ThinkPad X1. By Us. By You. @Lenovo_Africa #LenovoCES

Hi Guys,

Twelve months ago, Lenovo launched the expanded ThinkPad X1 portfolio that demonstrated a commitment to uncompromised innovation and delivered truly versatile products that offer users the best possible personalized computing experience. Today, the next generation of ThinkPad X1 products continue that commitment and are specifically designed to embrace the needs of the evolving workforce and workplace.

Device mobility has never been more important. More than half of employees work from home at least some of the time and many millennials prioritize device flexibility and agility over remuneration when looking at job opportunities. The workplace is becoming a more dynamic environment with less static desks and more open spaces designed to nurture spontaneous interactions and an entrepreneurial spirit.

ThinkPad has been a hallmark of business computing for nearly 25 years and continues to be designed and engineered like no other. As its cornerstone, the X1 family is built on customer insight with many factors considered during the design process. Technology, size, weight and materials are high on the list, but usability, usage modes and connectivity are key lead-user research insights that influenced the development of the products. Business professionals demand the very best of themselves and expect their technology to do likewise. ThinkPad X1 is designed with the sole purpose of offering the best possible experience, by embracing workplace transformation, supporting personal workstyles and design choices, and by balancing security and manageability needs for an agile IT infrastructure.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

Taking center stage this year at CES is the fifth-generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon.
At first glance, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a familiar sight, but closer inspection reveals that it is smaller. In fact, in addition to being the lightest notebook in its class at under 2.5 pounds (1.14kg), it is also the smallest, fitting a high quality 14-inch IPS display into a typical 13-inch form factor. Despite the smaller size, there are no compromises here. The X1 Carbon continues to innovate as one of the thinnest, lightest and most durable notebooks around. A full complement of ports, infrared camera, connectivity and security ensure the X1 Carbon delivers maximum performance on all fronts. The six-row ThinkPad keyboard with an improved Microsoft Precision Touchpad (with physical buttons!) and iconic TrackPoint complete the picture.

Available in classic ThinkPad black and a new silver color, it is under the hood that the X1 Carbon comes into its own. Customers tell us that battery life is the single most important feature in a highly mobile business ultrabook, but not at the expense of security and connectivity. The improvements we’ve made are a direct result of constant analysis of customer feedback and user testing.

New enhancements include:

• Enough battery life to board one of the world’s ultra-long-haul flights and have enough juice on arrival to message home. Users can now enjoy up to 15.5 hours, per MobileMark® 2014.
• Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X7 LTE-A Wireless WAN offering up to three times faster LTE speeds1 and WIFI CERTIFIED WiGig™ options remain, but can now co-exist thanks to redesigned antenna placements.
• ThunderboltTM 3 ports also make their appearance with up to eight times faster transfer speeds than USB 3.0 and 4k display connectivity. We’ve still managed to squeeze on a couple of type-A USB 3.0 ports and HDMI too!
• Expanded docking solutions with new Thunderbolt 3 and USB Type-C docks.

In the last year, 689 million people have been victims of cybercrime2 and with 431 million new malware strains detected3, device security has never been more critical. ThinkPad X1 Carbon is more secure than ever with multi-factor authentication improvements such as:

• ThinkPad has enhanced biometric authentication with the addition of an IR camera with face recognition support for Windows Hello logon.
• The Match-on-Chip touch fingerprint sensor adds another security layer. Enrolled data is processed in the sensor itself and all fingerprint images are handled inside the fingerprint processing unit preventing malicious logon access.



Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet

• ThinkPad X1 Carbon is also the first business-class notebook to support FIDO-enabled biometric authentication for PayPal. Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX) secures users’ FIDO® credentials and the Synaptics Natural IDTM fingerprint sensor features enterprise-level security with TLS 1.2 encryption. This hardware-level protection will enable users to authenticate to online FIDO-enabled services like PayPal® by using a fingerprint instead of a password.

