Lenovo Ruggedized PC
I just returned from our Beijing Innovation Center where I was presenting to a customer. In my next post, I plan to share a few additional photos, but today I wanted to share the most interesting thing I saw while I was there.
The great thing about our Innovation Center is that they always have everything on display. This includes not only a few historical pieces of Lenovo computing history, but also Lenovo’s entire current product line from around the world.
A few posts ago I had written about how ThinkPads are rugged PCs and will suit most customers who need more robust systems. However, even they are not appropriate for some applications, especially those in very wet environments. As many readers know, Lenovo does not market a true ruggedized machine – or so I thought. It turns out I was wrong.
I was walking along the displays in the Innovation Center and did a triple take when I saw this machine. It is a true drop
it in the mud, run over it with your car, flush it down the toilet, ruggedized machine. AND it has a handle. If you are not familiar with the ruggedized space, what is different about rugged notebooks as compared to standard notebooks is that ruggedization is the primary design focus. Other considerations, such as weight, thickness, and battery life are secondary. The outer casing is thick magnesium. The corners are reinforced with thick rubber pads. The outside is completely sealed so that it can be used under running water. To do this is a significant piece of thermal, acoustic, electrical, and computing engineering and not just putting a couple of protective plastic parts on the system.
This machine is only available in China, and is so new that the team there didn’t have any details on it.
I can’t help wondering though – if we slapped a ThinkPad keyboard on there, would this be a good machine to add to our worldwide portfolio? Obviously, it wouldn’t be that simple, but we’d be interested in your comments.
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Lenovo Meet the modder- Chris Blarsky Dairy 1
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October 18th, 2007 10:41 pm
looks like a Getac box to me..
October 18th, 2007 11:01 pm
Why are you trying to make thinkpads more ruggedized? they are already built like rigid tanks especially the T61. Focus on screen resolution, keep standard aspect ratio, bring flexview back and add more ports. Just my 2 cents.
October 18th, 2007 11:28 pm
for business laptops, I don’t think lenovo have to built thinkpad as a ‘tanks”, if you guys believe ruggedized PC is a big market to get into, creating a new product line may be an better way.
Actually, T4X is tough enough, T61 is even better, that’s good, but focus too much on this direction will lose something in other aspect! Just keep the style of thinkpad, continuely well design, and most important things is keep the same (or even better) build quality as in IBM time. Because almost everyone is watch on this point! Thinkpad fans, competitors in PC and those people who still suspect the lenovo’s ability.
Not everyone want see the sucess of Lenovo! keep going! let them sad!
October 18th, 2007 11:31 pm
any way, this new ruggedized machine is nice! I like it!
October 19th, 2007 4:15 am
Having use the Panasonic Toughbook CF-30 for sometime all I can say is, if Lenovo can make a ruggedised notebook that is as fast and as responsive as my R60e then it would go down a storm.
The CF-30 was a nice machine to start off with before I actually had to use it for any amount of time. It looks nice, but it was slow and sluggish with a pretty much un-responsive touchpad. The only good thing it had was built in 3G.
I would rather point customers towards a ruggedised Thinkpad than a Toughbook anyday.
October 19th, 2007 11:10 am
I think that it may be too far a departure from the spirit of the Thinkpad. Your time is better spent improving the Thinkpad’s winning formula.
In short: Give me an even thinner X70 with a higher resolution, LED backlit screen and none of these build defects seen on the X61
October 19th, 2007 11:48 am
For business user, i think :
- it looks too military, reflect ‘anger’ than ’serious’.
- it is too boxy, with obscene protrude parts almost everywhere.
- looks too intimidating for a corporate meeting.
IMO, if you people can make it slimmer, without so much protrude part everywhere, i think the model will worth testing.
I agree with above post, even though truly ruggedized Thinkpad is a nice idea, you should put more attention to other features such as screen condition.
October 19th, 2007 3:53 pm
I love it. I’m not usually into macho stuff, but for some reason laptops like this (and construction-worker cellphones like the ruggedized ones that Motorola sells) appeal to me. Maybe it’s a Walter Mitty thing…I’m a desk jockey but always wanted to be out in the field doing physical work. And when I actually WAS out in the field (doing field biology, studying birds) I would have loved to have a machine like this for recording data regardless of the weather, something I wouldn’t worry about destroying if it slipped out of my hands while clambering over rocks, etc.
Ruggedized laptops are not “business machines,” they’re really for other uses like construction, military, field biology, exploration, etc., and I think a laptop with the ThinkPad’s pedigree would be welcome in that market.
