This week, I caught up with fellow Lenovo blogger, Brandon Hoe.

Brandon shares a bit about himself and the various projects that he’s involved with, the S10 evolution, and his thoughts on some of the trends he’s seeing for netbooks in the future.    I hope Brandon explores some of these points in more depth on his blog in the near future.

The video is a bit long at over six mins (I think 2-3 would be ideal for this kind of thing), but Brandon was a great sport and shared his thoughts naturally.  I learned a few things while doing this,  and will ensure better camera work and audio for future endeavors.

Then, you notice a countersunk hole, somewhat larger in diameter than the others, near the right side of the machine.  (toward the left side when viewed upside down with the system turned over)   No screw.  Curious, you peer into the hole and note the threaded brass insert that would clearly accept a screw.   Is one missing?  How could Lenovo have carelessly let slide this minor detail?

This screw is a security screw that once installed, prevents the ultrabay device from being ejected from the system.  (see location circled in red in photo above)  As most users wish easy access to swap ultrabay devices as they use their systems in everyday environments, the factory default is to not install the screw.  Lenovo includes 2 of these security screws in a small plastic bag included in the box with your new system.   Only one screw is required, but a spare has thoughtfully been provided.   The P/N for the bag and two screws is 42W3824 on current T series ThinkPads.

Here is another view for more clarity.    The screws require a small Allen (hex) tool for installation.  While not entirely tamper proof, a casual passer-by won’t be able to remove your drive using a coin or car key as a makeshift screw driver.    As this feature has been part of ultrabay equipped ThinkPads for several generations, this feature may be old news to many of our customers, but upon hearing recent customer inquires made to sales  on this subject, I thought it might be an opportunity for a bit of show and tell.

UPDATE:   Shortly after I posted this, I found out that systems being built in June, 09 onward, we were eliminating this small bag of 2 screws from the ship group . We found that  few users actually used these screws.   This eliminated waste and reduced cost allowing us to be more competitive.  The amount saved was actually fairly significant, believe it or not.   For our more technical customers who would like to take advantage of this feature, I would recommend either ordering the assortment of service screws (FRU 42X4676 for T61 era systems or FRU 45N3853 for newer T400/T500/W500 systems).  These assortments are handy to have as they include spares of all the different screw types used in the system)

最近、レノボは努力を続いていて、ブロッガーイベントをマレーシアで開催しました。昨年、シンガポールでブロッガーイベントを成功に受けられました。先週の4月23日に初めてのレノボブロッガーイベントをクアラルンプールのメトロポールグルメバーで開催しました。イベントの目的はマレーシアのブロッガーと密接な関係にあることとマレーシアのお客様にレノボの思いやりを示しました。

イベントを組織した人達に大きな拍手しましょう。彼らはレノボシンガポールの通信局からデリックコさん、デスクトップ製品部門からジミチャンさん、マーケティング部門からホイホイさんとエラさんです。忘却しないようにダニエルシさんが自発的協力者としてマレーシアブロッガーを連絡してイベントに招待しました。

イベントの参加者は携帯雑誌のジャーナリストクガンさん、Lowyat.netフォーラムのモデレータブライアンさん、マレーシアユース起業家の社長マイケルテオさん、リムヨンホイさん、ジェームズヤンさん、タムカンユサンと唯一の女性参加者キャロラインチャンさんです。

イベントの議題の一つは実地体験でした。展示製品はアイデアパッドY450,Y650, S10とアイデアセンターA600。

このイベントよりマレーシアのお客様はレノボ製品に精通していないことを見出しました。マレーシアで販売されているレノボブランドPCの既存は認識ありません。私の視点はこのイベントの価値があるのでマレーシアのお客様の評判を普及するための一つのほうほうです。

We depend upon small batteries in standard sizes to power things we want to work - digital cameras or a child’s toy, as well as things that we need to work - flashlights, garage door openers and smoke alarms.  

These batteries have long been commodity items.  You could buy generic ones in bulk like this pack of 25 that I picked up for $3.50, which averages out at about 14 cents per battery.  As such, I’m not surprised that they don’t seem to last very long .   Alternately, you could buy one of the two premium names in alkaline batteries who battled it out for years in television advertisements over which brand lasted longer in head to head tests.  When these are used up, we toss them without much thought.  This seems a waste, so a third option is the rechargeable route.  