ThinkPad X1 Yoga also gets updated treatment and the same silver option. Customers looking for a convertible notebook want the best Windows 10 experience possible with multi-mode flexibility, high performance functionality and pen use that feels more natural. The X1 Yoga excels, adapting to users’ various needs, with a redesigned rechargeable pen, a great visual experience and an improved unique keyboard. It also shares many of the improvements from the X1 Carbon, with improved security and a complete set of ports including Thunderbolt 3. Flying from New York to Tokyo or Dubai to Sydney is not a problem with up to 15 hours of battery life for the true mobile warrior.

Key features include:

• Users will revel in the only 14-inch OLED notebook display option reproducing stunning colors, absolute blacks and 100 percent Adobe RGB color space.
• Intel® Iris™ Graphics with dedicated high bandwidth, high speed memory delivering superior performance over Intel® HD Graphics.
• We developed an improved ThinkPad Pen Pro for 2017 using a new soft elastomer tip. With bigger friction on glass, the pen recreates a more natural writing experience for users.



Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga

• Lenovo engineers further improved the unique rise and fall keyboard. The new keyboard retracts fully flat in tablet mode offering greater stability and user comfort and anchoring the keycaps delivers better long term key durability and reliability.

 

Also updated for 2017, the ThinkPad X1 Tablet combines 2-in-1 uncompromised design with enterprise-class features. For 2017, the MIL-SPEC tested X1 Tablet continues to impress customers with its light weight modularity and serviceability.

• The X1 Tablet modules offer port expansion and up to 5 hours’ extra battery life, or a properly integrated projection option for a seamless desk-to-projection experience.
• Simplified serviceability and a wide range of docking options make the X1 Tablet virtually unique in the detachable segment.

What makes the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 series so good? Is it the uncompromising design, enhanced security, superior connectivity, ultimate versatility? Yes, but above all, it is our customers’ feedback, insight and experience that drives us to be better and to be different. ThinkPad X1. By Us. By You.

Find out more at www.lenovo.com/Think Watch how customer insights inspired Lenovo’s latest innovations at CES 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIoPzpwS4uM
Discover more at www.lenovo.com/ces. Join Lenovo on LinkedIn, follow on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit at www.lenovo.com.

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com if you want me to attend your launch events, blog and share on all my #socialmedia channels #TheLifesWay or to be a #Ambassador for your products and services!

Today’s Crossover Consumers Meet Their Match @Lenovo_Africa Miix 720 #LenovoCES

Hi Guys, 

Today’s consumers no longer expect barriers of any kind to impede their work or play. From crossover vehicles and business casual dress to telecommuting and always-on connectivity, people want effortless, convenient transitions from the office to the mountaintop, from the coffee shop to the home. And critical to this way of life is a PC that can be configured for any need.

Lenovo’s user and customer experience teams gather feedback from millions of people to better understand what they need, and want, in their next portable PC. It’s these consumer trends and insights that led to the development of the new Miix 720 Windows detachable – an all-purpose digital vehicle with state-of-the-art components that not so much blur as altogether eradicate the lines separating today’s work hard, play hard mentality. With one-third of millennials prioritizing device flexibility and work mobility over other work perks, including salary, the Miix 720 is tailor-made for the “work from anywhere” user.

Want proof? Read on and put yourself into a day in the life with the Lenovo Miix 720.
Your alarm goes off and like nearly 40 percent of the U.S. workforce, you may be working remotely for part of the day due to a high-stakes mid-morning presentation that you’ll be giving to a key prospect.

You slip the ultra-slim machine into your bag and head for the door. Measuring in at just 0.57 in (14.6 mm) and 2.4 lbs (1.1 kg) including the precision touchpad-enabled keyboard, the Miix 720 makes the weight on your shoulder almost imperceptible as you walk to the coffee shop.

You take a seat and flip open the screen for a final review of the deck. The Miix 720’s integrated infrared (IR) camera with Windows Hello instantly recognizes your face to unlock the detachable. No more obtuse, difficult-to-remember, easy-to-mistype passwords that will unnecessarily delay the start of your workday. You’re grateful for the ease and agree with the 75 percent of PC users surveyed who think PC bio-authentication, like the Miix 720’s facial recognition, is a highly convenient and appealing feature.

