Making an effort to compete for business users, Lenovo Group has launched a widescreen version of its ThinkPad line of notebook PCs.The ThinkPad T60 will use a 15.4-inch widescreen, yet hold its weight down to 5.1 pounds, lighter than any comparable notebook from the top five PC vendors, Lenovo said Tuesday.The company also hopes that adding this feature will regain consumers’ confidence after Lenovo was forced in September to recall the batteries from 526,000 ThinkPad models—including the T60. Like notebooks sold by competing vendors Dell, Apple Computer and Toshiba, those computers used lithium-ion batteries manufactured by Sony, whose faulty design could lead to overheating and fire. Lenovo ThinkPad T60 Lenovo already sells widescreen notebooks in other product lines, such as the Z-series and 3000-series for small businesses, but this is the first widescreen model for corporate users, said Rajat Aggarwal, product marketing manager for the T-Series at Lenovo. Those customers can already choose a T60 notebook with 14- or 15-inch screen, but have recently been asking for the full widescreen version, allowing them to display more columns on an Excel spreadsheet, show multiple windows and fit better onto airplane tray tables, Aggarwal said. In another nod to high-end users, the notebook will be capable of running Microsoft’s new Vista OS, with a dual-core Core 2 Duo processor from Intel and graphics card from ATI.Despite this package, Lenovo is lagging behind its rival PC vendors in delivering widescreen notebooks to the business market, analysts said. “Lenovo is playing catch-up in the widescreen game,” said Samir Bhavnani, research director at Current Analysis. “Lenovo is a little late to the game because Dell’s entire lineup of corporate systems is available in widescreen right now. Dell just identified a market shift before Lenovo did.”Still, the product should be popular with Lenovo’s core audience, the corporate user, Bhavnani said. Since acquiring IBM’s notebook PC division in 2005, Lenovo has succeeded at preserving the ThinkPad brand’s history of innovation, rolling out features such as the tablet PC and integrated wireless broadband.Lenovo is selling the ThinkPad T60 notebook with 15.4-inch display for US$1,399 in the base model. Users can upgrade to a version that works as a laptop workstation for faster numeric computation or to run the Vista Premium OS.-Ben Ames, IDG News Service (Boston Bureau)Related Link:Sony Battery Recalls: Who’s Next? Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature 5G ready or 5G really? Industry CIOs face hard truths about private 5G Some enterprises are building private 5G networks for their industrial environments, only to find they have to initially settle for 4G service. So what is private 5G ready for, and what can it really do? By Peter Sayer Jun 06, 2023 8 mins CIO Network Appliances Network Switches opinion 5 tips for startup partnership success Corporate venture investments provide IT leaders with new engines for IT innovation, broader networks for emerging opportunities, fuel for in-house transformation, and improved career prospects — if done right. By Isaac Sacolick Jun 06, 2023 8 mins Startups Digital Transformation IT Strategy feature 14 organizations that support LGBTQ+ tech workers Offering networking, mentorship, and career development opportunities, these 14 professional orgs foster community for LGBTQ+ workers in an industry that isn’t always welcoming. By Sarah K. White Jun 06, 2023 9 mins Diversity and Inclusion brandpost ChatGPT and Your Organisation: How to Monitor Usage and Be More Aware of Security Risks By Hayley Salyer Jun 05, 2023 7 mins Chatbots Artificial Intelligence Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe