Is the Lenovo R61 too ancient looking?

fancypants · 7th February 2008, 10:25 AM

Well I have just seen that a lenovo r61 with a t7100 processors are going for less than a grand now. Just wondering if anyone has one and if they are bearable to look at? Because they look old and fugly in all the pics I have seen. Which always seem to be with the notebook open too which is annoying. So if you have one (would be great if you could post some pics)

Cheers

yihfeng · 7th February 2008, 10:49 AM

Don't worry, they all look old and fugly. But that's what the think pad fans love about it. Even though they don't look particularly good, they are built like a absolute tank, or at least up till the point Lenovo took over. Don't have that much experience with Lenovo laptops, but from what I read, it isn't as good...

fancypants · 7th February 2008, 10:53 AM

yeah I know it sounds stupid but I dont think I would enjoy using a laptop that looks 10 years old when its brand new.

woof · 7th February 2008, 10:53 AM

Dont own one. But I think they look like you mean business. Also if you have to look like your cutting costs then also good. Dont most laptops look the same these days. At least this ones black. I think IBM (Lenovo) where one off the first to do that. It does look strikingly similar to the 1998 model though if I can remember it.

Looking good is not as important is playing the part.

Why dont you post some pics from the web so we can evaluate it.

Menthu_Rae · 7th February 2008, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fancypants

yeah I know it sounds stupid but I dont think I would enjoy using a laptop that looks 10 years old when its brand new.

I had an IBM R32 a few years ago. At the time, it was near top of the line. Pentium4-M 1.6GHz, 256MB RAM, 16MB ATi Mobility Radeon, etc.

The best thing about it, was that it looked crap. The outside casing of mine was all scratched up from being transported around. People at school would go "pfft, nice laptop" - then I'd tell them the specs, and they'd be shocked...

I also tend to think of it this way... a thief sees a shiny new HP laptop, with its blue flashing lights, metallic silver accents, and high gloss finish... he then sees your dull black R61, which looks plain and uninteresting...

What do you think he's going to steal?

IMO, if you do a lot of travelling and use your laptop in public places - a "stealthy" laptop is the way to go. There's no point in attracting attention to yourself, your valuable information, etc.

SLATYE · 7th February 2008, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fancypants

yeah I know it sounds stupid but I dont think I would enjoy using a laptop that looks 10 years old when its brand new.

If you derive your enjoyment from how the laptop looks rather than how it performs, I'd suggest buying a MacBook.

fancypants · 7th February 2008, 12:39 PM

All valid comments.

Obviously looks aren't everything, but I would say they are about 20% of it for me. I mean I doubt many of you guys would have a Q6600 setup in a crappy looking beige case from the 90s. I don't mind not having looks but if I can get something just as good performance wise but looks better for the same or similar price I would be crazy not to go for it. I must admit I am glad ibm/lenovo are doing widescreen lappies with reasonable resolutions now at least. I have seem many a IBM thinkpad but just wondered if the lenovo's were a bit more appetising on the eyes. I am not worried in the slightest about having my laptop stolen.

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crag_v · 7th February 2008, 12:56 PM

They really appeal to me, personally. I love the idea of a 'sleeper' whether its a car, a laptop, or a tv series.

silenthunter · 7th February 2008, 12:58 PM

Is the screen still 4:3 on them? Its hard to tell in the picture, but pretty much every notebook is 16:10/9 these days its odd that the think pads have stayed with 4:3 I suppose it doesnt make a heap of difference but I personally like looking at a wide screen more. My eyes are next to each other not on top of one another.

Just from a aesthetic perspective I also think wide screen laptops look a little bit more stylish.

Atleast they still have the clit mouse!

fancypants · 7th February 2008, 2:19 PM

"I must admit I am glad ibm/lenovo are doing widescreen lappies with reasonable resolutions now at least. "

Sanzy · 7th February 2008, 2:35 PM

My work has around 50 IBM / Lenovo laptops including the T41, T42, T43, R50, T60, R60 and now R61,

To be honest I think they have gotten bigger and chunkier since Lenovo took over.

The look of the thinkpad has not really changed at all. It give you a familiar feeling using any thinkpad cause they all look and feel similar.

The other good thing is that untill the T and R 60 machines came out the docking station had never changed. Now i hope they keep the new docking station for just as long.

maskslash · 7th February 2008, 6:54 PM

I picked up an ugly t61 in hong kong - they are really beautiful machines in terms of screen quality and strength.

I must admit it takes the shine off buying something that isnt shiny but I like my specs and mine came standard with 3yr international warranty - not too many laptop makers offer that... or advertise a roll cage...

buy it! just dont expect any "wow you got a new laptop" I got "why did u buy such an ugly laptop"

ghettro · 7th February 2008, 11:53 PM

I actually like the way they look, it's great they don't have to feel they have to change the look at the whim of fashion, they are easily identifiable as thinkpads - it's created a bit of uniqueness which sets it apart from the rest. This is coming from someone who owns a macbook... hehe

Febs · 8th February 2008, 12:09 AM

On the topic of Lenovo's....have they licensed the IBM name back from IBM?

