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IT managers have been asking me about Lenovos next tablet PC for months. Now that the ThinkPad X60 Tablet has finally launched, I can report that my initial tests find the convertible notebook to be a worthy addition to the ThinkPad franchise.
Armed with Intels low-voltage Core Duo and Core Solo processors, the X60 Tablet has a starting weight of 3.8 pounds. With an eight-cell battery that is giving me more than 8 hours of battery life, the weight of my test unit is about 4.16 pounds.
The X60 Tablet can be configured with a number of firsts for a tablet PC. Those include a WWAN (wireless WAN) module, an SXGA+ touch-screen display and support for 802.11n wireless technology (which is still in draft release).
One of the most common usage scenarios for a tablet PC is out in the field, but end users often report difficulty in using tablets outdoors due to screen visibility issues. During tests, the X60 ThinkPad did a pretty good job of solving that problem with a MultiView outdoor display that has anti-reflective and anti-glare capabilities. I was able to use the test unit outdoors in fairly bright sunlight with no issues.
While the 802.11n wireless radio may not be a necessity, it—and extras like it—is likely to increase adoption of tablets within enterprises, especially given Microsofts decision to bundle Tablet PC capabilities into Vista rather than to release a separate Vista tablet operating system.
Senior Writer Anne Chen can be reached at anne_chen@ziffdavis.com.
WWWeb Resources
Vista view
What Vista will mean for the tablet:
www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/community/improvetabletpc.mspx
Lenovos plan
How Lenovo is positioning the X60 Tablet:
go.eweek.com/lenovox60tablet
Always connected
Intel explores the ultramobile market:
go.eweek.com/intelultramobile