IBM Corp. has announced new ThinkPad i Series notebook computers that company said are the lightest and least expensive of the family. The new ThinkPads weigh six pounds (2.72 kg) and are “thinner and lighter than anything on the market, according to IBM. Some of the new machines feature Ethernet connectivity through miniature PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) cards in the system and an RJ-45 port in the back, which also enables broadband access through DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) or a cable modem. The new ThinkPad i Series 1200 and 1300 models all feature mobile Intel Corp. Celeron processors, a standard 56K-bps (bits per second) v.90 modem, a 6G-byte hard drive, NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batteries and two USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports. Displays range from 12.1-inch HPA (High-Performance Addressing) SVGAs (super video graphics arrays) to 13.3-inch TFT (thin-film transistor) XGAs (extended graphics arrays). The ThinkPad i Series also incorporates keyboard-based audio controls for volume adjustment and basic CD player functions for the audiophile. Programmable easy launch buttons are standard and can be customized to launch favorite Web sites or software applications. The small business 1330 and 1370 models, targeted at the small-business entrepreneur, are pre-loaded with Microsoft Corp.’s Windows 2000 Professional and Office 2000 Small Business. Four educational models, part of the 1300 i Series, include Microsoft AnyTime, AnyWhere Learning initiative developed as part of an IBM partnership with Microsoft. Available immediately through IBM’s business partners and its Web site, pricing for the new i Series models starts at US$1,199 for the 1210 and rises to $2,199 for the 1370. The educational models (1310, 1320 and 1340) are offered through Authorized Education Resellers to qualified kindergarten through 12th grade accredited schools, qualified students or their parents or legal guardians. IBM, in Armonk, N.Y., can be reached at http://www.ibm.com.
Prices listed are in US currency.