ThinkPads pass the Tough Test, but don't call 'em rugged
by Darren Murph 
posted Feb 23rd 2009 at 2:16PM
Lenovo Puts ThinkPad Laptops to the "Tough Test": Meets Military Specs for Semi-Rugged Computing
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – February 24, 2009: Lenovo today announced that it is designating eight ThinkPad laptops for use in field and vehicle semi-ruggedized computing environments such as in public safety, utilities, construction and the military. The ThinkPad X200, X301, X200s, X200 Tablet, T400, T500, R400 and SL300 laptops meet a barrage of military specifications tests and are enhanced with specially-designed durability features such as an air-bag like protection system and a roll cage in select models. Because field computing requires excellent screen viewability, Lenovo is also adding a new optional 680-nit high brightness panel to its most popular laptop, the ThinkPad T400 laptop.
"ThinkPad is well known for quality, reliability and innovative security technologies for business computing," said Tom Ribble, executive director, Worldwide ThinkPad Product Marketing, Lenovo. "The truth is we've always built tough laptops that can weather extreme conditions from hiking the rainforests of the Amazon to flying in space. You don't need a PC that looks like a tank to excel in harsh environments, and unlike many of our competitors, we don't put an extra charge on toughness."
Optimized for Outdoors
As the adoption of laptops increases and connectivity options continue to expand, users are spending more and more computing time outdoors. That makes screen visibility extremely important. For a crisp and easily readable experience, Lenovo is equipping the ThinkPad T400 laptop with an optional high brightness, wide angle screen, making it nearly four times brighter than previous ThinkPad laptop screens. The high contrast screen eliminates reflections with its anti-glare finish. And by using energy-efficient LED technology, the laptop maintains long battery life.
Police Departments like the Conover Police Department in North Carolina are using ThinkPad laptops to turn their patrol cars into mobile offices. Reduced time spent at the station writing reports gives officers extra time on patrol to protect their community. Officers are using ThinkPad T Series laptops to write and print incident reports, issue tickets and conduct criminal background checks from their cars. For IT Director, Chris Niver, Lenovo's engineering made ThinkPad laptops the easy choice.
"Although not billed as a 'ruggedized' laptop at the time, the features offered far surpassed the other manufacturers. The fact that the ThinkPads came with a roll-cage design, shock resistant hard drive, built in security chip and the familiar red button as well as touchpad all as standard features really made my choice clear."
Military Spec Tested Against the Elements
Baked, battered, blistered and blown with sand, Lenovo put the lineup of eight ThinkPad laptops through the gauntlet to pass a significant number of specifications for military-grade computing.
The ThinkPad laptops met tests for:
Low Pressure – Tests operation at 15,000 feet
Humidity – Cycles 95 percent humidity through the environment
Vibration (operational and non-operational) – Jostles and jolts the laptops to make sure they can withstand shocks
High Temperature – Simulates high heat conditions by baking the laptop up to 140 degrees
Low Temperature – Tests operation at minus 4 degrees
Temperature Shock – Fluctuates between minus 4 and up to 140 degrees to test operation
Dust – Blows dust for an extended amount of time
The tests confirm the durability and reliability that many customers already rely on to battle the elements. Geophysicist, explorer and expedition leader Pasquale Scaturro travels to the far reaches of the planet with his ThinkPad laptop.
"For over 180 days a year I can be found on the road traveling with my with my ThinkPad laptop -sweltering in the hot jungle terrain and surviving frigid arctic and mountain blasts, said Pasquale Scaturro, Exploration Specialists, Inc. "From bugs and humidity, to sand and dust, heat and cold, my ThinkPad laptop has been exposed to them all. I've logged more miles on my ThinkPad in the roughest and most extreme environments in the world than perhaps any person alive. From the heights of Mount Everest to the full length of the Nile, the world's longest river, it's been with me. The Active Protection System is a must in the rough environments I've taken this laptop into. Besides using my ThinkPad to help me navigate in my airplane when I'm flying in the African bush (it's my real co-pilot) and send Internet dispatches to my website from Mt Everest, I depend on it to keep my geophysical business and my personal connections going. It's withstood every imaginable environment on Earth and is still performing without missing a beat."
