IBM Unveils THINKCENTRE


IBM today announced the first models of its redesigned PC and visuals families, the new ThinkCentre desktop and ThinkVision monitor ranges, finalising its move to bring all PC products and services under the one name - "Think". These products offer innovative new ThinkVantage Technologies designed to reduce costs and increase productivity. The ThinkCentre S50, M50 and A50p feature an easy access, tool-free chassis design, simplifying maintenance, upgrades and service for customers. The ThinkVision L170 and ThinkVision L170p 17-inch flat panel monitors are designed to provide performance, quality, flexibility and ease-of-use at outstanding price points.

Stop searching for the screwdriver
The ThinkCentre S50, M50 and A50p desktops offer several features that reduce costs and IT staff time by driving down the complexity of managing PC infrastructure. The new desktops all feature a tool-free chassis design, which simplifies and enhances usability. Encased in a durable steel chassis, components inside the machine, such as the hard disk and memory, can easily be removed by the customer, making the PC serviceable and upgradeable, helping to limit the downtime and cost associated with on-site support. Cable routing is bundled out of the way for easy access to components and cable ends and user “touch points” are coloured blue to be easily identified by the user.

ThinkCentre desktops also feature an innovative "caddy" that surrounds the hard disk drive, locking it into place without the use of tools or screws. Rubber bumpers on the caddy decrease vibration and deliver quieter operation. Other mechanical improvements have been made to the overall design of the new ThinkCentre PCs, including improved air flow and reduced noise.

Overview of the ThinkCentre

The new ThinkCentre range includes many of the latest industry standard technologies to improve overall system performance and efficiency. All ThinkCentre desktops incorporate the latest Intel Pentium 4 processor technology (with Hyper-Threading on select models), offering system bus speeds up to 800MHz as well as the speed of PC2700 memory and dual-channel support. Faster new Serial ATA is available on select models, giving customers greater choice of hard disk drives. Integrated Ethernet options include Intel PRO/100 or Intel PRO/1000 (Gigabit Ethernet) in the ThinkCentre M50 and S50.

The ThinkCentre S50 is a full-feature enterprise PC offering image and platform stability in an extremely small form factor. Featuring a space-saving design with dimensions of just 12.2 inches wide by 14.1 inches deep by 3.3 inches high, the ThinkCentre S50 is 62 per cent smaller than a standard IBM desktop. It allows for flexible placement, either horizontally or vertically.

In response to customer feedback, IBM designed the ThinkCentre S50 to feature an internal power supply, two full-size PCI slots, three bays, and an industry-standard desktop optical drive. These features allow customization and easy upgrading, which is uncommon for a small form factor PC.

The ThinkCentre M50 offers enhanced support for Red Hat and SuSE Linux. The M50 provides stability and manageability for the enterprise and is available with three improved mechanical designs. Each of these models shares a common system board and software image (per operating system), giving flexibility and image compatibility to organisations purchasing various models of the M50. Both the S50 and M50 offer global models available in 68 countries and workhorse models that feature 12 months of planned hardware stability.

IBM announced the ThinkCentre A50p, a multimedia-centric machine offering a wide range of optical drives and video graphics adapters with up to 128MB DDR memory (1).

Select ThinkCentre models feature IBM ThinkVantage Technologies that improve security and simplify PC fleet management, including the enhanced Rapid Restore Ultra. Rapid Restore Ultra provides a one-button backup and recovery solution that can easily restore previously saved data, settings and applications after a software failure. All ThinkVantage Technologies help meet new requirements for flexibility and dynamic reconfiguration of global organisations moving toward an on-demand business model.

Select models of the new ThinkCentre desktops are equipped to take advantage of ImageUltra, IBM's innovative, patented image management technology designed to lower costs by reducing the number of software images managed by IT departments. Images on the S50 and M50 are compatible, enabling a single image to be deployed across multiple platforms. The ThinkCentre S50, M50 and A50p also feature the new Access IBM button, a portal to IBM support that taps into a rich set of onboard resources, diagnostic tools, automated solutions, and links to updates and service on-line for customers with Internet access.

Select models of the new ThinkCentre S50, M50 and A50p desktops feature the IBM Embedded Security Subsystem, consisting of an integrated security chip and downloadable IBM Client Security Software. This hardware and software-based solution provides a higher level of security for the client, providing a secure repository for storing sensitive keys, identity information and confidential data.

New ThinkVision flat panel and CRT monitors

The ThinkVision L170 and ThinkVision L170p 17-inch flat panel monitors are designed to provide performance, quality, flexibility and ease-of-use at outstanding price points. L170 is part of IBM's essential monitor family while the L170p is a member of the high-end performance line. These new 17-inch flat panel LCD monitors display an optimum resolution of 1280 x 1024 and offer unique ThinkVantage Design characteristics including an on-screen display function that helps enable more intuitive adjustments and direct access to frequently used monitor functions enabling quick and easy setup. Additionally, the L170p ergonomic stand keeps the base stationary while allowing the monitor to swivel 135 degrees in either direction. The L170p offers analogue or digital system attachment, as well as dual input which allows the monitor to be attached to two systems simultaneously.

IBM today also announced the new ThinkVision C170 and C190 monitors, high quality CRT monitors affordably priced. Both monitors feature award-winning IBM ThinkVantage Design including superior front of screen performance and easy-to-use on-screen display for monitor adjustments, as well as quick and easy setup. The ThinkVision C170 is a 17-inch monitor with a 16-inch viewable image size. The ThinkVision C190 is a 19-inch monitor with an 18-inch viewable image size, allowing for increased productivity, as studies have shown that more data on the screen results in less scrolling and fewer key strokes. Both monitors feature Full Flat Shadow Mask (FFSM) technology for clear images on the entire screen with low distortion and low glare.

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