Lenovo Miix 720 with Active Pen 2

With only a few minutes before your meeting, you leave the keyboard in your bag and use the 12-inch touchscreen as a tablet, its QHD+ screen with 2880 x 1920 resolution delivering ultra-crisp clarity to your graphics-rich pitch.
 

With the Lenovo Active Pen 2 in hand, you use the shortcut button to open your email and check for any last-minute edits from your boss. Her suggestion: add one more hand-drawn schematic to the presentation. As part of the over 20 percent of detachable users surveyed who use a pen or stylus on a daily basis, you rely on a digital pen to sketch out the drawing along with some supporting annotations with just the click of your Lenovo Active Pen 2 using Windows Ink™. The 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity on the pen offer a precise drawing experience, like writing on paper.

Like most of us, the process of drawing and writing with a pen helps you frame content in a way that makes it more memorable and meaningful. Lenovo’s commitment to creating smarter pens is based in large part on a growing body of research demonstrating that digital pens are better suited to intrinsic human cognition, including conceptualizing, prototyping, sketching, memorizing, and good old-fashioned brainstorming. In other words, not only are you not worried about this last-minute addition, you’ve already got the new information incorporated into the pitch and understand precisely why it’s there.

You add the new slide to the deck and use Wi-Fi to fire the updated presentation off to your boss. All of this and your coffee is still hot. Your detachable’s up to 8-hour battery life with a USB connection that never sleeps means you can even charge your smartphone while your Miix 720 is powered off, as you finish your coffee.

When you get to the client’s office, you simply connect the conference room’s 4K monitor to the Miix 720 via Thunderbolt™ 3, the fastest port available on a PC today. At 40Gbps, Thunderbolt 3 can handle all of your data transfer needs along with a simultaneous video conference feed with the boss.

The presentation is a hit, the deal is secured, and you once more break out the Lenovo Active Pen 2 to create a digital signature on the contract. Losing the stylus is the number one problem amongst digital pen users, but you have no trouble locating your Lenovo Active Pen 2 thanks to a convenient pen holder designed for the Miix 720.

Back in your own office, you attach the full-size keyboard which boasts 1.5mm of key travel for faster, more accurate typing and alternate between email and word processing for two new proposals before heading to a new product presentation. During the meeting, you again detach the touchscreen and use your mobile tablet and Lenovo Active Pen 2 to easily take notes. Before exiting the room you snap some photos of the presenter’s whiteboard notes with the Miix 720’s integrated camera.

En route home after a long day, you’re inspired by the outdoor scenery for your next prospective pitch. Because creativity doesn’t wait, and thanks to the Miix 720, you quickly snap some images on its rear-facing 5MP camera and spend the train ride home editing the image with Lenovo Active Pen 2.

Home by sundown, you and the Miix 720 spend a few minutes networking with family and friends on social media and emailing your boss that clever scenery mockup, the backlit keyboard making it easy to type in the gathering darkness.

As you relax at home, you set the Miix 720’s up-to-150-degree tablet kickstand to the preferred viewing angle to enjoy a movie in a comfortable position. Its improved dual kickstand hinges offer a noticeably smoother rotation and firmer rigidity than before.

Better yet, its integrated Thunderbolt 3 and optional connectors lets you connect up to two displays at vivid 4K resolution for the times you want to watch movies with family and friends.

It’s been a hectic, but ultimately successful day, and it’s difficult to imagine how you’d have made it without the many faces of the Miix 720 at your side. 

Join Lenovo on LinkedIn, follow on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit at www.lenovo.com.

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com if you want me to attend your launch events, blog and share on all my #socialmedia channels #TheLifesWay or to be a #Ambassador for your products and services!

5 Ways #Legion #Y720 and #Y520 Laptops are Upping the Game @Lenovo_Africa #LenovoCES

Hi Guys,

In their quest to provide customers the most immersive PC gaming experiences, Lenovo spent time building and listening to a community of gamers to better understand what they value most. This year, Lenovo is launching a dedicated sub-brand for Lenovo gaming PCs – they call it Lenovo Legion. The new gaming sub-brand offers gamers powerful gaming devices and community engagement. It’s a user experience designed around what they’re passionate about – the most immersive gaming experiences. Just as the Roman army shared a common purpose that bound them together as a force to be reckoned with, Lenovo Legion is all about the growing community of gamers and their passion for gaming.