I remember a period (around the T60's introduction) where they were branded as "Lenovo Thinkpads", rather than "IBM Thinkpads" (a few colleagues were upgraded during this time, and have them)...but I just got a new T61 from work this week, and it's branded as an "IBM Thinkpad".

I thought there was a point in time where they were no longer to use the IBM name (and that that point passed a while ago?)

Cheers,
- Febs.

PS: Agreed, not terribly nice machines to look at, but great to use!

Tony · 8th February 2008, 12:22 AM

i think they are trying to move to "Lenovo Ideapad" as the new name

i have an R61 for work - the 14" ones

it's neither fast nor is the battery long lasting

but they are good workers and i've had mine on construction sites and on planes and it's decent

but i personally wouldn't buy an IBM these days with my own money

IMO they got thicker and more clunky

I liked the T40 series - they were almost "sexy slim"

even compared to the boring latitudes, they are are boring,

7th February 2008, 10:25 AM	#1
fancypants Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 76	Is the Lenovo R61 too ancient looking? Well I have just seen that a lenovo r61 with a t7100 processors are going for less than a grand now. Just wondering if anyone has one and if they are bearable to look at? Because they look old and fugly in all the pics I have seen. Which always seem to be with the notebook open too which is annoying. So if you have one (would be great if you could post some pics) Cheers __________________ Main Rig: E6400 \| Gigabyte P35-DS3P \| 2 x 1GB OCZ-System Elite DDR2-800 \| Nvidia 7600 GT \| Samsung 226BW l Antec Sonata III & Earthwatts 500 PSU l Logitech G15 & VX Revolution MCE Rig: E4300 \| Gigabyte P31-S3L \| 512Mb DDR2-667 \| Asus EN7300GS \| 200GB PATA \| TCL 40" LCD l Coolermaster Cavalier l Coolermaster Extreme 430 l DNTV Live! Dual Hybrid PCI-E S2 l MCE Remote Successful trades: BuuBox, de_kyal, Fettrix, ryooma, aXLe, Rogue, jboles, Bthree, buzzen, lukky,OlieG

7th February 2008, 10:53 AM	#3
fancypants Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 76	yeah I know it sounds stupid but I dont think I would enjoy using a laptop that looks 10 years old when its brand new. __________________ Main Rig: E6400 \| Gigabyte P35-DS3P \| 2 x 1GB OCZ-System Elite DDR2-800 \| Nvidia 7600 GT \| Samsung 226BW l Antec Sonata III & Earthwatts 500 PSU l Logitech G15 & VX Revolution MCE Rig: E4300 \| Gigabyte P31-S3L \| 512Mb DDR2-667 \| Asus EN7300GS \| 200GB PATA \| TCL 40" LCD l Coolermaster Cavalier l Coolermaster Extreme 430 l DNTV Live! Dual Hybrid PCI-E S2 l MCE Remote Successful trades: BuuBox, de_kyal, Fettrix, ryooma, aXLe, Rogue, jboles, Bthree, buzzen, lukky,OlieG

7th February 2008, 12:39 PM	#7
fancypants Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 76	All valid comments. Obviously looks aren't everything, but I would say they are about 20% of it for me. I mean I doubt many of you guys would have a Q6600 setup in a crappy looking beige case from the 90s. I don't mind not having looks but if I can get something just as good performance wise but looks better for the same or similar price I would be crazy not to go for it. I must admit I am glad ibm/lenovo are doing widescreen lappies with reasonable resolutions now at least. I have seem many a IBM thinkpad but just wondered if the lenovo's were a bit more appetising on the eyes. I am not worried in the slightest about having my laptop stolen. Click to view full-sized image! Hosted by UGBox Image Store __________________ Main Rig: E6400 \| Gigabyte P35-DS3P \| 2 x 1GB OCZ-System Elite DDR2-800 \| Nvidia 7600 GT \| Samsung 226BW l Antec Sonata III & Earthwatts 500 PSU l Logitech G15 & VX Revolution MCE Rig: E4300 \| Gigabyte P31-S3L \| 512Mb DDR2-667 \| Asus EN7300GS \| 200GB PATA \| TCL 40" LCD l Coolermaster Cavalier l Coolermaster Extreme 430 l DNTV Live! Dual Hybrid PCI-E S2 l MCE Remote Successful trades: BuuBox, de_kyal, Fettrix, ryooma, aXLe, Rogue, jboles, Bthree, buzzen, lukky,OlieG