Built Upon a Strong Foundation for Low Total Cost of Ownership
Lenovo engineers extra durability and reliability features into its ThinkPad laptops to help them survive all-weather conditions, lasting longer and outperforming competitors and leading to a low total cost of PC ownership.
Lenovo durability features include the:
Active Protection System – Temporarily parks the hard drive when the laptop detects a fall or sudden movement via an air-bag like system
Roll Cage – Serves as a protective frame around the internal components where the data resides and processing takes place with an extra top cover roll cage on the ThinkPad X301 laptop
Shock Mounted Hard Drive – Offers extra protection around the hard drive to protect data
Spill Resistant Keyboard – Withstands spills of up to two fluid ounces on select laptops allowing liquid to drain beneath the keyboard
In case of the unexpected, Lenovo offers Warranty and Accident Protection plans to help customers protect their PC investment. Lenovo also offers ThinkPlus Priority Support to give businesses around the clock technical telephone support, priority routing of calls and quick onsite repair. For an even faster response, ThinkPlus Priority 4 Support provides onsite repair within four hours after the original troubleshooting. Online Data Backup services are also available.
Built upon a strong foundation, Lenovo's laptops offer the latest technologies with models including solid state drive storage for reliability, switchable graphics for longer battery life and the latest Intel® Centrino 2 processor technology for fast processing. They also come with choices of large hard drives, multimedia like Blu-Ray DVD players and a host of wireless connectivity options including WiMAX, mobile broadband, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. Lenovo has also collaborated with AT&T and Ericsson for price reductions on ThinkPad laptop AT&T mobile broadband connectivity. Additionally, the ThinkPad X200 Tablet is the first Tablet to offer WiMAX connectivity.
Pricing and Availability1
The ThinkPad T400 laptop with the high brightness screen is available through Lenovo business partners beginning immediately. Pricing starts at approximately $1,350.
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building exceptionally engineered personal computers. Lenovo's business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group's acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Oli D @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:26PM
I cant decide whether thinkpads are ugly or awesome in their utilitarianess. (its a word...)
joe23521 @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:34PM
Ugly and awesome are not mutually exclusive, especially when you're talking about the device being utilitarian.
Uncontrol @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:47PM
I have my MacBook and I think it's beautiful, but ThinkPads are really nice looking in their own regard. I wouldn't be ashamed to be seen with one!
utahnkid @ Feb 23rd 2009 3:22PM
I wonder how the new unibody MacBooks and MacBook Pros would do? I doubt they would fair as well as these ThinkPads but I can't imagine they would do too horribly. The 17" should do even better considering it's basically totally sealed off.
AMiSH PiRATE @ Feb 23rd 2009 3:33PM
when james howlett was in the weapon x program, they bonded thinkpads to his bones to give him an indestructible skeleton.
Simon @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:24PM
Thinkpads are Star Wars. Macbooks are Star Trek.
sr @ Feb 23rd 2009 7:33PM
Hey Utah, that cheap ass marketing driven aluminum crap will not compare to carbon fiber/magnesium alloy construction in a real laptop. These are not some aluminum nice looking toy.
Michael @ Feb 23rd 2009 10:32PM
I personally think that the timeless Thinkpad design is the most beautiful laptop there is. Apple laptops might look shinier at first, but their looks fade. My 3-1/2 year old Thinkpad looks almost exactly like the new models, with the exception of a different location for the fingerprint reader and different speaker holes. It still looks/works like brand new too, and I throw it around quite a bit (picking it up with one hand by the corner or even the side of the LCD, dropping my backpack holding it onto concrete, etc).
Hackettman @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:28PM
Ive heard all kinds of storys of horrible things happening to thinkpads and they still can perform.....
Dave @ Feb 23rd 2009 6:08PM
Well, yeah. 'Cause Thinkpads are the Chuck Norris of laptops.
big J @ Feb 23rd 2009 7:21PM
you mean Bruce Lee?
big J @ Feb 23rd 2009 7:24PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLO1YIWQuXE
Alexkass @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:30PM
The ThinkPad 750 flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour during a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope on December 2, 1993. The ThinkPad 750C's task was to run a NASA test program which determined if radiation inherent in the space environment causes memory anomalies in the 750C or generates other unexpected problems.[4] In 1995, the average number used was five, and in 1999 the average number was nine. Throughout 2006, a ThinkPad A31p was being used in the Service Module Central Post of the International Space Station and seven ThinkPad A31p laptops were in service in orbit aboard the International Space Station.[5]
ugg.tryptophan @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:35PM
wikipedia?
