerprint swipe a time or two. Nevertheless, it's a minor encumbrance to a very tight security solution. Wireless Broadband Bonus The Z60t comes equipped to connect to any wi-fi hotspot -- covering a/b/g networks. But it's currently the only laptop with an integrated BroadbandAccess Wireless option. BroadbandAccess is Verizon's high-speed wireless (EVDO) option that gives you high-speed wireless internet access without having to be in a wi-fi hotspot. You're fully covered in 171 cities where Verizon currently offers the service. Verizon's Connection I tested BroadbandAccess in the Fort Lauderdale Airport. After completing the initial sign-up page, I was told to wait 15 minutes for my account to be activated. I wasn't please with the waiting period, but after the delay I was surfing at broadband speeds wirelessly. The download speed is rated at 400-700 kbps and capable of reaching up to 2.0Mbps. It seemed slightly slower than my home Verizon DSL connection, but was really only noticeable when a streaming Reuters news video became jumpy. I stayed connected for just over an hour without interruption or a dropped signal while I waited to board. The Price of Access BroadbandAccess is available for a daily charge of $15. Although, Verizon cell phone customers can get an unlimited usage plan for $59/month with a 2-year agreement. Non-verizon customers are charged $79/month. Other laptops can get the same access with an external PMCIA card ($99) to utilize BroadbandAccess. Accident Proof Another feature worth mentioning is called Airbag Protection System (APS). It's basically a shock protection system, that protects the hard drive in case you drop it. I couldn't bring myself to fully test out this feature, but I'll keep you posted should the Z60t take a swan dive to the pavement. Final Take I would definitely recommend the Z60t to the business traveler who values portability, security and reliability. The integrated BroadbandAccess wireless option proved to be a very handy feature, and could become your savior during that important business presentation, or off-site client meeting. Choose the titanium cover and you too may get noticed.  Pros Integrated BroadbandAccess Fingerprint Security Airbag Hard Drive Protection Compact and Easy to Travel With Integrated CD-RW and DVD+/-RW Good Battery Life Solid Keyboard Cons Lackluster Screen Limited Software Resources:ThinkPad Z60t (2511-FEU) System Specs:
The views and opinions expressed are solely that of the author, and may not be the views of eCoustics.com. Every effort was made to insure fair, accurate, honest, and reliable reporting. The equipment was purchased from a local Office Depot. At the time of publication the manufacturer was not a current advertiser, had never purchased advertising, and has no known intent to start advertising on eCoustics.com. The author affirms he and all immediate family members are neither shareholders, partners, investors, subsidiary, consultant, contractor, agency, or affiliate of the manufacturer. Brian Mitchell Founder & CEO eCoustics.com |
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     New member Username: Cea801Post Number: 1 Registered: Jan-06 |
This is a very nice laptop. The titanium top looks sharp but more importantly seems to be virtually scratch-proof. And physically the thing is absolutely rock solid. I'm notorious for breaking hinges on laptops but I don't think it's likely to be a problem with the Z60t. The ThinkPads are the only laptops that still come with a pointing device in the middle of the keyboard, which I personally prefer to the track pad. It also has the usual track pad for those who prefer that option. The keyboard has a firm feel that takes a little getting used to, but I think it's better than most laptop keyboards, and apparently it's supposed to be well sealed, although I haven't poured a cup of coffee on it yet so I can't attest to that. Its biggest shortcoming is its non-standard power connector, different from the other IBM ThinkPads. It comes with a regular AC adapter, but apparently no one (not even IBM) makes a DC-to-DC adapter--so prepare to carry an inverter AND the AC adapter if you want to use this in a car or an airplane. The tech support guy I talked to at Targus says their adapters will presumably come with a tip for it eventually, but he couldn't tell me when. The best part of this machine is the networking and interface capabilities--built-in gigabit ethernet AND 802.11a/b/g AND Bluetooth AND Modem AND Firewire AND an SD slot AND if you want it, Verizon's EV-DO support, which lets you use both their NationalAccess and BroadbandAccess nationwide (USA) networks, assuming you're willing to pay Verizon $60-$80 a month for the privilege. These offer DSL-class performance in big cities and better-than-dialup performance in a lot of more rural areas. Since the card comes built-in and Verizon doesn't have to provide equipment, they offer a 1-year contract instead of the usual 2-year contract. Although it's not clear from the literature whether the Z60t works on the NationalAccess (rural) network, I can certify that it does--flipping open the laptop in some Illinois cornfield and checking my e-mail sure beats messing with cellular dialup adapters or trying to find the nearest hotspot. There is a physical switch to enable/disable all wireless. Battery life is okay--I seem to get at least 3 hours on the standard battery under normal use. There are bigger batteries available--the battery hangs off the back of the laptop. The standard one adds about an inch to the apparent size of the case, the smallest one is basically flush, and if you want a massive battery you can get one. There's also a second battery that will go into a bay in the machine instead of the optical drive, but since you can get a large battery for the back bay I doubt many will choose that option. The Z60t comes laden with as much "junkware" as every other laptop, and consequently the boot, login and shutdown times are as glacial as you might expect. The fingerprint reader software (which you don't have to enable if you don't want to) lets you log in with your fingerprint, which is kind of cool, but the software itself is schlocky (when you log on you can see it overwriting the title bar of one of the regular Windows login dialogs with its own text--not very confidence inspiring) and it seemed to take even longer to log on once I'd enabled it. I'm one of the psychos who wipes the hard drive and starts over with a clean Windows install to purge my new machines of junkware, so I can confirm that the Lenovo web site has all the drivers you need to get a vanilla XP installation to work, except for one driver (a hotfix for the high-resolution audio driver) which you have to get from Microsoft support. Starting over will require a Windows XP CD (the machine comes with a license but no media), access to another machine and a CD burner, a fast Internet connection, some Windows know-how and the better part of a day, but it speeds up the boot/shutdown process immensely, and gives you a roadmap to follow if you ever have to replace the hard drive under less favorable circumstances. There are some built-in recovery options (a second partition with a compressed version of the original software install, and some on-line support tools) which are accessible via a "ThinkVantage" button above the keyboard--these tools will be lost once you do a clean installation, and a non-technical user might miss them, but I don't. The Z60t is a bit pricey (about US $2,000 loaded) and a bit short on screen real estate if you're used to one of those desktop-on-your-lap gamer/multimedia machines, and it will be better once there's a DC adapter, but for my money the go-anywhere built in networking and the rock solid construction make it the best "road warrior" machine I've ever seen. |
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New member Username: Cea801Post Number: 2 Registered: Jan-06 |
Follow-up: There is now a AC-DC adapter available for the Z60t from Lenovo. |
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New member Username: JanjlPost Number: 1 Registered: Jun-06 |
With respect to "Limited software"; doesn't all the Lenovo PCs/laptops/Tablets come with a statement in the user manual that once the unit is registered, you are eligible for a free copy of Lotus SmartSuite (word processor, spreadsheet, database, organizer, presentation graphics, etc. that can input/output MS Office compatible files) and a one seat copy of Lotus Notes ? The user manual gives the 1-800 number to call, you call, give your equipment model and serial number and they ship you the CDs of the free software within a week. ................ Jan |
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