7th February 2008, 12:56 PM	#8
crag_v Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Macleod (3085), Melbourne Posts: 871	They really appeal to me, personally. I love the idea of a 'sleeper' whether its a car, a laptop, or a tv series. __________________ Data Retriever - running a COMPETITION for November only - win an 8GB USB drive! Main rig: Q6600@3.20GHz (400x8) w/Noctua NH-U12P, GA-965P-DS3P, 8GBDDR2@800Mhz, ATi 4890, Windows 7x64 eMac: 1.0GHz G4, 1GB, 320GB, DVDRW, Airport Express, Fedora10 \|

7th February 2008, 2:19 PM	#10
fancypants Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 76	"I must admit I am glad ibm/lenovo are doing widescreen lappies with reasonable resolutions now at least. " __________________ Main Rig: E6400 \| Gigabyte P35-DS3P \| 2 x 1GB OCZ-System Elite DDR2-800 \| Nvidia 7600 GT \| Samsung 226BW l Antec Sonata III & Earthwatts 500 PSU l Logitech G15 & VX Revolution MCE Rig: E4300 \| Gigabyte P31-S3L \| 512Mb DDR2-667 \| Asus EN7300GS \| 200GB PATA \| TCL 40" LCD l Coolermaster Cavalier l Coolermaster Extreme 430 l DNTV Live! Dual Hybrid PCI-E S2 l MCE Remote Successful trades: BuuBox, de_kyal, Fettrix, ryooma, aXLe, Rogue, jboles, Bthree, buzzen, lukky,OlieG

7th February 2008, 10:49 AM	#2
yihfeng Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,404	Don't worry, they all look old and fugly. But that's what the think pad fans love about it. Even though they don't look particularly good, they are built like a absolute tank, or at least up till the point Lenovo took over. Don't have that much experience with Lenovo laptops, but from what I read, it isn't as good...

7th February 2008, 10:53 AM	#4
woof Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 570	Dont own one. But I think they look like you mean business. Also if you have to look like your cutting costs then also good. Dont most laptops look the same these days. At least this ones black. I think IBM (Lenovo) where one off the first to do that. It does look strikingly similar to the 1998 model though if I can remember it. Looking good is not as important is playing the part. Why dont you post some pics from the web so we can evaluate it.

7th February 2008, 12:58 PM	#9
silenthunter Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Melbourne Posts: 2,261	Is the screen still 4:3 on them? Its hard to tell in the picture, but pretty much every notebook is 16:10/9 these days its odd that the think pads have stayed with 4:3 I suppose it doesnt make a heap of difference but I personally like looking at a wide screen more. My eyes are next to each other not on top of one another. Just from a aesthetic perspective I also think wide screen laptops look a little bit more stylish. Atleast they still have the clit mouse!

7th February 2008, 6:54 PM	#12
maskslash Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 264	I picked up an ugly t61 in hong kong - they are really beautiful machines in terms of screen quality and strength. I must admit it takes the shine off buying something that isnt shiny but I like my specs and mine came standard with 3yr international warranty - not too many laptop makers offer that... or advertise a roll cage... buy it! just dont expect any "wow you got a new laptop" I got "why did u buy such an ugly laptop"

7th February 2008, 11:53 PM	#13
ghettro Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 394	I actually like the way they look, it's great they don't have to feel they have to change the look at the whim of fashion, they are easily identifiable as thinkpads - it's created a bit of uniqueness which sets it apart from the rest. This is coming from someone who owns a macbook... hehe

8th February 2008, 12:09 AM	#14
Febs Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Probably mid-air.. Posts: 5,849	On the topic of Lenovo's....have they licensed the IBM name back from IBM? I remember a period (around the T60's introduction) where they were branded as "Lenovo Thinkpads", rather than "IBM Thinkpads" (a few colleagues were upgraded during this time, and have them)...but I just got a new T61 from work this week, and it's branded as an "IBM Thinkpad". I thought there was a point in time where they were no longer to use the IBM name (and that that point passed a while ago?) Cheers, - Febs. PS: Agreed, not terribly nice machines to look at, but great to use! __________________ Quote of the Week "How about enraged family groups exercise their right not to watch the fcking thing?"* (Dropbear)

8th February 2008, 12:22 AM	#15
Tony Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,915	i think they are trying to move to "Lenovo Ideapad" as the new name i have an R61 for work - the 14" ones it's neither fast nor is the battery long lasting but they are good workers and i've had mine on construction sites and on planes and it's decent but i personally wouldn't buy an IBM these days with my own money IMO they got thicker and more clunky I liked the T40 series - they were almost "sexy slim" even compared to the boring latitudes, they are are boring, __________________ "Nowadays things are completely different, and auto makers are much more global in structure. Its difficult to see ANY new car these days as the product of any one company or country. There are honourable exceptions that prove this rule though. The R32, R33 and R34 series Skylines were the babies of an intensely focused faction inside Nissan, a group who still feel their heritage & family tree come from the Prince regime of ex-aircraft engineers who were really serious about racing and making great cars. Sadly, this group now seems to be feeling pressure to change." I drive a stock R33 non turbo automatic Skyline - 120kW at the wheels! OCAU Nissan Skyline Club Member