Lenovo ThinkPad – The Perfect Notebook Keyboard? We ‘Think’ so!
July 18, 2010
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Lenovo ThinkPad keyboards are known to be the best there is but have you ever wondered what goes into making a keyboard that users will appreciate and love to use? Or more importantly, how to avoid making one they’ll hate?
The designers of the new ThinkPad Edge 13 and the ThinkPad X100e tried to answer just that question and most IT Technology pundits, ourselves included, think they found the answer.
“Honestly, there were a lot of difficult choices to be made,” wrote Lenovo engineer Arimasa Naitoh. “Is it really a keyboard worthy of the name ThinkPad? We asked ourselves this question over and over again during development.”
Of all the design and engineering that goes into making a portable computer, one might think that the keyboard is just an afterthought. That’s certainly not the case, however, for the people at Lenovo, who’ve just released an article about creating the new keyboard for the ThinkPad Edge 13 and the ThinkPad X100e, which marks a new direction for keyboard design.
New trends show an increased use by manufactures of so-called “chiclet-style,” or “island-style,” keyboards, and Lenovo is helping lead the way, however, the company prefers the term “isolation keyboards.”
Lenovo’s isolation keyboards are unlike any others’. Rather than have the keys stick out of the actual laptop frame, the Lenovo keys have their own separate frame that is gracefully attached to the larger frame. This, says engineers, makes for a stronger and more dynamic keyboard that’s simpler to replace should something go wrong.
The changes are small, but any regular ThinkPad user will immediately see a difference. For instance, the arrow and function keys may look like a mouthful of crooked teeth, but there’s method to Lenovo’s madness – the company has conducted countless user surveys, focus groups and put to use years of engineering experience to build the layout best suited for comfortable use.
The center-mounted TrackPoint has changed a bit as well. No longer content to stick out like a sore thumb, it has been cut down to sit flush with the rest of the computer. The tip has been changed, too, now with a slightly concave rubber tip with dimples rather than the smooth convex tip.
Just one look at the article on Yamato Thinking and it’s clear that the company has put everything it has into designing an effective new keyboard layout. Want to see more? Take a look at the design diagrams and explore the new layout at Yamato Thinking. The Lenovo ThinkPad really does have the best laptop keyboard and the new ThinkPad Edge ‘isolation’ keyboard is no exception.
Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience for ThinkPads, Review and Video Overview
October 12, 2009
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Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience for ThinkPad’s
If you’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of Windows 7 then you’ll be pleased to hear the latest news from Lenovo. The company will soon begin offering customers what they call “the Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience.” Read more
Lenovo USB to DVI Monitor Adapter, up to 6 Screens – 1080p resolution!
October 5, 2009
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I don’t think there would be one of us that hasn’t at one time craved more space or Multiple screens on our ThinkPad, well, the new Lenovo USB to DVI Monitor Adapter cures that craving! Read more
ThinkPad notebooks reduce Total Cost of Ownership for Enterprise, Small Business and Soloprenuer
September 22, 2009
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When is a notebook purchase not a commodity buy? When its a Lenovo ThinkPad!
If you want real value from your notebook purchase and real return delivered from Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), there is only really one choice, and that is ThinkPad.
We read an interesting article last week about the increasing trend towards treating notebook purchases as a commodity. Read more
Lenovo Thinkpad T400s – Stress testing with Matt Kohut and the DOW
June 23, 2009
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The recently introduced ThinkPad T400s which launched on the 23rd June has had some very extensive field and stress testing during its development.
One of the most amazing tests was to run over a ThinkPad T400s with a 26,000lb DOW truck, or ‘Doppler on Wheels Vehicle’ used by the CSWR and the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Read more
Lenovo and Absolute Computrace team up with the ThinkPad T400
February 7, 2009
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In a further drive to increase the security of mobile data and ‘on the go’ computing, Lenovo has announced that the ThinkPad T400 will be among the first notebook to ship with support for Intel® Anti-Theft PC Protection and Absolute Computrace technology built in.
<– Click to Redeem the latest ThinkPad T400 Coupon Code
The new optional services is now available from Lenovo as an option when you purchase a new ThinkPad T400.
