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ThinkPad

A laptop equivalent of a two-headed snake

Lenovo is apparently planning to unveil a ThinkPad notebook with a dual display.

As much as I'd love to post a photograph of a laptop with two screens, I cannot do so in good conscience. Several sites reporting on the laptop included photos that allegedly came from an IBM site that accidentally published on December 2. But none of those sites list the source of the photo. They also link back to the original IBM page, but a photograph of a laptop with two screens does not appear there.

The story was apparently first reported on NotebookReview.com on … Read more

Lenovo Vault external hard drive beefs up data security

It's difficult for external portable hard drives to stand out against the competition since they're judged mostly on cost per gigabyte, connectivity, and aesthetics. Lenovo jumps into the game by making a case for onboard security.

Its ThinkPad "Vault" USB Portable Secure Hard Drive is protected by the "128-bit advanced encryption security standard" and is actually built into the hardware, similar to the Maxtor Black Armor drive. The Lenovo ThinkPad hard drive also has a built-in USB 2.0, as well as a physical keypad built into the face of the chassis, allowing up … Read more

Acer, Toshiba, and Lenovo unveil WiMax laptops

Baltimore residents looking to take advantage of Sprint's brand-new Xohm WiMax data network can now choose among several laptops with built-in WiMax compatibility from such major manufacturers as Acer, Toshiba, and Lenovo.

On Wednesday, Acer announced that it would be bringing WiMax radios to two Aspire models, the 14.1-inch Aspire 4930-6862 and the 16-inch Aspire 6930-6771. Both laptops cost $899 and are built on Intel's Centrino 2 platform, with a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7350 processor, 3GB of RAM, integrated graphics, and a 320GB hard drive.

Meanwhile, Toshiba has announced the WiMax-ready Satellite U405-ST550W. The 13-inch … Read more

Assessing small-biz laptops from Lenovo, Toshiba

We focus primarily on consumer laptops at CNET Reviews, but this week I looked at two well-designed models that target small businesses: the 13-inch Toshiba Satellite Pro U400 and the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad SL400.

Each configuration clocks in at just north of $1,000, stripping out some enterprise features that a small-business owner buying one laptop or even a handful probably doesn't need and definitely doesn't want to pay for. The Toshiba offers an interesting configuration, one that I feel cries out for more memory, which is an easy add. And the Lenovo includes a couple features not … Read more

Memory chipmakers face survival test

Memory chipmakers are fighting for their life.

The memory chip market--and industry--is caught in a particularly brutal downward price spiral that is threatening the viability of even the largest players.

"Memory manufacturers who have already been losing money for several quarters are now looking at another six months to a year of absolutely ominous conditions," said Avi Cohen, managing partner at Avian Securities.

Companies are now in survival mode, according to Cohen. "It is a matter of survival and everyone needs to figure out how to stay in business over the next year or how to scavenge … Read more