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.

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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.”

Microsoft has been trying hard to re-establish their brand in the minds of consumers ever since the first version of Vista rolled off the assembly line and the company’s leaders have put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into making sure that the system is flawless. And Lenovo, to improve upon near-perfection, has completed a full optimization of the operating system for its machines.

The Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience features a number of upgrades to, and optimization of, the Windows 7 platform to give specific advantages to ThinkPad and IdeaPad users. Combine the Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience with the imminent releases of the new ThinkPad T410, ThinkPad T510, ThinkPad SL410/510 and the ThinkPad X210 series, the Lenovo Thinkpad range is going to be difficult to beat in the Business notebook sector

Let’s take a look at what’s in store for users taking advantage of the Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience.

Faster Start-Up/Shut-Down

The Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience makes sure that you can get to work right away.

The programmers at Lenovo have totally optimized the new speed capabilities of Windows 7 – which already has much faster start-up and shut-down times than the ancient Windows XP and the buggy Windows Vista – by optimizing hardware settings, reorganizing system files and by preventing the system from booting up unnecessary processes. The end result is readily apparent.

Measured against a non-optimized Windows 7 machine, start-up times were up to 33 percent faster and shut-down times were 50 percent faster, meaning that 10-minute start-up and shut-down times are a thing of the past.

Windows 7 Advanced Entertainment and Graphics

Equipped with DirectX10, digital audio, and the latest high-definition graphics technology, Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience machines offer unparalleled entertainment.

With the enhanced graphics cards and video decoders on the Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience you can be sure that all of the high-definition video that you watch will be free of screen jitters and stutters. Combining this with the upgraded digital audio components provides absolutely seamless playback of even the most data-rich videos.

Gamers, too, will appreciate the Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience since the operating system can make use of Aero Peek and Aero Flip, both of which create flawless transitions while playing advanced, graphic-intense 3D games.

Easy Restore/Repair

Both Windows XP and Windows Vista have had problems with backing-up data and setting system-restore points. Now you can rest assured – with the combination of Windows 7 backup and the Lenovo Rescue System 3.0 – that your data will be there when you need it.

The update also allows users to fix individually affected files and folders rather than having to revert the machine to point in the past, which means you won’t have to lose data like you would have previously.

Security

With an eye for business users, the Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience offers extreme security of sensitive data. Specially enhanced ThinkPad machines will not only run faster, but they will also protect your data more effectively with the integrated multi-layered security processes.

The front line of the new security features are the same as in the past. ThinkPad machines provide quick login and easy access to users with the built-in fingerprint reader, so you can forget about login passwords and remain confident that you will truly be the only person allowed access to your machine.

A new second layer of security is added in the form of the new Password Manager ThinkVantage Technology, which allows you and your company’s IT people to set individual passwords for hard drives and individual folders and files in a single location.

The technology also features a number of options for self-encrypting of your sensitive data in case someone should get through the first two layers of security.

Communication

The ThinkPad series is already a teleconferencing machine, with webcam’s and integrated microphones standard equipment, but now the Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience ThinkPad provides users with a variety of new tools to ensure that they’re in constant communication with colleagues from anywhere in the world. With everything from wider integration of video and audio tools to streamlined conference programs, you’ll never be far from the action.

To support these communication tools, the Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience gives users unprecedented connectivity options. Not only can ThinkPad owners use the already standard Wi-Fi and LAN connections, but they can also incorporate optimized 3G Mobile Broadband, Bluetooth 2.1 and 4G WiMax. And since Lenovo has made the most of Windows 7, there will be seamless transitions between connections depending on the availability of each method of access, so you won’t have to deal with annoying cut-outs and reconnection processes.

Touchscreen Optimization with Multi Touch and SimpleTap

The new Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience will be most striking to users of the ThinkPad X200 tablet and the ThinkPad T400s; that’s because Windows 7 offers unrivaled touchscreen technology. With pressure-sensitive screens, ThinkPad tablets can now make use of a variety of simpler, more intuitive interactivity when they work with the Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience. Imagine an iPhone with a 14-inch screen and a dual-core processor and you’ll begin to understand.