The first Lenovo Legion offerings embody the modern gaming experience, starting with the new Lenovo Legion Y720 and Y520 Laptops – two powerful gaming PCs designed for mainstream and enthusiast players. These products are a result of talking to thousands of gamers and understanding and anticipating their needs. Lenovo Legion is about emboldening our commitment to improving players’ gameplay with state-of-the-art technology so they can fully immerse in the game.

Lenovo Legion Y720 Laptop

Here are five ways the Lenovo Legion Y720 and Y520 Laptops are setting the bar based on gamers’ insights.

#1: Need for Speed
Just the way your brain brings your senses to life, the graphics and CPU powering your gaming device enable sensory features like the screen and keyboard to seem immersive to gamers. In fact, gamers agree that graphics and processor speed are the top features they value most in their gaming PCs[i]. Lenovo Legion laptops are outfitted with up to the latest NVIDIA® graphics cards and Intel®’s latest 7th Gen Core™ i7 processors for the speed needed to win. More RAM also means better gameplay, and boosting up RAM specs delivers that extra edge as the second most desired upgrade based on gamers’ feedback.1 You can run and stream your favorite game, respond to chat questions and play music all at the same time without a hitch – powered by the two laptops’ 16 GB DDR4 memory. Better yet, the Lenovo Legion Y720 Laptop comes with Thunderbolt™ 3, the fastest port available on a PC today[ii] to plug and play at lightening speeds.

#2: Get Real With Virtual Reality
The lines between reality and virtual experiences are blurring. However, the intersection is becoming crystal clear as virtual reality (VR) becomes the new digital reality. In fact, many industry insiders agree that VR is shaping up to be the biggest gaming trend for 2017.[iii] Built from the ground up, the Lenovo Legion Y720 Laptop with up to NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 1060 graphics is VR-ready, offering truly immersive gameplay. Just plug a VR headset into the HDMI port and you’re set for immersive gaming.

#3: Easy on the Eyes
Playing to win involves seeing every little detail. Pixelation, screen lag or dropped frames can mean the difference between seeing your in-game opponent or having them see you first. As high quality screen resolution is something gamers demand, we’ve upped the ante by offering up to UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS anti-glare display on the Lenovo Legion Y720 Laptop. But a screen is only as good as the GPU driving it. Gamers know this, and a good graphics card among the top three specs they value most.1 Lenovo Legion laptops are designed for gaming in high resolution and frame rates that make it easy on your eyes – thanks to their latest graphics. For an even more immersive visual experience, connect the laptop to one of our 27-inch Lenovo Y27g Curved Gaming Monitors and see things in a whole new way. 

Lenovo Legion Y520 Laptop

#4: Surround Yourself With Sound
Nothing “speaks” more to immersive gaming than being enveloped with sound. In fact, almost half (44 percent)1 of PC gamers bought some kind of new audio peripheral to better their audio gaming experience last year. We designed the Lenovo Legion Y720 Laptop to be the world’s first Dolby Atmos® Windows® based PC.[iv] Dolby Atmos puts you inside the gaming action with powerful, moving audio that sweeps all around and above you with amazing precision and realism. When playing Dolby Atmos-enabled content and using headphones, you can hear the locations of teammates and enemies in three-dimensional space—bringing an enhanced sense of depth and detail to your gaming experience. It makes the game’s world come alive with immersive sound you can feel, from the roar of a spaceship overhead to the crunch of boots on the ground. With sound coming from every angle, you get a tactical edge when gaming on the Lenovo Legion Y720 Laptop.

#5: Feel the Game
Did you know that most gamers are night owls? That’s right, user research revealed that most gaming takes place between 6 p.m. and midnight.1 That’s why we’ve added an optional RGB keyboard on the Lenovo Legion Y720 Laptop and optional red backlit keyboard on the Lenovo Legion Y520 Laptop – making it super easy to game at night without having to clamber for your keys again.

