Not a huge deal, but Lenovo has recalled 205,000 Sanyo Electric battery packs that were sold with R60, R60e, T60, T60p, Z60m, Z61e, Z61m, and Z61p series laptops. The batteries have heating issues that could result in notebook damage — read: explosions. Lenovo sold the battery as an accessory for $180 and is part number FRU P/N 92P1131. If you have the battery, contact Lenovo online or call 1-800-426-7378. Release → Read More
The more I write about gadgets and electronics, the more I realize how frequently my opinions can be wrong. Often times I base my ideas on sound analysis and statistics and I still end up wrong. That’s why I’m going to ask you all for help on something. I’m currently in the market for a laptop. Discouraged by my past two lackluster Powerbooks, I’ve decided to stop using Apple portables and use PCs exclusively (all of my desktops are PC). Right now I’m kind of torn between the Thinkpad T60 Wide and the Alienware m5550. I need something with a 15.4-inch screen that can do at least WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050). It can be massive, needs to be Core 2 Duo and sufficiently powerful for some intensive applications and has to get good battery life. The T60 Wide seems like the realistic winner at this point. I’m about two days shy of ordering one, but I just wanted to ask you all if there is anything else that you’d recommend for about $2,000. Please explain your reasoning adequately. → Read More
Lenovo has finally gone widescreen on its T60 Thinkpad models. You can now grab the T60 with a 15.4” widescreen display starting at $1399. Other features on the T60 Thinkpad include Core 2 Duo CPUs, WWAN, and security features. The T60 widescreen is targeted at business power users who need the extra screen real estate for presentations and “powerful business applications.” Lenovo most likely added the widescreen display to the T60 after taking note that many other rivals like Dell started offering widescreen displays on many of its models. Official Site [Lenovo] → Read More
Apple and Lenovo Laptop users are smug lots. And, according to a recent PC Pro poll, they deserve to be. After surveying 20,000 tech support calls randomly, it turns out Lenovo, followed by Apple, are the most reliable laptops one can buy in the US with HP, Dell and finally Gateway rounding out the list. Even more telling is that off-brand laptops scored at the very bottom of the heap, something new to the PC world, as “local vendors” generally have a reputation for reliability and excellent support. Now you know what to look for in a laptop if trouble-free computing is your hot-button. Or, if like our editor Blake, the only human contact you ever get is with tech support, we’d like to recommend a Dell. Lenovo/IBM, Apple Top RESCUECOM’s Computer Reliability Report [biz.yahoo.com] → Read More
I fly quite a bit. I’m at the airport at least two days a month. I can say that I’m no longer scared of Terrorists. Even if they did start targeting airliners again, the odds of getting blown up is fairly remote. What really concerns me with air travel is laptops. These things are literally ticking (edit: Your laptop ticks? – Blake) time bombs that can apparently go off whenever it feels like the urge to explode. Take, for example, this account from the Something Awful forums: …when suddenly this guy comes running the wrong way up the jetway, pushing other boarding passengers out of the way, he quickly drops his laptop on the floor and the thing immediately flares up like a giant firework for about 15 seconds, then catches fire. There have been several stories of laptops ‘sploding lately, specifically Dells and Apples, but this was an IBM Thinkpad, and the owner claims he had checked it against the recall list. So this begs the question: is it just these specific Sony batteries that tend to flame up, or is it the technology? We don’t know, but you must be vigilant out there, people. I would recommend Wrappers’ fire retardant MacBook covers, out of consideration for your fellow travellers. They come in five colors, including Terracotta (what happened to the word “beige”?). They’re corduroy, plush, and make you safer than Ralph Nader in a Volvo. Fire Retardant Jumbocord covers [wrappers.typepad.com] I just watched a laptop battery catch fire, at LAX, in the United terminal [Something Awful] → Read More
