Let’s shove humility aside for a moment, shall we? Lenovo has unveiled a remarkable new laptop called ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Its claim to fame? It is the world’s thinnest and lightest 14” Ultrabook laptop. Its introduction was something of a surprise—the proper PR-style announcement will have to wait—so more details are yet to come. Here’s what we can share so far about this breakthrough product that could well shatter the mold of traditional business laptops. It’s light. ThinkPad X1 Carbon only weighs about 3 pounds and lives up to its rep as the thinnest, lightest 14" Ultrabook in the world. It’s tough. It’s made from the same ridiculously strong carbon fiber they use in the automotive industry. This material adds structural strength and durability to the laptop while minimizing its weight. It’s connected. X1 Carbon has embedded 3G connectivity. Unlike with most other Ultrabooks, you can connect anytime anywhere with a mobile broadband pay-as-you-go option. It’s super-charged. This Ultrabook has Lenovo RapidCharge, meaning your battery can go from 0 to 80% strength in just 35 minutes. ThinkPad X1 Carbon is expected to go on sale in August. You can learn more here. Gavin O’Hara is Global Publisher for Lenovo Social Media.
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There's always that scene in zombie movies where you think the carnage is over and the good guys have finally prevailed. But just as the dust begins to settle, a hand pops up through the ground and the shrieking begins again. This image always comes to my mind when I read about the alleged death of the desktop PC--a legion of laptops and tablets can batter the staid desktop but its death has surely been exaggerated. Is it possible that the traditional desktop design--go ahead, say it, the boring old tower--is going the way of the dinosaur? Who knows. But to focus on that is to miss the point, to miss all the excitement and the design breakthroughs that are happening in this space. So now, let's roll tape on The Ultimate Desktop-As-Zombie Movie, the one where the monsters mutate and turn into another beast entirely. We present three magificent reasons desktops aren't done fighting. 1: IdeaCentre A720 all-in-one: In a word, droolworthy. Massive yet slim, 10-finger touch capability and a design that lets you stand it up, lie it down or split the difference--it comes off like an enormous 27-inch tablet. Could well prove to be the blueprint for family gaming in the 21st century. 2: ThinkCentre Tiny: A 1-litre mini PC (but still full-featured) designed for our large...
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Experienced climber and guide Eric Remza is ascending Mount Everest and his trusty ThinkPad X220 laptop is going along for the ride. We did this Q&A with him recently when he had a rare moment of rest at base camp. First of all, how cold has it been on this trip? Does your pack ever freeze? Is the cold your biggest obstacle or is it wind or something entirely different? What specific risks do you face on these climbs? The temperature fluctuates here on a moment-to-moment basis. If there is no wind or clouds obscuring the sun, the temperature can be very pleasant! If wind is present, then the temps usually drop 10-20 degrees instantaneously. At times, the temperatures can be so cold that the contents within my pack can freeze (water bottles, sun screen, etc.) although the ThinkPad X220 is holding up great! I do need to take some care with keeping it protected, but overall the solid state drive is running like a top and starts up in the cold with no issues. Probably the biggest obstacles I face on the climb are acclimatizing to the extreme elevations and allowing my body to stay healthy throughout the duration of such a long expedition. We also face objective hazards such as ice fall from the Khumbu glacier and potential avalanche danger from the high Himalayan faces above. These are often negated by early pre-dawn starts to move through such terrain when the...
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Miral Kotb may be living the dream but she knows something about nightmares too. Long before she founded her dance team (and company) iLuminate, before she appeared on the wildly popular TV show “America’s Got Talent” and got to work with the Black Eyed Peas, she had to beat back cancer. We caught up with Kotb on the eve of iLuminate’s appearance at a Lenovo event in North Carolina to talk tech, dance and dreams. Our Lenovo campaign, “For Those Who Do,” is very much about inspiration and innovation. How does technology inspire you to do what you do? Technology inspires me to discover new ideas and encourages me to incorporate art into innovation. How would you describe iLuminate to someone who had never seen it before? Take us back and tell us about the moment when you first dreamed up the concept. iLuminate is about creating a world of illusions through the fusion of art and technology. The concept emerged while I was developing applications. I had a vision of dancers wearing costumes that illuminated wirelessly to compliment the music and choreography. I pursued my idea with help from some of the best hardware and software engineers in the business. Developing iLuminate was the perfect way for me to bring my focus back to dance and to shine the light on the performing artists. It allowed me to combine both of my passions, dance and technology. Did...
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We are in Washington this week with some very powerful people. Nope, it’s not the ones you think—it’s the teenage finalists in the YouTube Space Lab competition. The global winners will be announced later in the week; in the meantime, we wanted to step back and remind you why Lenovo got involved with YouTube Space Lab. It’s because we believe strongly in the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. We believe in the promise of science and the importance of connecting people from every corner of the world. Of course, YouTube does a fine job of this, and the Space Lab regional winners come from India, Egypt, Spain, New Zealand and USA. Through our ThinkPad line of laptops, we also have a special connection to space. It just so happens that ThinkPads are the only laptops certified for use at the International Space Station. (We never get tired of saying that.) We often talk about the military-grade spec tests ThinkPads have to pass before they come to market—I like to think about how rugged a laptop must be to survive that moment a spacecraft leaves the Earth’s atmosphere. With this in mind, here are 10 (or so) fun facts about ThinkPads and space. • ThinkPad is the only laptop certified for use on the International Space Station (ISS). • ThinkPads have been used aboard...
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