October 19th, 2007 7:50 pm
It looks great except the handle.
October 19th, 2007 8:06 pm
Nonsense! that´s the ugliest and outfashioned think I´ve ever seen in my entire life. The T60 series are one of the best built notebooks, we don´t have army´s standars in the normal business world. I concur with Peter (first post) why don´t you try to improve on the screen issue, that´s a world-wide imperative demand…
October 19th, 2007 9:18 pm
Actually, I’m impressed, even if I don’t intend to buy one myself.
Hopefully, some techniques developed for a fully ruggedized machine will also make it into standard Thinkpads.
I for one do appreciate the durability of standard Thinkpads–clearly, the worst possible time for a computer failure is when you are traveling on a tight schedule with no IT department around to provide a replacement.
October 19th, 2007 11:29 pm
The handle needs work..it looks out of place with the rest of the body…maybe when one is not using the handle… the handle can “somehow” sit flush with the notebook…stream line the boxy look, take off those bummpers …it looks too much like a Toughbook sprayed painted Black…
I agree with the posts above..work on better screens..(on the thinkpad lines).
(these are my (last) thinkpads)…It ended with the dying flexviews…
October 20th, 2007 8:29 am
sapibobo,
Somehow I don’t think that the intended taget market for this involves the boardroom, corporate meetings or is intended as a different option for current Txx users. Though it would be fun to see the CIO slam this down on the table to call a meeting to order!
Now for the military out in the desert, a researcher in the congo or a police officer in downtown Detroit….. nice.
October 20th, 2007 10:47 am
Thinkpad needs a Z series with 13″ widescreen, superslim profile and dual-spindle. It is what Thinkpad-lines lack and it is what consumer really want.
I’m suprised Thinkpad’s marketing department never realise this.
October 20th, 2007 4:21 pm
I want it. In fact, I want ten of them, for my people in the field.
Yeah, the handle doesn’t work yet. (You should have it go flat, like the handles on toolboxes, or old US ammo boxes.)
But it’s a perfect line extension. Military, construction, field sales reps – virtually anybody who’s “office” might be anywhere from a restaurant to an airfield, to a client’s factory.
You could own this market if you went into it.
October 20th, 2007 10:57 pm
Looks like a reasonable design (well, as much as someone can tell from the outside).
As Jeff said, you really need to fix the handle. Another thing to add to the fixit list would be the thinkpad mouse setup (especially the 3 buttons!).
The loop on the rear left also looks like a point of contention.
Did you happen to get photos of the rear or the bottom of it?
October 21st, 2007 7:09 am
My Toughbook CF-25 looks much nicer, smoother edges, sturdier handle and all.
Now, if Lenovo would consider producing a ruggerized laptop along the design of the CF-25 using todays technology & thinkpad keyboard, I would think about getting one.
October 21st, 2007 3:17 pm
Looks like the case for my iridium phone. Nice!
October 21st, 2007 8:41 pm
1. Does Lenovo think there is a market?
2. If there is a market, does this current design stand up/out compared to competition
3. Would it utilize the ThinkPad name or something new/old like WorkPad?
4. Find a way to stash a tablet PC in there as an alternative and you’ve increased your market potential
I like the look of the case. I like that it is Darth Vader black. You do not doubt that it means work. The only way to really find out if a market will buy your product is to stick a toe into the water. If the price is right, then I see a market.
Do homework, go to coal mine sites, construction sites, visit the intended market and see what they are using and ask them if they need something like this… blah blah.. basic marketing 101. I think it would sell.
Cheers
JIM
October 22nd, 2007 2:22 am
i made my points on my thinkpads forum but i will repeat them here:
*****
lots of people need rugged notebooks..
throw your thinkpad across an airport lobby into a fountain or deep puddle and count how many times it will work after that..
the specs sure look to have been machine translated from chinese..
this thing is supposed to resist an EMF pulse..??
THAT is a little worrisome if the chinese seem to be preparing for a nuclear EMF..
all that said, who better to go head to head with panasonic’s toughbook..
they need competition and thinkpads seem well poised to take the prize if lenovo puts the development $$ into the project..
all in all its not supposed to be pretty, its supposed to work when the chips are down or bullets are flying and/or the sandstorm or hurricane is at its worst..
IRT flexview displays..
if enough people bitch about the display quality, i’m sure lenovo will respond..
the key here is “enough” which equates to money paid for new thinkpads..
October 22nd, 2007 8:34 pm
[...] qualquer modo, Matt Kohut no seu blog “Inside the Box” fala sobre um protótipo de ThinkPad no melhor estilo “Duro na Queda” com cara [...]
