Lenovo’s (formerly IBM) ThinkPad T series have long been our favoured business choice, and this latest model is no different. The ThinkPad T60 (from £1070) is a corporate dream machine, offering the perfect balance of performance and portability. Designed for highly mobile users, the laptop delivers outstanding functionality and long battery life (expect around 5 hours) in an easily portable, thin and light design. And the build quality and keyboard are still second-to-none.
Designed around Intel’s Core Duo mobile technology, the wholly-black ThinkPad T60p (around £1800) allows business users move away from the office, connecting remotely with embedded wireless wide area network (WWAN) antennas and operating without a power cord. Succeeding the ThinkPad T43, the ThinkPad T60 draws less power than previous X and T models for extended battery life, improving battery performance in some models by as much as 37 per cent.
Intel dual-core processors improve productivity and multitasking versus previous processors, allowing you to run multiple high-performance applications - such as medical or engineering software, virus scan or system backups - that might otherwise paralyse the unit. Select models even feature integrated high-speed wireless support for leading 3G service provider Vodafone (Verizon in the US). Laptops featuring integrated WWAN antennas enable you to connect to high-speed (between 400- to 700Kbit/s) broadband networks without separately purchased PC cards.
In order to help simplify the connectivity process, IBM’s outstanding ThinkVantage Access Connections 4.1 helps mobile users set up and automatically switch from one available network connection to the next, helping reduce costly help desk calls for assistance in changing IP settings, defining default printers or accessing a wireless network. In addition to facilitating wireless peer-to-peer networking, Access Connections 4.1 supports wired, WLAN and WWAN connectivity.
Lenovo’s new System Rejuvenation technology - part of Rescue and Recovery - gets rid of the accumulated waste on the hard disk drive that hampers system performance and makes a system run slow. By cleaning out unused and unnecessary files and getting rid of spyware and adware, Rescue and Recovery can improve system performance and help the PC run faster. Similar to all recent ThinkPads, the management software is the best on the market by a mile.
The ThinkVantage Productivity Center is a special user-support feature that can help you keep your ThinkPad secure and operating efficiently without wasting a minute of your time. Simply press the Blue Button under the keyboard to open a powerful menu of applications and tools such as Away Manager, which allows time consuming and power hungry applications to run automatically while you are away. A related tool, Whisper Mode, runs processor intensive applications (such as an anti-virus scan) using a lower slice of total CPU cycles, so you can keep working and multi-tasking. With ThinkVantage Productivity Center you can perform routine system tasks while you work or press a button and walk away.
The ThinkPad T60p measures just 25.4mm thin with a travel weight of around 2.2kg, giving it newfound power and performance in a thin-and-light form factor. For mobile workers, the ThinkPad T60p includes a more durable system design, coupling the ThinkPad Roll Cage - an inner armour chassis - with its airbag-like Active Protection System and ThinkPad shock-mounted hard disk drive.
Combining Lenovo’s hardware- and software-based security solution and integrated fingerprint reader, the ThinkPad T60p is one of most secure PCs available today. ThinkPads with integrated fingerprint readers make security simple, enabling you to access password-protected personal and financial information, Web sites, documents and e-mail with a swipe of your finger while helping to protecting data from unauthorised access. You can even configure the fingerprint reader to prevent Windows XP Professional from booting.
The integrated fingerprint reader is part of a broad set of security tools offered by Lenovo on select systems that include Client Security Solution 6.0 software and an embedded security chip. In December, Lenovo sold its 1,000,000 ThinkPad with integrated fingerprint reader, making the company the largest provide of biometric-enabled PCs in the world.
The ThinkPad T60p includes ATI Technologies’ latest mobile workstation technology with the Mobility FireGL V5200. Certified for all the leading professional 3D applications such as AutoCAD, Catia, ICEM Surf, SolidWorks, 3dsmax, Maya and Softimage/XSI, the Mobility FireGL V5200 features 256MB of dedicated memory, 12 pixel shader processors and five vertex shader units to drive complex models and assemblies. This mobile workstation graphics accelerator enables you to perform a magnitude of graphics intensive tasks on a worksite, at a client meeting, or on the road.
ATI’s FireGL products, for both desktop and mobile solutions are supported by a unified driver which is tested and certified by professional 3D ISV partners ensuring product reliability while simplifying system administration and maintenance. All FireGL products come with a 3-year warranty and direct access to a dedicated workstation technical support team.
Other key features of the ThinkPad T60p include a choice of Intel dual-core processors (up to T2600), 14.1- (up to 1400x1050 pixels) or 15-inch (up to 1600x1200 pixels) display, up to 4GB of PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM, up to 100GB hard disk drive, and choice of CD-RW, DVD-ROM combo or DVD recordable drives (there’s even a dual-layer DVD±R drive).
Connectivity options are relatively basic but practical and include three USB ports, headphone and microphone ports, VGA-out, Type II PC Card slot, V.92 modem and Gigabit Ethernet. There’s no FireWire, memory card reader, digital video- or S-Video-out ports, but you do get integrated 802.11b/g and Bluetooth - essential business options. There’s no integrated camera either, an increasingly popular feature for Web conferencing and personal messaging. A handy switch on the front edge turns all wireless radios on and off.
Distinctive design elements like the TrackPoint pointing device are what set ThinkPad laptops apart from the rest. This unique pointing device is standard on all ThinkPads’ legendary full-size keyboards. Lenovo now offers three types of TrackPoint cap choices which allow you to further customise the laptop: Classic Dome, Soft Dome or the Soft Rim. And what ThinkPad would be complete without a keyboard light that allows you to work in low-light conditions. Located on the top edge of the display, this tiny LED illuminates your keyboard to let you keep working.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad T60p is perhaps the best mid-size (it’s not an ultra-portable or a desktop replacement) laptop on the market. Improving upon the
ThinkPad T43p, the ThinkPad T60p delivers high performance in a lightweight package. It’s very expensive but would make an ideal companion or alternative to your workstation for displaying detailed designs, demonstrations, and high-powered presentations.
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