Better yet, the Lenovo Legion Y720 Laptop comes with the option of an integrated Xbox One™ Wireless receiver, which is able to support up to four controllers simultaneously for gaming with friends.

The new Lenovo Legion gaming line was born out of our gaming community’s demand for a superior gaming experience. Each product, feature and spec is the result of knowledge gleaned from what our customers want. Lenovo Legion takes gaming to a whole new level of immersive delight, starting with the Lenovo Legion Y720 and Y520 Laptops. Join Lenovo on LinkedIn, follow on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit at www.lenovo.com.

[i] Based on Lenovo's 2015 global PC gamer research of 1800 respondents in US, Germany and China.
[ii] Thunderbolt FAQs: https://thunderbolttechnology.net/tech/faq
[iii] “10 Trends Shaping Up Gaming Towards 2017” Aki Jarvinen, Medium: https://medium.com/game-futures/10-trends-shaping-up-gaming-for-2017-ea3c158512d2#.pt1o71rrn
[iv] Based on Lenovo’s internal analysis as of Dec 9, 2016 of PCs using Windows sold by major competitors shipping >1 million units worldwide annually. Requires RS2 update for Windows 10 coming April 2017.
 

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com if you want me to attend your launch events, blog and share on all my #socialmedia channels #TheLifesWay or to be a #Ambassador for your products and services!

@Lenovo_Africa #Phab2Pro Unlocks New #TangoEcosystem Experience

Hi Guys, 

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, the world’s first Tango-enabled smartphone, is now available on shelves and online, and studios around the world are using the Phab 2 Pro as a working model to develop innovative Tango apps. As a result, the Phab 2 Pro will be delivering on the original Tango experience on a number of new apps, which have introduced unique AR and VR experiences to the phones of new Tango users.

These include many high quality AR/VR games such as Hot Wheels Track Builder, Fury of the Gods or Crayola Color Blaster. At its core, however, Tango is a tool meant to make your phone more useful. Take, for instance, the Phab 2 Pro’s preloaded Measure app, which uses Tango’s depth perception capabilities to quickly measure interiors and real world objects (and allows users to see the measurements displayed in augmented reality). And there are now a diverse range of retail, education and camera apps that promise to the re-imagine the way you use your smartphones.

The retail experience is changing with Tango. Lowe’s and Wayfair have both showcased Tango apps that let users place actual-size furniture or home furnishings in their interiors before reaching a purchase decision, saving them on trips to the store. Users can view, walk around and examine these home additions through the screen of their Phab 2 Pro as if they were actually there. Another interior design app, iStaging, pairs the spatial perception features of Tango with its own Immersive Reality® technology to let users design their interiors right from the Phab 2 Pro. Users will have the opportunity to walk around the furnishings, floor tilings and even wallpaper they’ve chosen in their own homes to see if they fit. They’ll also be able to take pictures of the design to share with their friends or family. And if they can want to make a purchase, they can order the item straight from the app.

iStaging offer products from a range of brands, including HomePlaneur, PIXERS, Arredoclassic and HOLA. iStaging’s Floor Planner app is also among a number of apps that allows designers and real estate professionals to measure and map their interiors. Matterport and its Tango software are allowing users to capture an accurate 3D model of an indoor environment, offering virtual house tours for people interested in a property. Meanwhile, Sensopia’s MagicPlan lets you measure your rooms and draw floor plans just by taking pictures.

Tango also looks set to revolutionize education, with apps like Dinosaurs Among Us that allow viewers to walk among life-sized Velociraptors. Students can learn by exploring these virtual dinosaurs, where information referencing the latest research from paleontologists at the American Museum of Natural History is overlaid over various features of the dinosaur. Another educational app that’s perfect for the classroom or the home, Angstrom Tech’s Solar Simulator at Scale, lets teachers, parents and children project a scale model of the solar system into their living room, hallway or gym. The user starts by “placing” the sun at one end of an enclosed space in the real world—let’s say, the living room. Then the user moves to the far end of the room to place Neptune. Once that’s done, the app automatically scales the solar system to fit into your living room. Users and their friends can then walk among the planets in augmented reality, and find out just how far Saturn is from Earth.