Whilst we couldn’t get a firm commitment from Lenovo, the ThinkPad T500 and the SMB targeted SL Series are sure to follow. Read more
Lenovo ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive, The Vault
February 5, 2009
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Lenovo’s ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive. Lost laptops and data are becoming an escalating problem with the ever increasing portability of data, and the more we can protect it from prying eyes the better. It’s bad enough when you lose you precious Laptop, but when its actually stolen, it gets really bad.
We all like to take our files with us when we travel or quickly drag and drop files onto a portable Hard Drive to synchronize between home and office, and vice versa.
Whilst ThinkPad laptops have always been the most secure notebooks around, with fingerprint readers, Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Chips) and now support for Intel® Anti-Theft PC Protection built in, what if your portable Hard Drive goes missing?
The new Lenovo ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive, or the ‘Mobil Vault’ as Lenovo calls it, has a key code system to ensure that your data is protected at all times. Key in your number via the neat little keypad to access your data. The 128-bit advanced encryption security standard ensures your data remains secure, and real-time encryption means you don’t experience any ‘lag’ time whilst your data is being encrypted.
The ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive has been specifically designed to give ThinkPad notebook owners the extra portable storage they need, without compromising security. Up to 10 users can have their own unique ID plus an admin account, so this is a great way to share data amongst colleagues, and the home and office.
The drive itself is powered from the USB port which eliminates the hassle of stuffing another power cord into your case. The High Speed USB 2.0 interface and cable makes transferring data simplicity itself and the cable stores neatly into the hard drive’s case.
The “Vault” is now available and the 160GB model is $179, while the 320GB is priced at $219.
At 3” by 5” it will slip away anywhere, even in the proverbial shirt pocket or purse! The Consumer Electronics Association recently awarded the ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive the CES Innovations 2009 Design and Engineering Best of Innovations Award in the Computer Peripherals category.
If I am going on a trip, my Seagate 40GB drive always goes in my laptop bag but it’s long overdue for replacement so a ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive will be my traveling companion from here on in.
If you carry data around with you, synchronise between offices or home, collaborate at work, the ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive is a must have accessory.
ThinkPad T400 and T500 Keyboard Stiffness: Myth Busted
September 3, 2008
When we did our quick review of the ThinkPad T400 and T500 a couple of weeks back we were impressed by the usual outstanding build quality that this latest incarnation of the T Series displayed.
We were particularly impressed with the keyboard, which for us, has always been one of the most important features of any ThinkPad. Typing on a ThinkPad keyboard has always been a joy and it has been a feature that most other manufacturers just dont seem to be able to get close to.
In other words, ThinkPad keyboards are just the best of any notebook, period!
We started to get concerned when we saw posts appearing on several blogs that the keyboard on the new ThinkPad T400/T500 was not as good as previous models and had a lot of flex.
We just did not think this was true and it seems that David Hill from http://lenovoblogs.com/designmatters/ was also concerned. Well, he would be, he is one of the lead designers at Lenovo and has a hand in making sure that all is well with traditional ThinkPad values!
You can read David’s full post here, and it debunks the myth that the keyboard on the latest ThinkPad T series is not as good as the T61.
http://lenovoblogs.com/designmatters/?p=228
Thanks David, keep up the good work!
Lenovo Introduces SSD and Backlit LED’s on new ThinkPad’s
July 24, 2008
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SED and LED options for the new ThinkPad T400, T500, ThinkPad W500 and the New ThinkPad X200
Lenovo has announced several new full laptop ranges which will include SSDs (solid-state drives) as a storage option and LED backlit displays.
The new ThinkPad T400 may have an SSD option (soon as we have news we’ll let you know) but the ThinkPad T500 will have a 64 GB Solid State drive as an option and will also include an LED display Read more
How to refurbish an old IBM ThinkPad
July 14, 2008
A real quickie this one but just read a great post on the PCWorld Site about revitalizing an old laptop. Really super stuff and great for anybody who has a much loved older IBM ThinkPad and just wants to keep it because it works!
PC World Article ‘Revitalize an Aging Notebook on the Cheap’
Very often we can spend more than we need when a simple home refurb will suffice, or maybe you’ve bought a bargain from ebay and want to spruce it up?
Great article by Brian Nadel.
