One endearing thing that never changes about Lenovo is the basic all-black design of their laptops. The T61 is no different in this respect. It follows the same basic color philosophy that has been in place for over a decade now.
However that’s where the comparison ends. Compared to previous generation products the T61 is far sleeker. It employs a slimmer design, has sharper edges and sports a very good matte finish. There are two variations on the finish though. The top of the laptop (i.e. the lid) has a very soft and almost silky feel, whereas the keyboard area is a lot more textured and looks more ordinary.
The physical construction of the laptop is top-notch as usual. The plastic used is quite stiff and sturdy, and the hinges pack in the normal titanium reinforcement. The keyboard area continues to impress. It offers plenty of space for comfortable placement of hands and this makes typing much easier. The keyboard itself is as good as ever. The keys offer a very comfortable elevation, good spacing and a smooth texture that makes working long hours on the laptop a non-issue.
As is the norm with Lenovo, both trackpoint and trackpad mouse are on offer. While the trackpoint offers a very good working experience, the latter is disappointing. It’s small, badly placed, and offers terrible usability. I feel it shouldn't have been there in the first place. While we admire Lenovo's effort to offer a wealth of options, this is a bad move. A bit more attention – such as expanding the trackpad area and offering better traction – would have improved the experience.
The LCD panel of the T61 is a 14.1 inch widescreen affair, with a native resolution of 1440 x 900. This offers more working area and is a welcome change. However, the panel’s brightness and contrast leave a lot to be desired. It’s at best average and though it’s good enough for document work, if you are a multimedia enthusiast you're better off looking at other Lenovo models. It’s a pity that the Flexview option that was available on the T60 is not available on this model.
The placement of the connectivity ports too has changed. Earlier the USB ports were placed in a horizontal manner, but now they are placed vertically. This is a bit of a nuisance, as one has to struggle to use them and some unnecessary fiddling is required.
Connectivity-wise the laptop is decently equipped. It offers three USB ports, Firewire, and a dual-layer DVD-RW. For a more comprehensive list, please check out the specification table here.
I am having the exact same HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE as Scott Uhrmann with this T61 generation of Thinkpads. We have purchased 3 of these and they are all slow and buggy. The drivers are a mess. I tried the Vista Ultimate and XP Pro restore disks that come with them and could not make any of them work satisfactorily. The only tolerable performance is with Windows Server 2008 or Linux. Lenovo better be paying attention or they will lose their loyal following fast. 