The true advancements remain to be seen, but both Microsoft and Lenovo assure consumers that a new day has dawned in touch-screen technology.

The new Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience promises to bring both the superb ThinkPad and IdeaPad notebooks to the forefront of Windows 7 performance, so whether you’re a general-purpose user or an extreme business user, you’ll love what the company has to offer.

Windows & Lenovo Enhanced Experience Short Video Overview

Windows & Lenovo Enhanced Experience Review Video & Full Overview

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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!

Or maybe you are in need of a DVI video connection, but find that your notebook has only VGA or HDMI? Well, you don’t need to worry. The new Lenovo USB-to-DVI Monitor Adapter – available for as little as $129 – will allow you to connect that DVI monitor to your notebook with a simple USB.

Similarly, desktop – or notebook – users without multiple monitor outputs now have the option of connecting multiple displays up to one machine, since the Lenovo USB-to-DVI adapter is actually a virtual video card based on DisplayLink’s virtual video card technology, that promises up to 1,920 x 1,200 WUXGA output – supporting 1080p High-Definition video – via a single USB connection..

Setup of the adapter is simple. All you have to do is install a small software package – included with the adapter – and you’re ready to go. Once you’re hooked up, the software utility allows you to completely control the monitor’s color, resolution, display settings, and more.

Also included in the packaging is an additional DVI-to-VGA converter plug which allows you to connect to nearly any display available.

For notebook users on-the-go, the Lenovo USB-to-DVI Monitor Adapter provides a quick and easy way to connect to larger monitors. It’s a great tool for those who make regular presentations or for those who need a larger visual space while on the road.

If you’re scheduled to make a presentation with a non-DVI notebook the Lenovo USB-to-DVI Monitor Adapter will have you covered if you encounter a DVI-only projector.

If you’re in the office and decide you need a bit more visual space in which to work, the Lenovo USB-to-DVI Monitor Adapter can give you the freedom you’re after. Just plug in your second – or third – monitor to the adapter and then plug them into your computer. With the Lenovo adapter you can work on up to six different displays simultaneously. (Note: Each display requires its own adapter.)

Entertainment/Media

With USB-to-DVI adapters of the past, attaching primary and secondary displays caused significant problems for users wanting to enjoy video since the enclosed video cards were poorly designed. Lenovo, however, has hit a home run with its adapter, which provides seamless playback of video at even the highest resolution.

Gaming

If you’re looking to game with the Lenovo USB-to-DVI Monitor Adapter then you may run into slight problems. Playing complex, graphics-intensive games on through the adapter tend to get slow during fast-action sequences when used at the high resolutions. However, this issue can be sidetracked by simply reducing the resolution of the display to around 1024 x 768.

The Lenovo USB to DVI 1080p Adapter is a superb way to add multiple screens to any notebook or desktop. The only real downside is the the more screens you add, the bigger CPU hit your going to take, so to really get the maximum benefit from the Lenovo USB to DVI Adapter and run 6 screens, you’ll need a fairly hefty processor.

Having said that however the Lenovo USB to DVI 1080p Adapter is a superb way to give yourself that extra screen real estate you’ve always wanted.

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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.

Usual stuff, Accounts needs 3 laptops, the Sales team need 4, and the Head of Marketing needs one so he can take some work home over the weekends.

So the request goes in to purchasing. They look at all the spec requests, and after having had a little laugh to themselves they average all the requests out, knock a few Gigabytes and Gigahertz off the spec and either start calling round all the discount suppliers or go online and start searching for the cheapest price for 8 notebooks, at around an average specification.

And that of course is what they, and the user in the company ends up with. A very average notebook.

The exception of course is when a company has some IT savvy, and has a very particular need and is making a medium to large budget purchase and rollout.

Its in this sort of situation were more thought is given to the Total Cost of Ownership, and the organization in question will consider handing over the purchase and deployment to a Value Added Reseller.

And this is where our story starts.

