Big Screens For Better Crunching

Lenovo’s latest ThinkPad notebook is lighter, loaded up for Intel-flavored 802.11n connections and Vista-ready.

Wider screens on laptop computers are popular with consumers, especially gamers; Lenovo is betting that business users will buy into its first-ever 15.4-inch screen on the latest ThinkPad T60. At 5.1 pounds, the ThinkPad T60 widescreen’s dimensions sport an upgraded display angle and palm rest position compared with its standard 14-inch ThinkPad notebooks.

Good for playing video games after your work’s done? Actually, the notebook’s dimensions come in handy in travel situations, with more room for studying spreadsheets and data, up to 30 percent more data than a 14-inch ThinkPad display, said Raj Aggarwal, worldwide product marketing manager for the ThinkPad T Series.

“What we’re trying to do is give customers more choice,” he told internetnews.com. “We’re seeing more demand for wide screens, with business customers wanting portability but also wanting better performance.”

Although business users get to crunch even bigger tasks in the screen, the T60 also offers choices of Intel-integrated graphics or ATI discrete graphics capabilities on an optional WSXGA+ screen to help make multimedia presentations even more visually appealing.

Vista ready? When Microsoft’s next version of Windows rolls out, the ThinkPad T60 is among the PCs participating in the company’s upgrade program with options for “Vista Capable” or “Vista Premium Ready” models.

The hard drive on the ThinkPad T60 can come in configurations anywhere from 40 gigabytes to 160 gigabytes, with RAM starting at 512 MB and running up to 4 GB; workstation models can support 3-D graphics.

Other options include high-speed wireless connectivity such as 3G WWAN  networking with Cingular or Verizon, whose services are sold separately, and Bluetooth connectivity.

Lenovo’s wide-load T60. Source: Lenovo

Then there’s the next-generation Wi-Fi capability on the WLAN  card, based on the 802.11n specification built into the machines, which are running the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors.

The 802.11n specification, however, has not been finalized and is currently in draft release.

Aggarwal said the decision to go with the draft standard before it’s ratified is a leadership offering. “We believe the standard will come into play very quickly. We wanted to make a leadership statement, so we moved to get the 802.11 technology out there today. We feel it will be ratified and we feel comfortable with the technology and benefits.”

Other improvements include up to six hours of battery life and an even thinner form factor starting at 1.1 inch. Pricing for the ThinkPad T60 widescreen starts at $1,399.