Lenovo Finally Enters the 17" Laptop Fray

It seems like only yesterday that Lenovo took over the Thinkpad line from IBM. But in the few years since the Chinese computer giant bought the elite notebook computer line from Big Blue they've made great strides in keeping the Thinkpad line of professional laptop computers on the cutting edge while maintaining the signature black finish and solid performance reputation that IBM had always been famous for throughout its history. But Lenovo hasn't rested on its investment laurels since making that enormous cash outlay to buy the division.

After introducing the ground breaking X300 3lb. ultra-portable earlier this year, Lenovo signaled yesterday that it was going in the opposite direction by announcing its Desktop Workstation replacement line of W700 Thinkpads. The W700 line of Thinkpads features an unprecedented list of features and specification that have never been integrated into a laptop before now. With it's 17" 1920x1200 High Definition 400 Nit (brightness) screen, this is the first Thinkpad ever to sport a 17" screen. Weighing in at a hefty 8lbs depending on configuration, the W700 is not the heaviest laptop out there today, nor is it made for the typical road warrior, but it is indeed a transportable machine.

What sets the W700 apart is of course not only the Thinkpad moniker. Thats the good news. Lenovo added Intels recently announced Quad-Core Mobile Extreme Chips which means that the W700 can run native 64bit applications with processor speeds of up to 3.06Ghz operating on a 1024Mhz internal bus. With the ability to house up to three hard disk drives (two internally and one in substituted the ultra-bay sans the optical drive) this machine could conceivably hold up to 1.5Tb of data (WOW!) when using three 500Gb 2.5" drives available today from Hitatchi and Samsung. Raid 0 and Raid 1 are possible with two drives and is supported by Lenovo. Add an 'NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700M video card with 1GB dedicated video memory which is also an option. This marks the first time a laptop features a video card with that much memory. Dual-Link DVI is also a unique feature available on the W700, which gives the W700 ability to run larger LCD monitors (28-30") without the need to use external hardware or lowering the screen resolution to do so. In addition, the W700 has the industry standard Display Port, the next generation HD digital monitor connector. A Blu-Ray recordable drive is also an option available on some models. One unique feature that the W700 sports is the Integrated WACOM palm rest digitizer and pen for CAD/CAM, as well as for other digital manipulation/conversions and digital photography enhancements. Add Integrated color calibration for almost life-like image screen reproduction and you have the makings of a laptop never before seen in the marketplace. Just about every other option is integrated like 2Gb Turbo memory, 801.11n wireless, Bluetooth wireless, integrated Thinkcam, (7-in-1) digital media-card reader, 5 USB 2.0 ports, Trackpoint/Ultra-Nav Touchpad, Dual-Thinklights, fingerprint reader, and something very rare on a laptop computer, an Accountants dream-a full numeric keypad. The W700 comes pre-loaded with Windows Vista OS. 64Gb SSD (Solid-State Drive) is an option, but with prices and capacities still not in check, its not widely expected that many will opt for an SSD drive on this machine.

The W700 is expected to start shipping in September, with prices beginning at a $3,299 list price, with some models/configuration reaching almost $6k (Yikes!). But with the laundry list of features and options, whats not to like about the W700? The only bit of advice we can offer is that you make sure to book that bulk-head seat in First-Class if you plan to watch the soon to be released Blu-Ray version of "IronMan" while flying with this behemoth . And hey, don't forget the back brace!

Blackberry Bold 9000 Still M.I.A.

The iPhone 3G may be still drawing major mall crowds and even some lingering lines at certain Apple store locations, but in the Blackberry world, all eyes are on the imminent North American release of the new Blackberry Bold 9000. The BBB as we henceforth will call it, was expected to be launched on Canada's Rogers Wireless on July 26, 2008, and about three weeks later on AT&T here in the good 'ole USA. But the July launch in Canada didn't happen with two anticipated launch dates coming and going. An August 14th AT&T launch was also pegged, but it looks like that date has been pushed back. Some sites are reporting the Bold already to be shipping in Germany and if of all places--Chile!

Reliable sources have indicated that device over-heating and limited battery life are the issues that AT&T field testing engineers are dealing with. Research in Motion (RIM) has been mum on the launch delays other than to say that things are on track. While AT&T had not officially announced a launch date other than to say Summer '08, there had been consensus that a mid-August launch of the BBB was pretty firm. Major Blackberry News & Blog sites have recently also been mum on the subject lately, although the forums and user boards are abuzz with anticipation and of course speculation on a new release date and reasons for delay.

One popular online source for unlocked GSM phones, MobileCityOnline, had previously emailed its customers last month announcing the pre-sale of unlocked AT&T branded Bold units at a contract-free price of $699.99 (Yikes!) with a slated ship date of August 14, which coincided with the launch date previously thought to be AT&T's. A more recent email from them nixes that date and does not establish a new estimated availability date. With the iPhone finally doing REAL push email, this could spell some real trouble for RIM whose stock price has recently taken a hit. A double whammy if you will. The Blackberry Bold looks like a real promising device if RIM can finally push it out the door, but Apple isn't resting on its laurels waiting for it-Apple will be launching the 3G iPhone in 22 new countries on the 22nd of August, further pushing its might into more waiting hands around the globe.