Dave Cunningham, President and CEO of Dempsey Bluevar, has a customer that regular spent over $1 million a year with them and in the past Dave had recommended IBM ThinkPad, a brand that has of course, given Dave’s customer sterling service.

Now Dave and his company Dempsey Bluevar were up against some stiff competition for a new order from this particular customer, only this time Dave was recommending Lenovo ThinkPad.

Would the ThinkPad brand maximize their investment, offering the same level of TCO under Lenovo ownership?

It’s an interesting and fascinating story, on how the ThinkPad brand will win your customers over, and what Total Cost of ownership really means. Go to Business Solutions Magazine to read the full article.

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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.

Matt Kohut and his team spent some time with the Center for Severe Weather Research (CSWR) who are using a number of Lenovo machines for research during the VORTEX project.

VORTEX stands for “Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment – 2.”. During the field testing one of the engineers came up with the ultimate stress test. Whilst they couldn’t actually get the ThinkPad T400s into a tornado itself they came up with the second best thing.

Run the test ThinkPad T400s with the radar truck weighing 26,000. Did the ThinkPad survive the test? More importantly, did the data survive? You’ll have to watch the video to find out!

The ThinkPad T400s review, specifications and review video give you a complete walk through of this superb new notebook from Lenovo.

<— Check for the latest ThinkPad T400s Coupon Codes

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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.

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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.

Select models of Lenovo ThinkPad T400 notebooks that offer Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology with Intel® vPro™ Technology will ship Intel Anti-Theft PC Protection “Ready,” and only need to be activated. Absolute Computrace and Intel Anti-Theft PC Protection work together to provide the PC with intelligent mechanisms that detect potential theft situations.

They will then respond according to the policy that you have pre-into the system.

So as an example, if one of your ThinkPad T400 notebook’s has not “checked in” with the Absolute Monitoring Center over the Internet within a specified time, Anti-Theft PC Protection working through Computrace would automatically lock the notebook, rendering it unusable to an unauthorized user.

An IT administrator can also use Computrace and Intel Anti-Theft PC Protection technology to make a device inoperative when it is lost or stolen. So when the thief tries to use the Notebook, it “checks in,” and will will be locked.

Working alone, Intel Anti-Theft PC Protection can lock a computer if it experiences more than a prescribed number of password attempts, or if it exceeds an internally programmed policy for check-in time.

You can then can unlock the computer when it is back in safe hands.

This is an pioneering solution and complements other computer industry security innovations from Lenovo, including the first notebook PC with an embedded security chip and the first notebook PC with a built-in biometric fingerprint reader and hard drive encryption.

In these days of ever increasing data mobility and the horror stories we are hearing of supposedly secure information going missing this is a welcome move from Lenovo and one that will be appreciated by the heads of corporate and governmental IT departments.

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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.

Buy yours here

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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!

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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

With more of us conducting business on the go, the demand for laptops with desktop capabilities continues to increase, but so does the need for fast boot times and low power consumption, so that we can all snatch that quick 10 minutes connectivity between airport security queues!.

Whilst Lenovo anticipates that SSDs will eventually replace hard drives for primary storage because of both performance and durability improvements, the flip side to this positive is that SSDs are more expensive.

“Lenovo will continue to offer hard drives as an option as it introduces more SSDs,” a company spokeswoman said. Eventually SSD capacities will increase and costs will come down to the level that matches those of conventional drives.

The main beneficiary to these technological improvements however is the environment, with all of the new notebooks emerging from Lenovo being Energy Star compliant and achieving at least an epeat Silver rating.

In a further effort to improve energy efficiency and improve multimedia capability whilst preserving battery life Lenovo will also introduce switchable graphics on the new ThinkPad T400 and T500.

Worldwide Segment Manager, Charles Sune, says, “Intel’s Centrino 2 mobile platform will allow a laptop to switch from using a separate graphics card while connected to the mains to using integrated graphics when running a battery.” The ThinkPad W500, T400, T500, and the new IdeaPad U330 will have switchable graphics included.

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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.

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