October 22nd, 2007 8:58 pm
[...] qualquer modo, Matt Kohut no seu blog “Inside the Box” fala sobre um protótipo de ThinkPad no melhor estilo “Duro na Queda” com cara [...]
October 23rd, 2007 1:52 am
Ahhh…..I definitely can perceive the possibility of two paths here. Path #1, The two toughest lines of notebooks that I’ve been around are also w/out question the most elegant as well, these are the IBM Thinkpad line and the Apple Powerbook. I’ve been dragging Thinkpads around since the late 90’s and haven’t had a failure yet. They are amazingly hardened to the day to day knocks and thumps that we dole out to them, whether banging them about Dulles airport trying to catch the next shuttle , or subjecting them to repeated blasts of -60F (and colder) as we drag them from our quarters into the comms building at Amundsen-Scott to check our email before work. The other prizewinning unit is the Apple Powerbook, my wife has just been assigned one of the models that schools are assigning to kids these days, (she is a HS teacher). These puppies look like long lost siblings to the Thinkpad line. I am totally enamoured with the magnetic AC power plugin. These keep the laptop from launching when small children/dogs/clumsy adults try to run through the powercord. I’ve had more than a couple of spills w/my Thinkpads that would have been prevented w/one of these. In addition, rather than having a CDROM “cupholder” drawer that pops out, the Powerbook has a cdrom drive similar to that found in most automobiles these days where you just slip the disk into a slot. No drawer to break off, or torque into malfunction. My point to this is that you can still have a rugged laptop w/out having it look like an accessory to a GM Humvee. Think out of the box: add more ports…consider accessories (device prosthetics) that when added would increase the “abuseability” of the machine…what else could make a Thinkpad more rugged (ie “self contained”)? How about integrating solar cells into the lid of the machine?
Now, Path #2? One of my projects uses P——–c Toughbooks. I’d love to see the Thinkpad people take this concept and apply finishing touches to it. While P T-books have their strongpoints, many of their features are kludgy. We’ve deployed them into high dust environments and had failure rates similar to generic Dell Latitudes simply because while they are highly water and drop resistant, they are not secured against the constant high levels of abrasive (glacial) dust that we subject them to.
My suggestion? Do both! I’d gladly haul around a Thinkpad of the 770 size and weight that was a bit more hardened against vibration, had removeable dust filters and perhaps room for a second hard drive under the deck. Good luck. Thanks for taking my comments.
October 23rd, 2007 11:52 am
I am now into my second week as the MoD, Emergency Services & Central Government Account Manager in the UK for Lenovo. This product would give me extra value and benefit to my account base who feel that although the Thinkpad model is fairly robust, is does not compare with some Panasonic models when it comes to dusty enviroments.
My largest customer HQ Land (British Army) buys over 6000 Panasonic CF30’s per year but would buy a Thinkpad if the ports were covered.
Also a number of Police Forces and other parts of the military would be interested
Great use of Thinkpad technologies
October 23rd, 2007 10:39 pm
My opinion:
1. It needs a Trackpoint
2. Make sure it has UWB / wireless USB / whatever they are calling it… so you don’t need to plug stuff into it.
3. With all that extra chassis space in that boxy chassis, consider adding a FUEL CELL. That would be truly something to talk about. A ruggedized laptop with far longer runtime than conventional battery-powered laptops? WOW!
October 24th, 2007 8:46 pm
Agree with Mike (above).
It needs a trackpoint. And if the handle is sliding off the case that’s something to appreciate.
And yes, as some of the above said, it must be in another series of products. I think this is a great market that needs the Thinkpad. All other rugged notebooks brands should tremble at the entrance of the Thinkpad. So let them not shiver in vain.
October 27th, 2007 11:15 am
It would be a success. Please also consider a tablet PC version (in the field, you’ll likely do your work standing up, and you can’t type on a keyboard with gloves on). Everyone from police to the army to oil companies to mountain climbers would buy it…all the rugged PCs out not are disappointments. It would be like Hummer or jeep or most other SUVs (how many people push those to the limits?)…but lenovo could truly be the best in the world.
A built in GPS would be excellent (possibly upgradeable), and considering its nature, the option for satellite internet (like BGAN) instead of EVDO or the like would be helpful (an external antenna port is especially important in the field). Maybe a floating carry case with an extra large antenna could be considered.