Sirius / XM Satellite Radio Merger-Smoke & Mirrors?

I've been an avid fan and faithful subscriber to Satellite Radio (SR) since first it launched back in December 2001 and I am considered by XM to be a "Charter" member, whatever that means. I loved having access to over 100 channels of non stop virtually commercial-free radio for under $10 a month when XM first launched nationwide (It's now $12.95 per month with over 200 channels today with many previously commercial free stations now serving up ads). Having radio stations that played non-stop 70's and 80's music exclusively (amongst many other formatted channels) was just what the doctor ordered. As an individual who is passionate about listening to music (way too loud some might say) and was a former Detroit on-air Disc Jockey as wells as one who played records (yes records!) at weddings as a mobile DJ for my own Mobile DJ service (Pop Muzik Productions), I can never listen to enough music! I personally maintain a current iTunes library of over 8,000 different songs-probably overkill from some peoples perspective, but I would say I LOVE 99% of the songs in my repertoire (This is not to mention having a collection of over 500 different CD's). Despite that extensive personal song library, having satellite radio come along and finally offering an alternative to the non-stop barrage of endless commercials and constant chatter on FM radio was a long time in coming. I can testify that FM radio has all but disappeared from my life since the SR services launched as I also became a Sirius Satellite Radio subscriber when it too launched almost year after XM did. My affinity for both services has its reservations though. I can't decide which service does a better job, but what I do I know is that I've become so used to listening to both services at home and on the road that I could never go back to listening to traditional radio. Satellite radio provides a wide variety of music, news, sports and local traffic & weather at a touch of a button.

About 18 months ago, Sirius Satellite Radio announced it was acquiring/merging with XM Satellite Radio to help stem the flow of losses that both companies were experiencing. XM and Sirius are the only two satellite radio stations licensed to broadcast in the US. Sirius SR cited competition from terrestrial radio, iPods/MP3 players and Internet radio amongst their reasons for the need to merge. The merger promised to provide subscribers with overall better service with more choices from a two companies working in tandem. Of course, what this does is eliminate any competition whatsoever in the satellite radio arena, i.e. monopoly. A couple years ago both DirecTV and Dish Network attempted the same merger in the video satellite business and were almost immediately thwarted by the government for anti-trust reasons. Why was this merger any different? Looking at this merger closely, it really wasn't. Satellite video has cable companies and terrestrial TV stations to compete with. Satellite radio has terrestrial and Internet radio stations to compete with. Whats even more bizarre is that the fact that both Sirius and XM had agreed to a pre-licensing approval condition that they could never merge or combine operations. So how could the government even consider this merger given this "No Merger" clause when both companies knew BEFORE going into this business, especially knowing what a rough road ahead they faced in becoming major players in the radio broadcast business. Both companies literally spent hundreds of millions of dollars procuring talent (Howard Stern got $500 million over five years at Sirius alone) and spent even millions more securing exclusive Sports broadcasting rights with the NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball. So whose fault is it that XM and Sirius are in trouble? The answer is obvious. Will a merger fix this? Probably not, but time will tell. With a combined 18 million in paid subscribers, expenses will drop as they combine operations, however at the same time there are many subscribers who subscribe to both services, and they will ultimately decide to drop one or the other service thus decreasing revenues for the united entity. That's not even considering how many subscribers will flee altogether when hardware compatibility issues rear their ugly head in the coming years.

XM and Sirius had to do some serious last minute negotiating with the FCC to gain final approval for the merger. Sirius SR had to agree to some strict terms dictated by the the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), the Justice department and the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) which include having to hold down prices at current levels for at least three years, to provide smaller/cheaper ala-carte packages, as well as offer spectrum/airtime for public services and broadcasts. What is still unclear is how XM subscribers will be able to get Sirius broadcasts and vice-versa since both XM and Sirius use very different broadcast technologies in their transmissions as well as in their receivers, which are very much incompatible. Both companies promise at first there wont be a need for any new equipment, however for the merger to work and the consolidation be implemented, customer equipment upgrades will ultimately be necessary--unless Sirius decides to simply shut down one of their systems-something that isn't likely given the hundreds of millions of dollars spent in venture capital money that was needed to launch the satellites into orbit in the first place. Many questions still remain a mystery about the post merger consolodation and its respective fallout, however things should become clearer in the months ahead.

I personally have never thought that this merger was a good idea. However if the lack of a merger indeed would have led to the demise of both companies, then I guess one combined SR company is better than none. I for one simply cannot fathom going back to listening to FM radio in this day and age. Although HD radio (High Definition) shows some promise, no one sees it as a competitor to satellite radio, nor is it taking off as the terrestrial radio industry had hoped it would. The NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) and one of the US's largest radio station owners Clear-Channel Radio both fought tooth and nail to keep this merger from happening, but in the end, the FTC and FCC under the umbrella of the merger friendly Bush Administration finally allowed the marriage to be consummated. Lets just hope that the child that this union will ultimately bear doesn't end up being stillborn.