Lenovo Group Ltd. on Tuesday announced a new version of its ThinkPad T61 laptop that the company said is both energy efficient and its highest-performance notebook computer to date.
The new ThinkPad T61p is based on an Intel Core Duo 2 processor and includes a 15.4-inch widescreen display and other features designed for engineers and other users who need to run 3D graphics applications, according to Lenovo. It also is one of the first laptops to incorporate ultrawideband (UWB) wireless technology.
Lenovo said the T61p, which starts at US$1,814, is part of a planned line of next-generation products that meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star 4.0 standard. The T61p runs cooler and quieter than previous ThinkPads and is up to 70 per cent more energy efficient because of the addition of new power management features, the vendor said. As a result, the new system uses as much as 47 per cent less energy than Lenovo’s older models, it added.
Other new features built into the T61p include a top-cover roll cage designed to enhance durability; expanded security capabilities, including full disk encryption and 32-byte password protection; Linux certification; and the UWB short-range wireless connectivity. In addition, the T61p includes Lenovo’s Ultra Connect II technology for supporting wireless WAN connections as well as wireless LAN links via the 802.11n draft standard.
The T61p runs Windows Vista and Windows XP, and it can support up to 4GB of memory and 160GB of storage. Battery life is 3.9 hours for the smallest battery offered with the new system, Lenovo said.
The T61p was announced as part of a family of upgraded laptops that also includes the ThinkPad R61, which has a 15-inch standard screen and starts at US$1,119, and the R61e, which offers a 15-inch widescreen display and starts at US$1,069.