Finnschi @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:32PM
I Still Use a Thinkpad T40, and its just AWESOME, best Windows-Laptops EVER build
CraigJ @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:45PM
I have fond memories of my PIII T21 running Windows 2000. It's the only Windows laptop that I've had that never crashed. Not once in over 3 years. Not even after dropping it twice. The port replicator was kinda wonky and pretty useless though.
Steve Prior @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:50PM
You've obviously never tried a T43P with the 1600x1200 big beautiful screen (which isn't made anymore and no laptop screen since comes close).
neihprome @ Feb 23rd 2009 5:31PM
The flexview screens were phenomenal and I haven't seen a laptop screen as good as it. I still have my T43p although I think in some ways my T400 is better built. Good to see they're still holding up as well as my experience has shown.
Jorvay @ Feb 23rd 2009 6:16PM
after my HP laptop died in only 16 months, I really regretted selling my old Thinkpad R40. That thing was a tank.
Dat @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:44PM
It felt very cheap when I played with it. look at the review below...
I think they are cutting corners myself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8sOO-8LP4E
Mikee @ Feb 23rd 2009 7:58PM
My T500 doesn't have the flex issues that his had. My friend's T400 doesn't either. However, some people have received some lousy batches of them. I guess it just depends on your luck of the draw. :\
John D @ Mar 23rd 2009 8:43AM
I have a T500 - keyboard is perfect - just like every other Lenovo laptop keyboard.
Marz @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:45PM
They tried for this last year and missed the dust one as it had an error message come up but it still worked. I used to work at Lenovo and now sell them. The guy who works for Lenovo comes in here every now and then and hes a total tool though im sure we are never going to hear the end of it from this guy.
MaX PL @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:51PM
T400 user here, love it.
yrag @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:51PM
Man! And I thought my oven needed a cleaning.
David S @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:54PM
methinks that's a freezer in the photo. Looks like frost on the Thinkpad and ice on the bottom.
Michgar @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:53PM
The matte black finish of Thinkpads is the main reason i stick with them model after model. I can't stand grubby fingerprints! Also, i have never lusted after a computer quite as much as the X301.
tony @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:53PM
my IBM T42 classic still runs like new .....
Vaseem @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:53PM
Thinkpads are awesome. Once you start using them, its hard to switch.
I am on my 3rd thinkpad... my first laptop was a Dell.
nanobis @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:55PM
they definalty seam to be tought
jereminion @ Feb 23rd 2009 3:05PM
OR you could get a laptop case
JamesR @ Feb 23rd 2009 2:58PM
I have a ThinkPad 600E with 97MB of Ram I just put Windows XP SP3 on. Runs perfectly and the case is still very sturdy and new looking. It really is rugged. I'm thinking up upgrading the drive to a 32GB SSD for $100 (NewEgg.com) to make it even more rugged :).
The 600E was build in 1998.
Matt G @ Feb 23rd 2009 3:03PM
A close friend has a T21 with a a PIII in it, he's dropped that fscker atleast a dozen times, the plastic is cracked off on one corner, bezel around the screen cracked on two corners, gone through 2 or 3 wireless data cards... but the laptop...won't...die...
I think there is some solid competition for Lenovo from Dell's new e6x00 series latitudes, but otherwise, the ThinkPad stands alone, in my opinion.
darren @ Feb 23rd 2009 3:04PM
They aren't rugggedized until you can drive over them. Take a look at a fully ruggedized toughbook and tell me this is the same.. nope! thats' why lenovo is stressing that they are not 'ruggedized'.
Matt G @ Feb 23rd 2009 3:06PM
You're correct. I think the ThinkPad should be referred to as "Realisticized" or "Practicalized" ... or something.
jg @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:33PM
Actually I have seen a Thinkpad 600 get run over by a coworkers truck. The thing worked afterwards only damage was a large crack in the screen, but for the most part the screen was still usuable except for the area that was cracked.