A fuel cell option would certainly be vital for its success in the field (I am forced to use pen and paper b/c of short battery life, maybe a solar panel/hand crank for a low-power version could also be considered) and a bright orange case option would be nice. A solid state HDD option and no built-in DVD drive may reduce the need for shock protection. Multiple hinged attachment loops built into recessed cavities on the casing would make it easy to attach it to a backpack. For a tablet option, big buttons for power/other vital functions would be helpful when working in the cold with gloves on. And attached plugs for all the ports would help keep debris out until you need them. Lastly, an OLED screen (like the one in Sony’s new 11 in OLED TV) or a heated LCD screen would be important for those in cold climates.
But overall anything would be better than nothing. Don’t think that because is will be expensive, no one will buy it…company officials and government people aren’t spending their own money, after all (they already waste it on things like Iraq wars). And making most features options will allow for private individuals to buy only what they need.
October 27th, 2007 12:19 pm
Touchpad doesn’t work well in humid/wet condition, or your fingers are wet. Get a Trackpoint.
October 27th, 2007 11:28 pm
Slap a flash SSD in that puppy, EMI cable shielding, heat pipes, and all the latest wireless components possible. Make sure it has a sunlight readable screen, and that fuel cell mentioned above.
October 30th, 2007 4:12 pm
It seems that Lenovo is knowingly/unknowingly shifting its focus from elements which gave IBM an edge over other brands; build quality and reliability. With the problems in the X61T machine, it is quite apparent. The disturbing reports the bezel coming off created such an uproar and the reaction and the solution from Lenovo came too late. Not to mention the customer service calls take anywhere between 1-2 hours to even speak with someone (irrespective of whether he/she knows about the problem).
In addition to this, there is another issue of the fan constantly running on X61T and a few other Lenovo models. X61t is my first Thinkpad/Lenovo experience and apparently, like many, I am not pleased completely, not yet. There are posts in the tabletpcreview forum about someone’s bezel peeling off, literally. This makes me wonder after all what is Lenovo selling these days? Is it worth spending the “premium price tag” for Lenovo (of course because it was IBM) anymore or the quality of the machines have gone down the drain? Forget about making things rugged and like tanks and what not, please focus on the core things needed for a machine to run decently and THEN, focus on other things. First of all, fix the fan problem, bezel problem, flickering screen issues, etc. How difficult is this to understand and implement?
November 4th, 2007 7:42 pm
I feel this sort of thing is perfect for Lenovo to try.
I’ve had a T60p 2613-HQU for nearly a year (9 November 2006) and I couldn’t be happier. The machine runs incredibly fast and is quite stable. I don’t put mine through much abuse, but I feel a lot better about taking it with me on the occasional trip or to school. My Sony VAIO PCG-FX340K has only left the house ten or so times in the past six years.
As a comparison, I also own a ThinkPad 600E, built and designed by IBM. I feel that Lenovo has made good progress since the legacy models. I want to get a T42p and see what the real differences are in build quality since Lenovo took over, but I expect them to be minor. But I can say that the newer ThinkPads are improving on the old designs, rather than stepping backward. The reason is that Lenovo was smart enough to hang on to the original PCD staff.
I feel that Lenovo is making good decisions on projects to try. I feel the convertible tablet (X41t, X60t and X61t) made a great impact. There were few systems of the kind before that, the Toshiba Portege is the only other noteworthy tablet.
Radical changes in a business model are usually not met with great excitement, I like the fact that Lenovo is keeping the original vision that IBM intended.
November 6th, 2007 9:35 pm
IBM offered products like this at different intervals during their reign of the ThinkPad, but most were one off designs.
I think something like this would be excellent for those that demand the most out of a computer in harsh environments. Police, government, military and plenty of business markets make use of ruggedness laptops. I think the ThinkPad flair would be very welcome in a usually dull and unexciting market.
The key here would be to make ordering it easy. Keep it direct sales and available on the web. There are plenty of people that could benefit from these machines and keeping them hidden away to GSA buyers would be a mistake.
November 8th, 2007 10:03 am
There’ definately a market for this. I work @ a T1 dist, and often get asked if I have a rugged laptop. This could be a competitor to http://www.toughbook.com
November 9th, 2007 3:18 am
I have been in the industry for about 10 years and this is as far as I can see a AMREL ROCKY also under the Label of Hyperdata. These are manufactured in Tiawan and there is an assembly plant in Los Angeles county. They are MILSPEC and the screen can resist a rock thrown at it (the LCD SIDE!!!) It can also run under a constant shower of water for hours and can be dropped from 20 ft without any internal damage.
