Design Matters

Ever spilled  something on your keyboard? Water, Mountain Dew, or worse, could mean the end of your keyboard, not to mention your data. Liquid and electrons do not mix. Fortunately we have thought about this for you. Every ThinkPad has what we call the spill resistant keyboard. I love lawyers.

Lenovo engineers are famous for this kind of attention to detail. Cleverly integrated under the keyboard is a innovative drainage system similar to a roof gutter . This system collects and diverts the liquid harmlessly out of the bottom of your ThinkPad through a unique drain hole. Recently, we started labeling the hole at the request of a customer to call attention to this unique feature. Great idea!

Why is this so important? Well it's really very simple, every notebook computer has the electronics and more importantly your data under the keyboard. Drying out a hard file right before a presentation is not as simple as drying a pair of cotton shorts  Not sure I want to lose my data due to a clumsy moment and glass of water. 

Look for this icon if you want to know where the water runs out.

David Hill

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Here is one that is sure to get your attention. Everone's life is far too busy to deal with the technical complexities of running a computer. That's why every ThinkPad includes so much more than a industry standard computer. Would you rather spend more time fooling with your computer or spend quality time with something more important to you?  

I asked Ravi Adapathya, the manager of user experience, to give me his ease of use top ten list. For those of you who don't know what user experience is, it's a fancy term for making the everyday things associated with owning and using a computer better. I'm sure I have your interest now. So without further ado, here is the list:

Top 10 Ease of Use Tips for ThinkPad

1. Presentation Director  <Fn+F7>: this key combo brings up a utility to manage dual displays and projectors. Next time you fumble around trying to get your slides on the screen, losing your audience's attention, find this tool and start presenting and not messing around.

2. UltraNav Wizard <Fn+F8> Turns on/off the pad or stick and customizes the pad hotspots.

David Hill

TrustedReviews – Lenovo IBM ThinkPad T60p

"I've always liked ThinkPads. Despite the fact that these notebooks have a tendancy to be more expensive than the competition, I've generally been of the opinion that the extra cost is worth it. Many people think that the ThinkPad styling is dated and dull, but as far as I'm concerned black will always be the new black. The true beauty of the ThinkPad styling is that you could have a three year old model under your arm, but it will look just like the latest generation machine, and there will be absolutely no mistaking the fact that you've got a ThinkPad."

Thanks, I completely agree that the Thinkpad's black will always be the "new black."

David Hill

Congratulations are in order for the personal computer which turned 25 recently. Amazing how much has changed when you compare the original 5150 to the latest ThinkPad X60. Not sure what a PC will look like after the next 25 years,  but I bet the best ones are black.   

David Hill

Creativity is funny thing. Very hard to manage, very hard to create on demand, but required on a daily basis for business survival. So where do ideas come from?  Inspiration can come from thoughtfully crafted market research, a trip to the local art museum, a recent personal experience, customer feedback, a trip to the local flea market, or something as simple as a break in the action with friends and co-workers.

A few months ago we discovered a small puddle outside of the design center window that was strangely created by the condensate overflow from the buidlings air conditioner system. Okay this may seem a bit off topic, but it isn't.  The puddle was always there, no matter how hot or dry the climate. But more importantly we found that we weren't the only ones who had discovered "the pond". Tucked away in the cool water and shadows was a bright green frog.

The frog is always there. It draws people to the window to check on it's status but more importantly it has become a place to meet and exchange thoughts. I introduced Yao and Sapper to the frog on their last visit to Raleigh and they too became smitten by the power he holds. Each day started by checking on the frog's status. Was he visible? Hiding in the drain pipe? Or strangely hidden from view?

Lately objects such as whirlygigs, plastic frogs, and even a ceramic stallion have appeared surrounding the puddle. Each object pays homage to the frog and sends a message of caring to others. Rumor has it the puddle was recently weeded by several of the designers. Strange? I don't think so.

David Hill

In my mind the personification of separation anxiety is having to check my notebook with my luggage while traveling. Not only am I separated from my work and my stuff, but I’m also entrusting a $2,000 machine to the kindness of baggage handlers. 

Recent news reports about lost or stolen notebooks containing sensitive data – especially customer and personal identity information – has pushed the issue of security to the forefront for a lot of users. While passwords and encryption may be an annoyance, imagine the consequences to you and your business if your notebook were to wind up in the wrong hands.

We’ve designed the most sophisticated suite of security functions available in the market. We’ve shipped more notebooks with biometric security devices than any other PC manufacturer (fingerprint readers). Our ThinkVantage Client Security application is a powerful tool for managing not only your passwords, but for encrypting data on the hard disk via Ultimatico’s SafeGuard™ PrivateDisk tool.

If you are very concerned about the security of your notebook’s data while traveling, I suggest enabling the Power On/Hard disk password option. This will require an extra security step and insure that your machine can’t be powered on without your fingerprint.

How does the fingerprint reader work? It’s a small transparent rectangle embedded in the palmrest of the notebook and in the screen bezel of our tablets. During set-up the user “trains” as many fingers as they want, teaching the system to recognize the patterns of their fingerprints. I generally train my notebook to identify my thumbs, index, and middle fingers of both hands.

When the notebook prompts for a password you just slide your finger slowly and squarely across the reader. The scanner reads the print and if a match is made, the notebook will power on, Windows XP will load, or, you can even store password for commonly used applications or websites such as your online banking account. Chief Security Officers like biometric security for the simple reason that it doesn’t require their users to memorize increasingly complex passwords – which leads to the unfortunate human behavior of writing them down so they can be remembered. This phenomenon has been pointed out by one of my favorite security experts, Bruce Schneier.

