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Lenovo bought IBM's Think line of computers in 2005 and has released new iterations of their notebook computers, the ThinkPads, over the past few years. Today we are taking a look at their latest road warrior, the ThinkPad T61.

The ThinkPad T61 comes in either a 14.1" or 15.1" widescreen display with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (up to 2.4GHz) and your choice of Windows Vista or Windows XP. Some key features include a shock-mounted hard drive, fingerprint reader, and Intel Centrino Pro technology for the best processing power, battery life, and enhanced notebook management.

Our review unit included a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of DDR2-677 RAM, a 160GB hard disk, 14.1" display at 1440x900 resolution, an nVidia Quadro NVS 140M graphics chipset, DVD multi-burner, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. For battery power, a 6-cell battery was included, and a 4-cell or 7-cell is available on Lenovo's website.

In a sentence, the ThinkPad T61 is a power-packed, portable, speed demon. The ThinkPad T61 is very portable, weighing in at only 5.23 lbs in this configuration.

The 14.1" widescreen display is very bright, and the hinge on the display is very sturdy thanks to the all-new ThinkPad Roll Cage on the top cover. The wireless range couldn't have been better with the Intel 802.11n wireless card connected to our 802.11n wireless network.

If you're clumsy like me, you'll love the ThinkPad since it has the ThinkVantage Active Protection System. This technology automatically detects falls and jolts to the hard disk and parks the head preventing data loss. Plus, the keyboard is spill-proof just like the previously reviewed Fujitsu LifeBook V1010, but the keyboard is oh, so-much better and feels a lot more tactile in feedback. The trackpad buttons were a little on the small side, but Lenovo was generous enough to also include a TrackPoint pointing stick in the center of the keyboard.

There are so many great aspects to the ThinkPad T61, including performance. The T61 received a score of 3021 PCMarks in our PCMark Vantage tests. In our Maxon Cinebench tests, the notebook received scores of 2489 (single-core), and 4607 (dual-core) which are quite reasonable for a notebook graphics chipset. In battery life, the notebook received almost 3 hours of battery life with wireless turned on. Compared to the budget-priced LifeBook V1010, the T61 outperforms the LifeBook in almost every aspect.

Overall, the ThinkPad T61 from Lenovo should be the hands-down choice for all road warriors and business travelers. It is the golden standard of all business-class notebook computers. Prices start at just $964 USD at the time of review.

Pros

• Great performance.
• Phenomenal build quality.
• Dual pointing devices and tactile, spill-proof keyboard.
• Active protection system for preventing data loss.
• Great 802.11 wireless reception.
• Small power adapter.

Cons

• Trackpad buttons a little on the small side.
• You'll want to upgrade the battery for extra long business trips.

Final Verdict
4.5 out of 5 stars.

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