RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. and ATLANTA, Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Lenovo and Cingular Wireless today announced that the ThinkPad T60 notebook, the first Lenovo PC in the U.S. to feature built-in Cingular UMTS/HSDPA-based technology, is now available to business users across America.
With the Cingular-enabled ThinkPad T60, users in the U.S. have mobile high-speed access nationwide(1) with supercharged, UMTS/HSDPA-based Cingular BroadbandConnect service in more than 70 markets in and around 21 of the top major metro areas. While abroad, Lenovo customers can use their ThinkPad T60 notebooks wirelessly in conjunction with EDGE or GPRS data services in more than 100 countries worldwide.(2)
"ThinkPad users can now enjoy wireless broadband Internet access via the Cingular BroadbandConnect service without needing a separate PC card or additional hardware," said Scott Smith, president, Lenovo Americas. "The combination of Cingular's technology and our ThinkVantage Technologies that simplify the connectivity process gives on-the-go users the ultimate portability with a punch."
"The ThinkPad T60 with Cingular BroadbandConnect service gives Lenovo customers wireless capabilities out of the box," said Jeff Bradley, vice president, business data services, for Cingular Wireless. "The combined Lenovo/Cingular solution is a powerful communications tool that provides customers with seamless, high-speed mobile access to important information whether they are across the street, on the other side of the U.S. or halfway around the world.
"The ThinkPad T60 measures an inch thin with a travel weight of 4.8 lbs., giving it newfound power and performance in a thin-and-light form factor. For mobile users, the ThinkPad T60 series includes a more durable system design, coupling the ThinkPad Roll Cage -- an inner armor chassis -- with its airbag-like Active Protection System and ThinkPad shock-mounted hard drive. Users can capitalize on the Cingular service using Access Connections, a ThinkVantage Technology that comes equipped on the ThinkPad T60 notebook and easily adjusts wired and wireless capabilities by automatically turning on and off the right connections.
ThinkPad T60 users can access Cingular's critically acclaimed BroadbandConnect service in more than 70 markets in the Atlanta, Austin (TX), Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Gary (IN), Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Portland (OR), Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), San Antonio, Seattle, Tacoma (WA), Tucson and Washington, D.C. metro areas. Cingular plans to expand its BroadbandConnect coverage area to most major metro areas in the U.S. by the end of 2006.
BroadbandConnect uses UMTS/HSDPA technology -- the global standard and natural 3G evolutionary path for GSM providers. UMTS services are already offered by 95 commercial networks in 45 countries, with an additional 67 UMTS networks in deployment, planned or licensed. In the U.S., it provides average download speeds between 400-700 kilobits per second (kbps), with bursts to more than one megabit per second (mbps). Cingular's EDGE network, the largest national high-speed wireless data network in the U.S., provides average download speeds of up to 135kbps.(3)
The notebooks will ship with Cingular Communication Manager pre-loaded. Cingular Communication Manager is an easy-to-use software package that allows users to effortlessly establish connections with Cingular's BroadbandConnect and EDGE services from their notebooks.
The ThinkPad T60 is available immediately at lenovo.com/cingular and through select business partners. ThinkPad T60 customers can activate Cingular's BroadbandConnect service directly from Lenovo and will be billed monthly by Cingular. Unlimited monthly BroadbandConnect service is $59.99 per month with a two-year contract and qualified voice contract.
Customers also now can sign-up for Cingular Data Connect international plans. These offer two international wireless data monthly usage plans -- a North American plan ($109.99 for 100MB) for travel within Canada and Mexico and an Overseas plan ($139.99 for 100MB) -- both include unlimited domestic usage on Cingular's domestic data networks. The Overseas plan provides access in more than two dozen countries, with service offered in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain and other major areas in Asia and Europe.