Since the first sucessful electric screw driver, the number and variety of battery powered tools has expanded dramatically.  In the last ten years, battery power and technology has improved so that circular saws, drills, impact wrenches - virtually any imaginable power tool now comes in a battery powered version.  

Generation after generation, the tool manufacturers have come out with higher performance, higher voltage models 7.2 v, 9.6v, 12.0v, 14.4v, 18.2v and now 24v versions.   Each generation quickly obsoletes the previous, and the batteries are not interchangeable.  Unlike the standardized commodity batteries above, each tool manufacturer designs their own unique connectors and mechanical design to prevent interoperability.  

In addition to the voltage arms race, the chemistry of these batteries has evolved.  NiCad (Nickel-Cadnium) have been replaced by NiMh (Nickel Metal-Hydride), and now Li-ion (Lithium Ion) in the latest generation of tools on the market.   As such, these batteries are not cheap - many are close to $100 each and have a limited useful life of several years depending on usage patterns.    

If we have a single tool, we may be likely to simply upgrade to a latter generation model with higher performance, higher voltage when it’s time to replace the battery.   But, if we’ve invested in multiple tools that shared a common battery style, we may spend the money on a new battery or two every couple of years.   These replacement batteries can often be 50%-60% of the cost of the entire tool, and there is no trade in or discount for return of the old battery.

Also in the hundred dollar price range are automobile batteries.  These are all typically 12 volt, but come in a wide range of physical sizes, amperage ratings (CCA or Cold Cranking Amps), and top or side terminal styles.

The battery that comes in a new car may be covered by the vehicle manufacturers warranty or covered for a reduced interval assumptive that it is expected to wear our like the tires and brakes. 

Replacement batteries are often sold with a pro-rated warranty typically three to six years in term with free replacement provided for a subset of that time, often the first twelve months.   If the battery requires replacement after that first year, the owner pays on a sliding scale.   The closer to the end of the warranty, the more the co-payment.   A small refund or discount is often provided for the return of the used battery, or “core” to promote responsible recycling of the lead, acid, and plastics.  

I think this is a good policy model in that it aligns the warranty cost with the performance of the product and provides residual value for the consumer.   In contrast to tool batteries which can be 50% the price of the tool or more, automobile batteries are less than 1% of the cost of a new car, and even after the vehicle ages 10 or 15 years, a new battery will likely be less than 5% of the remaining value.   The equation for hybrids will be significantly different, and this will be interesting to see how the cost of replacement batteries beyond the vehicle warranty compares as a percentage to the residual value of the vehicle itself.

I’ve explored these other battery, industry, and value  ratio models for a reason.  

We now come around to the batteries which power notebook computers, and like the tool batteries, the chemistry has evolved since the early ’90s, moving from NiCad, to NiMh, and now Li-Ion.  Each advance in chemistry increased energy density and longevity.   Our computers can be made smaller, and enabled to run faster for longer periods of time with more forgiving charge cycle patterns.

Also like tool batteries, the voltage has increased along with number of cells  in manufacturer unique packaging designs.  With the dramatic increases in computing power, memory, storage, and ever swelling application and OS sizes, when a battery eventually needs to be replaced, is it time to simply upgrade the PC ?   

While the prices of many of the core commodities within the PC have decreased dramatically, paving the way for steady declines in average unit price year over year, the cost of batteries has remained fairly stable, and this creates some rather dramatic differences in the ratio of the price of a battery to the overall value of the PC within the overall Notebook/Netbook continium. 

For example, the average X301 ThinkPad costs about $2500, while an option battery costs about $135 or about 5% of the total system.  On the other hand, a S10 netbook retails for $359, while an option battery is about $110 or about 31% of the total system. 

How will these dramatically different cost ratios affect decision making when purchasing a spare battery, or replacing one outside of warranty?    Our technological society is increasingly dependent upon battery power, and resultingly I see batteries playing an increasingly influential role in shaping the long term valuations of many of the objects in our lives.

Will batteries remain seemingly exempt from Moore’s Law?