Before I end, let me offer a couple other tips for checking your laptop with your luggage, something travelers are now faced in the wake of the recent terrorist plot in the United Kingdom.

1. Invest in a padded sleeve. I use one made by EMS, an outdoors outfitter that offers some protection and is a very convenient way to store spare Ethernet cables, power adapters, and other necessities. 
2. Don’t cram your notebook into an overloaded backpack or briefcase. Don’t store hard objects next to the screen where they can press against the screen and crack it.
3. If you like to suspend your notebook’s power, please make sure it is fully suspended and the “moon” icon is lit on the power indicator. A laptop can build up a lot of heat if the fan is obscured, and while Thinkpads are designed to shut down if their temperature climbs too high, you don’t want to risk damaging the system because you were too quick to pack it away.
4. Consider investing in a ThinkPad Protection plan. This is a great form of “no questions asked” insurance against accidents such as cracked screens, spills, and other mishaps.

Tom Wailgum, blogging at CIO.com, has some good tips as well.

Safe travels to all. I’m interested in hearing any tricks and tips from the road.

 David Churbuck

Several years ago I spent a few hours in a Lufthansa departure gate in Stuttgart Germany waiting for a flight to take me home. I was pleasantly surprised to see a well prepared selection of fresh fruits, nuts, and drinks. This was a far cry from the usual departure gate that barely has enough seating, bad television, and a unique array of disgruntled travellers. If you want a snack or any creature comforts you are on your own.

The surprise that put the experience over the top for me was, believe it or not,  the design of the disposable coffee cups. Everyone has struggled with crumbly foam cups, or flimsy paper cups that don't satisfy your taste senses, but make up for it by burning your hand. There is the lightly grip the cup at the top edge strategy, or the wrap the cup in a napkin alternative, or my favorite,the double cup to provide insulation. Lufthansa, however,  took a totally different tack.  They designed a unique nesting cup that was efficient to stack and attractive looking,  but also employed a unique shape that made it nearly impossible to burn your hand. Can this be true? Design innovation for the seemingly lowly coffee cup?

I was so impressed that I managed to sneak a few samples back home for my collection. Further proof that design aimed at soving real problems can do far more than provide decoration. Next time I'm in Germany I'm flying where innovation lives.

David Hill

The confluence of color and design is a fascinating topic, one that has sparked endless philosophical discussions about the nature of palettes and their effect on everything from psychology, physics, and cultural gestalts. The author William Gass devoted an entire book to an exploration of the color blue. This post is about black. 

Black is the color of the Thinkpad and ThinkCentre. It has always been so since their introduction in the early 90s, a color which, at the time, was a significant departure from years of white, grey, and beige colored computers. Why did these visionary computer designers select black? The design of the first Think computers emanated in Japan, in the Yamato design center. The inspiration for the black rectangle was the ubiquitous, and highly functional bento box, a beautifully simple black lacquered form used for centuries by the Japanese to carry and present food. Simple idea, but far from simplistic.

When black was proposed as the color, there was some debate. Noted graphic designer, the late Paul Rand (who designed the IBM and ThinkPad logo among others), was a strong proponent of black, and even wrote a passionate essay on it's significance: 

“During this century [20^th] many individual artists, architects, and designers have rebelled against the convention use and misuse of black. However, the prejudice against this color are still sufficiently strong to require a discussion of the properties of black and a vigorous defense of its many virtues.”

Given the portability of notebook computers, one can’t deny that to some extent we are what we carry. Can a notebook be considered a fashion accessory, as important to one’s image as a purse, a briefcase, or necktie? Can we make assumptions about a person’s status, their income, their power from what they hold in their laps in the waiting area around Gate 23 in the C Concourse? Would a man carry a pink notebook? Would a woman carry a pink one? Is a black notebook the safest bet, the “little black dress” or electronic business suit of the boardroom? There are certainly practical arguments for black – notebooks get handled, they get dirty, a black cover will hide fingerprints – but I believe there is something more sublime, something about the infinite austerity of working on a machine that carries, what Paul Rand termed, “the common denominator of a multicolored world.”

Have we ever been tempted to diverge from the path of black? Those discussions have been had, prototypes have been built, but we haven’t strayed. Will we ever? Will we depart from our signature color? Apple did this spring when it offered a black MacBook (at a price premium by the way) in addition to its ubiquitous pure white. Is black truly a differentiator, a signature element of the design? Or is it just another color. Bill Gates is famously credited with dismissing the design of the NeXT computer in the mid-1980s by offering to take a can of black spray paint to the then standard beige box for anyone who desired a black computer.

Lets face it,  black is a color forever linked to power, style, purity and success. It worked for Johnny Cash. 

David Hill

The ability to control the external temperature of a notebook computer is unlikely to be high on anyone's wish list.  Just the same, we likely have all noticed fan sound from our notebook computers or felt a bit warmer after sitting on the couch with our notebook.  Thinner notebook designs and ever increasing processing power result in design challenges for notebook makers.  Suffice it say, heat dissipation is complex and some hardware designs do it better than others.  However, the solution does not have to be all hardware.  ThinkPad Power Manager is a software application that enables a user to control system settings and see the impacts on four main criteria, including fan sound and system temperature.  Find the right balance of settings, invoke them or save them as a scheme for later use.
Let's face it, we all have different wants and needs.  Whether you want to max out CPU performance or keep as cool as possible, Power Manager gives you the control.  Software configuration that allows users to augment the functional properties of design for their own preferences; seems like good design to me.

To find the utility, either double click on the battery icon (the larger green one) in the taskbar, or hit Start->All Programs->ThinkVantage->Power Manager.

Aaron Stewart