BIOS: Technology Means Business

IBM has today unveiled its fastest performing, thin-and-light laptop, the ThinkPad T43. The system is also equipped with a new layered to approach to virus-protection and the industry's most advanced mobility, security, data recovery and power management features. The ThinkPad T43 features a new version of a ThinkVantage Technology, the enhanced Rescue and Recovery 2.0 with Antidote Delivery Manager. Antidote Delivery Manager should help IT departments to protect ThinkPad notebooks against viruses and worms by enabling companies to deploy critical updates throughout their enterprise, efficiently and with confidence. The ThinkPad T43 is also equipped with the new generation of Intel Centrino mobile technology, which includes new Intel Pentium M Processors with 533MHz front-side bus, the new Intel 915 Express chipset family, and Intel PRO/Wireless 2195ABG or 2200BG Wi-Fi.

Pros: Based on second generation Centrino platform; biometric security
Cons: Relatively expensive

Edited Release: IBM today raised the bar once again on secure business computing, unveiling its fastest performing thin-and-light notebook computer to date, the ThinkPad T43 with an available fingerprint reader. Equipped with a new layered approached to virus-protection and the industry's most advanced mobility, security, data recovery and power management features, the T43 is designed for business users who demand performance, security, and new levels of control.

The ThinkPad T43 features a new version of a ThinkVantage Technology, the enhanced Rescue and Recovery 2.0 with Antidote Delivery Manager. Rescue and Recovery is a set of tools contained in an embedded, pre-boot emergency system, providing one-button relief from a broad range of common PC problems, even if the main operating system already has been corrupted by a worm or virus. Antidote Delivery Manager helps IT departments protect ThinkPad notebooks against viruses and worms by enabling companies to deploy critical updates throughout their enterprise, efficiently and with confidence. It also sets policies so that the PCs retrieve and install those updates quickly, or the PCs can be removed from the network. Rescue and Recovery 2.0 is now available and preloaded on all ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops.

'The addition of the ThinkPad T43 to our notebook family underscores our commitment to quality, innovation, and to meeting demand for secure notebook computing,' said Marc Godin, Vice President of Marketing and Channels, IBM EMEA Personal Computing Division. 'In this class of ThinkPad notebooks, outstanding performance is a given. What the ThinkPad T43 offers is new levels of security and control.'

In response to the pivotal role that power management plays when working in wireless environments, the ThinkPad T43 is equipped with the ThinkPad Power Manager. This utility gives users control over the thermal management of their notebook PC, specifically the processor speed and the speed of the fan that cools the processor, two devices that significantly impact battery life.

The Power Manager also includes additional power management features that let users create battery schemes tailored for their specific computing needs. Additionally, the Power Manager includes a Battery Information tab that serves as a control center for the battery, providing charge capacity and time remaining, as well as information about the battery specification that users may need to know for support reasons.

The new ThinkPad T43 is equipped with the new generation of Intel Centrino mobile technology (codenamed Sonoma), which includes new Intel Pentium M Processors with 533MHz front side bus, the new Intel 915 Express chipset family, and Intel PRO/Wireless 2195ABG or 2200BG network connection. Additionally, the T43 supports up to 2GB DDR2 533MHz system memory, up to 80GB hard drive capacity and has one Express Card slot and one PC Card slot.

The ThinkPad T43 also features the new PCI Express architecture that supports forthcoming ExpressCard options. Combining high-speed performance with robust graphics capability, the T43 is available with Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900, making it the first model of the T series to include an integrated graphics solution. For increased levels of graphics performance, users can choose models with the ATI RADEON X300 or ATI Mobility FireGL V3200 graphics adapters.

At approximately one inch thin and with a travel weight of 4.5 pounds, the T43 is both thin and light, making it the ideal notebook choice for on-the-go business executives. Featuring high-performance wireless networking with integrated wireless, including Intel 802.11b/g and 802.11a/b/g wireless adapters on select models, the T43 meets even the most demanding executive's mobile needs.

The ThinkPad T43 comes preloaded with a variety of ThinkVantage Technologies that are designed to manage power consumption, simplify IT management, enable secure computing, and provide ease-of-use when connecting wirelessly. The new T series model is equipped with latest version of Access Connections, a software solution that saves users' wireless and wired network settings and simplifies the management of multiple connectivity environments.

The ThinkPad T43 also features a multi-layered approach to security to manage increasing security threats. Select models of the T43 come equipped with the integrated fingerprint reader with Password Manager and the Embedded Security Subsystem. With the integrated fingerprint reader, users encrypt files using fingerprint authentication, combining convenience with strong notebook security.

Select models of the ThinkPad T43 notebook will be available in March, 2005 through select business partners. The ThinkPad T43p will be available in April 2005. The estimated price for ThinkPad T43 models start at £1600.