Jon Doe. @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:52PM
As I said in another post you can run over one. I had a T41 that was run over. It came in....sort of functional. It booted and could be used with an external monitor and keyboard....but if you are talking run over and it is 100% fine....ummm no. Not really.
neihprome @ Feb 23rd 2009 5:34PM
And truly rugged laptops offer far lower performance for the dollar than a Thinkpad (which already tends to be pricey) and they weigh a lot more.
StuckInTexas @ Feb 23rd 2009 3:07PM
I wish this article had a little more information. The T9600 CPU is not rated for -20C to 60C. Is Lenovo actually listing that as the operational temperature spec? Are the other components (I am looking at you LCD), rated as commercial or industrial? Did they just run through a thermal chamber once to see if it could do it? If that is that case, I am not surprised. We have had the T9400 run between -60C and 100C in HALT testing and it survives just fine. At the -20C test point, are they doing power cycling? If you step down an already running system, it will generate enough heat to run properly, but if you let is dwell at that temp and then power on, you run into a lot more issues. Running outside of component specs takes life out of the product, is it 0.1% or 50%, I don't know, that is why I don't buy products that do.
The reason I ask those questions is we see a lot of companies rate systems outside what the components are speced to and they use screening tests in manufacturing to 'prove' that they work. I am not saying this is not a great laptop, I am sure it is and I am glad to get some insight on how Lenovo specs and tests their products.
Matt G @ Feb 23rd 2009 3:24PM
I think it was probably just cycled, doubt it was powered on in all of those situations.
cg0def @ Feb 23rd 2009 3:22PM
well since Thinkpads a no longer an IBM product they kinda need to convince people that a Thinkpad is still a Thinkpad. It's great that the t400 is getting a new screen but if you ask me this should have been included as the default option and not a costly upgrade.
Anyway, since when does engadget run infomercials?
gdxk @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:20PM
what, you mean besides for Apple?
KIFF @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:23PM
They always do for Apple.
Jon Doe. @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:47PM
"They always do for Apple."
Those aren't infomercials, those are virtual blow
Jobs...yes the word is capitalized.
Jeff Lewis @ Feb 23rd 2009 5:06PM
You ARE kidding, right?
Apple gets more airplay here than any other brand by an order of magnitude. And when Engadget isn't reporting on Apple related things, they're posting the most negative things they can find on anything PC/Microsoft/Windows related. And when they can't even do that - they post positive things and add in snarky (and usually completely stupid and inappropriate) comments about said non-Apple product.
It's actually been really weird with the (relatively) positive reaction Windows 7 has been getting.
But you know - most Mac fans - Uncontrol being the obvious exception here - will lump all PC laptops from the dozens of PC manufacturers into one group - judge them by the worst possible examples they can find and conclude ALL PCs are crap. It would be nice to compare Macs to, say, ThinkPads or Voodoo Envies and see how well the comparison runs. :)
Then again, there's always the Pippin.
Mysterio @ Feb 24th 2009 10:40AM
looks like you guys have never been to gizmodo, they blow engadget out of the water in this case.
dagwud @ Feb 23rd 2009 3:11PM
I've a t20 that's been turned over to the kids to abuse. My wife has a T23 that she loves still. I got work to buy me an X60 tablet.
There are a lot of nice looking laptops available. But I'll stick with my Thinkpads.
paul-engadget @ Feb 23rd 2009 3:14PM
is this the same lenovo company whose employees were found astroturfing on Tech Republic?
IME, the original IBM designed and built ones were the best, I had a few and still have a very old 380ED, very solid!
Since the Lenovo take-over it's only the more expensive models which still live (mostly) up to the build quality.
Lets face it, they must have cost IBM too much to make, and people didn't change them too often because they were well made, the market was too competitive, so they sold it on to Lenovo who reckoned on being able to make them cheaper and more profitably. It's a tough proposition, the fine balance between over-engineering something which only needs to last three years till obsolescence and costing too much.
sr @ Feb 23rd 2009 7:41PM
I think that was always true. Really the X and T series are the premium built portables. The rest of the line target cost, or desktop replacement and are better than the competition in those segments, but the X and T series are the real gems. It always was that way.
sr @ Feb 23rd 2009 7:46PM
Also, remember it is the exact same design team and the exact same support staff of the IBM days. Lenovo wasn't so stupid to buy a world renowned brand and run it into the ground by changing quality of build and service.