You can also film yourself and friends with a hologram of your favorite celebrity or character. The aptly named “Holo” mixed-reality app will soon be available from an exciting new studio called 8i. Holo allows users to add augmented reality holograms to real-world environments such as a living room or shopping mall. These holograms come in “holopacks,” comprising photorealistic 3D holograms of animals, celebrities, fictional characters, athletes and musical artists. Once you’ve added the hologram, move it around, resize or rotate it - then add as many holograms and virtual assets as you want to design your tableau. And when everything’s ready, get yourself and/or your friends into the picture to put on final touches. Then take a photo or record a video you can share with friends on Twitter or YouTube.

A lot has happened to the Tango ecosystem in the past few months since the Phab 2 Pro was first launched. The first wave of apps promises to be just the beginning, with the benefits of owning Tango-enabled smartphone multiplying along with the number of apps that are coming down the pipe in 2017. And I can’t wait to tell you more about them. Looking forward to be the user of the same soon...

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com if you want me to attend your launch events, blog and share on all my #socialmedia channels #TheLifesWay or to be a #Ambassador for your products and services!

Teachers Test their Chess Skills in Fun Tournament @MontecasinoZA #MovesForLife

Hi Guys, 

In a fun and informal chess tournament to thank teachers for their valuable contribution to the Tsogo Sun Moves for Life Chess programme, 85 teachers from five primary schools in the Diepsloot area pitted their skills against each other in a series of friendly games and quizzes at Montecasino, which sponsors the programme in the area.

Nationally, Tsogo Sun Moves for Life operates in 57 schools around the country, with 23 766 participating learners, 569 educators, and 22 tutors from the local communities. The programmes are sponsored by eight of Tsogo Sun’s casinos, which also sponsor annual chess tournaments for learners from the schools in their catchments areas, as well as separate chess tournaments for the teachers, to give them a well-earned break from teaching for a day.

The teachers are from Paradise Bend Primary, Muzomuhle Primary, Diepsloot 4 Primary, Reshomile Primary, and Musengavhadzimu Primary.

Says Shanda Paine, Tsogo Sun Group CSI Manager, “The aim of the Moves for Life chess programme is to use chess as an education tool that helps to improve maths, science, and problem-solving in learners – particularly in disadvantaged areas. We’re extremely aware that the strength of the programme is dependent on the dedication, enthusiasm, hard work that the teachers put in, as well as the sacrifices that they make to ensure the success of the programme. We’re indebted to them and this is one way we can treat them to a day of entertainment and fun at our participating casinos.” The tournament also serves as social year-end event for the teachers in the programme.

In the Teacher Tournaments different work stations are set up where the teachers compete in friendly games such as quizzes and board games that test their chess knowledge, as well as the classroom activities and integrated lessons that they have implemented during the year.

This is the second year that Tsogo Sun Moves for Life Teacher Tournaments have been hosted. “The teachers are very enthusiastic about these tournaments – and every year the numbers of participating teachers increases. Not only is it a day of fun, but they also say they enjoy networking with teacher colleagues from other schools, and the chance to pick up ideas and suggestions on how to improve their own lessons,” adds Paine.

As these are not formal tournaments, there is no overall winning teacher or school, but there are constant small prizes that are won at every work station during the course of the games.

“We’re delighted at the growth and success of the Tsogo Sun Moves for Life chess programme over the past few years and proud of the youngsters who are moving up to participate in major chess championships around the country, but we’re also thrilled that the programme is proving to be an effective tool that is equipping teachers to master maths concepts, which in turn is helping children to master the basic building blocks of maths in a fun and incidental way,” says Paine.

For more information go to www.montecasino.co.za, join on Facebook at www.facebook.com/montecasino or follow on Twitter at @MontecasinoZA.

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com if you want me to attend your launch events, blog and share on all my #socialmedia channels #TheLifesWay or to be a #Ambassador for your products and services!