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Lenovo issues battery "service and warranty extension" for six ThinkPad models
Lenovo's issued a recall for the batteries on six of its ThinkPad models. The batteries are apparently causing a range of problems, including bringing up the error messages "irreparable damage" and "battery cannot be charged," and causing overall short capacity batteries, or those than cannot be charged or experience massive drops on the fuel gauge quickly. The recalled models are the R60, R61, T60, T61, X60, and the X61, and Lenovo's got a free diagnostic tool on its website that you can use to check and see if your model is one of those affected. While there's no word on how many users have been affected, If you are one of the unlucky, the company is offering free replacements.Update: A representative for Lenovo has contacted us and let us know that the company has not, in fact, issued a recall for the batteries associated with the models listed. "This is a service extension program to provide (bonus 12-month) coverage above and beyond the normal warranty to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Recalls tend to imply a safety issue, which is not the case here, as you noted in your article."[Via SlashGear]
Lenovo axes the 4:3 ThinkPad T61 -- are widescreens better?
Lenovo's the latest laptop vendor to go to a mostly-widescreen lineup today, as it retires the 4:3 14.1-inch ThinkPad T61. All that's left in the standard ratio are the 12.1-inch X-series laptops, and even those are something of a novelty in today's 13.3-inch dominated market. It's not a formal move and there's no announcement, but it's clearly a growing trend -- Apple, Sony, and HP don't offer any 4:3 laptops either -- and it's got us wondering what people prefer. Just amongst Engadget editors there's no clear agreement: some of us prize vertical real estate, while others say tiling windows horizontally provides maximum multitasking power, and one ed rocks both 16:9 and 4:3 displays side-by-side -- but that's probably crazy. What's your aspect ratio of choice? Hit us up in comments!
Penryn beginning to pop up in Lenovo's X61 ThinkPads
While we're short on formal announcements, various retailers are displaying Lenovo ThinkPad X61 wares with Intel's latest chips inside. A Penryn T8100-powered X61 is on MacMall with 1GB of RAM and a 120GB HDD for $1,550, while a T8300 version goes for $1,610. Specs are otherwise the same as existing ThinkPads, and no tablet version is offered. It's starting to feel like laptop manufacturers are stringing us along here, instead of offering next-gen laptops to match Intel's next-gen chips, but it's still early in the game, and maybe we're just paranoid. In other news, Lenovo has begun delivering SUSE Linux-based ThinkPad R61 and T61 laptops, with prices starting at $949 -- quite the improvement on 2006's "efforts."[Via Laptoping]Read - Penryn ThinkPadsRead - Linux ThinkPads
More Penryn laptops surface from Toshiba, Lenovo and HP Compaq
If you've just now finished shuffling through yesterday's barrage of mobile Penryn-based laptops, here's yet another helping for you to try and digest. Up first is a pair from Toshiba (13-inch Satellite U300 / 17-inch Satellite X200), followed by a refreshed ThinkPad T61 and R61 from Lenovo and a trio of HP Compaqs (6820, 6720 and 6520). Just as before, there's entirely too many specs to dish out here, but if any of the above caught your eye, head on over to the read links below to find out more.Read - Toshiba SatellitesRead - Lenovo ThinkPadsRead - HP Compaqs
Wireless USB finds its way to Dell and Lenovo laptops
If you're like us, you've bopped along happily once or twice to USB.org's funky little wireless promo video, hoping that someday the wire-free utopia it promises could become a reality. Well now Lenovo and Dell have put us one step closer to the prize with two new laptops. Both the Dell Inspiron 1720 and the Lenovo ThinkPad T61 and T61p models are expected to be Wireless USB certified any day now, and ready to connect to... um, something. As the standard is just starting to see the light of day, there aren't a lot of options available unless you decide to get jiggy with a wireless router such as this Belkin hub -- but if things go as planned, in the next few years we'll all be trashing our wires and listening to really bad instrumental rock -- just like in the video you can watch after the break.[Via CNET]
Irate would-be Lenovo customers seeing delays on ThinkPad T61
Your idea of the Lenovo buying experience has probably been all but tainted if its latest ThinkPad T61 was, er, would have been your first machine from the company. According to an incredibly long thread over at Notebook Review, more than a few would-be customers are getting progressively angrier as each passing day goes by without any sign of their new laptop. Apparently, a number of manufacturing hiccups are delaying the process, and some users are even reporting ship dates into the first week of September. Moreover, it seems that some loyal users even received consolation emails that tried to explain the delays and apologized by offering up a free accessory and a chance to easily cancel the order. So if you've had a T61 on order since day one and weren't already aware of all this behind the scenes turmoil, do yourself a favor and take a very deep breath before hitting the read link.[Thanks, Craig]
Lenovo's ThinkPad T61 laptop gets official
Just in case the leaked specs weren't solid enough for you, Lenovo has finally opened up and revealed the 14.1-inch T61 to the world. In what's being dubbed the "strongest, coolest, and quietest ThinkPad ever," the T61 comes sheathed in a magnesium alloy frame (Top Cover Roll Cage in Lenovo lingo), and touts an "improved cooling system, enhanced wireless connectivity with Ultra Connect II, and up to 15-percent longer battery life through its Battery Stretch control option." Furthermore, you'll find a WXGA+ display, a wide range of Intel's Core 2 Duos, up to 160GB of 5400RPM HDD space (or 100GB at 7200RPM), NVIDIA's 128MB Quadro NVS 140M graphics set, an optional Blu-ray drive, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, 802.11a/b/g/n, and even an option for WWAN connectivity via EV-DO or HSDPA; additionally, there's a four-in-one media card reader and your choice of Windows XP / Vista. It looks like the May timeframe we had heard about earlier will actually stay true in this case, and while you can price this bad boy as high as you can dream, the base machine will run you $1,399.[Via LaptopLogic]
Lenovo's ThinkPad T61 and R61 Santa Rosa-tops leaked, due in May
While the classic IBM ThinkPad stylings might play well in the ultraportable range, we've never been quite impressed with Lenovo's widescreen attempts at business friendly minimalism. That said, there's a lot to love in the specs department of Lenovo's upcoming T61 (pictured) and R61 Santa Rosa 14-inchers, which IBM leaked info on today -- which is odd, considering the fact that the IBM logo has left these things completely -- and while the looks might be a tad frumpy, the actual sizes aren't so terribly chubsy. Of course, the big news here is the Santa Rosa processor action, with chips like the T7100, T7300, T7500 and T7700 bringing up to 2.4GHz of 64-bit Core 2 Duo lovin' to the two models. Other notables include Intel's latest PM965 integrated graphics chipset, Intel Turbo Card "Robson" flash memory cache tech in select models, and a LCD "roll cage" in the T61. You can also toss in discrete NVIDIA graphics, or pretty much whatever else you're up for: wireless, connectivity and storage options abound. No word on price, but we should be seeing the first of these around May, with NVIDIA, 160GB encrypted drives and Blu-ray versions following in July.[Via NotebookReview]Read - Lenovo ThinkPad T61Read - Lenovo ThinkPad R61
