Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 8, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Lenovo has introduced its new high-performance ThinkPad W700ds mobile workstation. As the first workstation on the market with two screens, the ThinkPad W700ds combines unique design with complex technology and powerful performance for special challenges such as editing digital content or images and running CAD applications.
“In developing the ThinkPad W700ds dual-screen mobile workstation, our international engineering team pushed the limits of what was possible,” said Volker Fassbender, Business Development Manager for Lenovo Notebooks. “To meet the wishes of PC enthusiasts, the team sought to balance size and functionality on the one hand with low heat and noise generation on the other.”
The Power of Two
Because many workstation users typically work with two monitors, Lenovo equipped the ThinkPad W700ds with two screens while paying particular attention to users’ working habits on the move. The second integrated display means they no longer have to work with only one monitor. Studies have also shown that additional screen space from multiple monitors helps improve user productivity compared with a single-display solution.[1] The 10.6-inch second screen is almost 40 percent the size of the main 17-inch WUXGA (1920×1200) display, making it roughly the same size as the display area of the Lenovo IdeaPad S10e netbook.
The second screen slides easily out of the ThinkPad’s lid from behind the first display and can rotate by up to 30 degrees, like a car’s rear-view mirror, to match the user’s individual viewing angle. The new notebook is only a few millimeters thicker than its ThinkPad W700 predecessor.
The second screen complements the 400-nit WUXGA main display, which is almost twice as bright as previous ThinkPad mobile-workstation models. The main display also covers a 72 percent wider color gamut, enabling colors that are more than 50 percent more intense than on conventional models.
Combining Innovation and Performance
With its second screen, the ThinkPad W700ds mobile workstation continues the innovative features of its ThinkPad W700 predecessor, which was already the first mobile workstation to include a built-in graphics tablet and color calibrator.
The optional high-resolution graphics tablet—ideal for users who create or edit digital content—uses pressure sensitivity to control the main display, both the main and secondary displays, or a specific area across both screens. Selected models also feature a color calibrator that adjusts display color quickly and automatically for a more realistic image. It also improves the reproduction of 2D and 3D images, which is particularly important when creating digital content.
“I have been using the ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation for several months,” said Hans Engels, a renowned architectural photographer from Munich. “Lenovo has taken all the tools a photographer really needs and built them directly into the PC. It works so well that I don’t even have to think about the technology. Since I started using the mobile workstation, not only has the quality of my work improved, but my efficiency has increased too. The new ThinkPad W700ds goes one step further with its second screen because I no longer need an additional external monitor.”
Certified by 20 Software Vendors
The ThinkPad W700ds mobile workstation offers the latest technologies, especially important when working with large volumes of data and in graphics-intensive fields such as CAD or computer-aided manufacturing. To ensure optimal processor and graphics performance, the ThinkPad W700ds is equipped with Intel® mobile quad-core and Extreme processors and offers optional dual hard drives in RAID configurations as well as NVIDIA® Quadro FX mobile graphics processors. The mobile workstation is also available with up to 8 GB of high-speed DDR3 memory and a selection of solid-state drives and traditional hard drives offering up to 960 GB of total storage. The ThinkPad W700ds is also certified by more than 20 independent software vendors.
The ThinkPad W700ds emphasizes its multimedia capabilities with an additional DVD burner/player and UDMA CompactFlash reader, as well as support for dual-link DVI, DisplayPort and VGA. The workstation also offers a 7-in-1 multicard reader and five USB ports. For mobile internet access, selected models support WiFi as well as WiMAX. Security features include an optional fingerprint reader, a smart-card reader and hard drives with full-disk encryption.
Thanks to its special dual-thermal technology, the ThinkPad W700ds remains as cool in operation as other ThinkPad notebooks and is quieter than the typical background noise in offices.
Price and Availability
The ThinkPad W700ds mobile workstation is available now through specialist retailers. Prices start at €4,529, excluding VAT.