I attempted to sell these to NATO forces back in 2000 and we were beat out by GETAC (MITAC) for price. You are correct though they do resemble the GETAC ruggedized Laptop. If LENOVO is to produce these or label these under the LENOVO name expect a 5000.00 price tag or higher. But worth every penny spent. You can have these is a Leopold Tank and they will not even have any hard drive issues with so muc vibration.
Only one problem I saw with the AMREL model was that the bottom of the unit gets extremely HOT. There is a heat sheld on the bottom of these and they get HOT.
Expect only 2 hours on the battery as well.
I hope Thinkpad has a Ruggedized version I think it will do VERY WELL “NAME means EVERYTHING”!
November 13th, 2007 1:44 pm
“I can’t help wondering though – if we slapped a ThinkPad keyboard on there, would this be a good machine to add to our worldwide portfolio?”
That statement is proof of everything that is wrong with Thinkpad since the Lenovo takeover. IBM designed every Thinkpad from the ground up. Now you guys are just putting lipstick (or trackpoints) on Lenovo’s pigs. I will *never* buy one of your machines again.
November 19th, 2007 1:52 am
The main reason I bought my T61 is for the rugged reputation it has in the industry. I work as a captain/engineer at sea, I have had laptops go sliding off the tables due to heavy seas destroying the computer and all my data with it. I looked at the toughbook but it had slow outdated internals. It goes without saying I would like a GPS in it.
Unlike all your other comments I like the handle, Its quick and easy to grab in a hurry, I need durability, function and performance and could care less about trying to impress the fellows in the office. However there is a big market for the crowd that buys a Hummer and never leaves the city.
January 6th, 2008 7:32 pm
As more stringent environmental legislation is enacted (similar to RoHS in the EU) some larger more rugged system could be the ideal platform to create an upgradeable Laptop. What’s better for the environment? disposable PC’s with a smaller eco impact? or ones that could at least could be cheaply upgraded eliminating a large portion of the bulky mechanical “e-tech” waste? I see forced refurbishment laws happening sooner than we can imagine in the EU. Another added bonus of this rugged PC is that since it is so large and more able to handle abuse, Product Engineering and mechanical engineers would have an easier job of designing upgrade components for it.
I still like it alot and feel it would have a good chance of challenging the Toughbook(TM) line successfully.
January 8th, 2008 11:23 pm
I like it and want to know the more information about this modle of specification, somebody can tell me this modle number? does it start to sell in Taiwan ?
February 8th, 2008 3:02 pm
Please remember: this is NOT a ThinkPad – it´s just a Lenovo Series Notebook…
February 16th, 2008 6:11 am
When you talk about taking a Lenovo design off the shelf, “slapping a thinkpad keyboard on there”, and marketing it as a thinkpad, you do more damage to the thinkpad’s reputation than you can possibly know. We always thought you designed thinkpads from the ground up. This post suggests that you’re no different from Dell. Terrible.
February 25th, 2008 7:29 am
There is one problem that I see. The government market for rugged machines does not trust the manufacturer of this notebook. Therefore, it looses it biggest market immediately.
-U.S. Patriot
March 12th, 2008 10:44 am
here is the weblink to the product
http://appserver.lenovo.com.cn.....ode=A03B05
the product is priced at : 98000 yuans = 13800 $ US
i hope i’m wrong with the conversion ^^
…
unfortunately it’s not fanless. Other brands succeeds in turning L2400 totally fanless and are much cheaper…
and why only in china ??
November 6th, 2008 3:44 am
where can i buy one?????
March 16th, 2009 10:47 am
The Canadian Federal Government has a category just for ruggedized, the only test we currently do not pass of the Mil-STD-810F is the Rain Test 506.4, they puchase many ruggedized in Canada, would be a good to have or have our current line pass the rain test of the MilSpec Mil-STD-810F section 506.4
April 3rd, 2009 10:00 pm
A toughbook can stop a 9 mm bullet from 100 m, i wonder if the Lenovo rugged PC can do it too. I think the Lenovo Rugged are used by the Police, Mining companies and the Military in China, it is more of a niche product, as said US government won’t use it, because of the Chinese origin. The largest Toughbook market in USA is the military and the mining sector.
If Lenovo Rugged PC indeed do go worldwide, it would the third large laptop company to do so, after Panasonic and Dell. But i would definitely add some Thinkpad touch to it, especially the keyboard and the palmrest.
However, i think three is a crowd given where the majority of Rugged laptop market is.
June 23rd, 2009 11:24 pm
Without a trackpoint it just ain’t a Lenovo to me. I think all models should have one– it makes the brand what it is.