- Cleo

However, it was not as helpful as I expected; it could not even detect the CPU temperature.  Next, I tried the TPFanControl that had gained a very good review by all ThinkPad lovers is certainly a perfect match tool for ThinkPad.   Nonetheless, I do not want to control the ThinkPad fans by using software and not to mention it’s unpleasant UI which is really driving me a little crazy.  After doing some research on the early source code of TPFanControl and the How-To of ThinkPad Sensors provided freely in the web, I decided to write my own temperature monitoring software. Sounds cool, isn’t it? You may get the latest copy of TPMonitor  here. Below are some snapshots of the enhanced TPMonitor.

When I successfully installed WinIo.dll and correctly read the temperatures retrieved from ThinkPad Sensors, I was very sure that this project could be easily accomplished.  In the following month, I dedicated my spare time to developing TPMonitor. I recalled that there was a moment that a colleague of mine questioned me because I was in a sort of daze having fully focusing on this project. In fact, I was thinking hard on how to display ThinkPad components’ temperature in chart form as showed in Task Manager by utilizing programming codes.

Generally speaking, the development of TPMonitor was smooth without many hurdles.  Thanks to Google, I could learn from the experiences shared by other experts. TPMonitor has garnered attention and compliments from ThinkPad lovers when it was first released and introduced in a Chinese forum patronized by many Chinese ThinkPad lovers, 51nb.com. I reckon this is the ultimate goal that every programmer  wants, which is to be recognized for their hard work.  Sometime later, TPMonitor’s development was set aside due to other heavy workload on my plate.  The ever hot (popular) thread in the forum slowly faded and fell out of their sight.

Nevertheless, my work was never a waste at all which I found out later. Reward came to me 2 weeks ago after I downloaded Tn3270 Plus from SDI website for working purpose.  Surprisingly, I received a thrilling email from the SDI CEO! I was told that the CEO was using my TPMonitor on his very own X60s!  His compliment of my piece of work is truly a big encouragement for me. To recognize my effort, I was given a free license for Tn3270 Plus! Oh my ~ Someone from the East is being recognized by another man in another end of the world. Frankly speaking, the world is not that big, isn’t it?

We have been keeping in touch through emails. Since English is used during work time, there is no problem of writing to him at all. A little thing he does not know is that the Chinese have their own powerful English dictionary called iCIBA.

Compliments  for my English proficiency, encouraged me to enhance TPMonitor with multiple languages.   Just one day and I was done with the enhancement. The  SDI CEO was the first person I shared the work with, for he is my inspiration and his encouragement is really appreciated.

My relationship with this CEO reminds me of one of the Native America Indian’s belief that every one of us has to be responsible for what we have done, as every little thing influences and affects things that are around it.   As we observe in the contemporary networking world, the practice of sharing by worldwide web users is slowly but surely enlarging the power of “FREE” concept; and it is actually been affecting  our lives, and even our future.   Like the beating of a butterfly’s wings, small influences can grow to create greater effects.   So, what butterfly effect have you created?

- Cleo

仔细分析了 TPFancontrol 的早期源码和网上的一些关于 Thinkpad sensors 的 How-To 后，我打算自己动手写一个的温度监控软件。TPMonitor v1.6 可以在这下载。以下为大家提供一些 TPMonitor 新版本图片：

总体来说，TPMonitor 的开发是比较顺利的，因为有 Google 这种伟大的工具，大多数的技术难题都可以借鉴搜索到的前辈经验。当 TPMonitor 第一个完整编译版在黑迷们常聚的论坛上发布时，很快就吸引了大批的黑迷们的关注与表扬。对于程序员来说，最大的快乐就是来自创作的成就感，这种兴奋持续了很长一段时间。即便如此，由于工作原因，TPMonitor 的开发很快就不得不中断。在抛下很久没有更新之后，帖子慢慢沉底淡出了网友们的视线，而我甚至都已经忘记了在自己硬盘的某个角落里还有这样一个项目。

两周前，为了弄一个3270的客户端来访问朋友设在加拿大的 IBM ES/9000 虚拟主机，我去SDI 的主页下载 Tn3270 plus，网站需要先输入个人的联系方式才可以开始下载，于是我留下了自己的网络 ID 以及 email 地址。 结果第2天意外收到了一封来自 SDI 的邮件，首先对方说我写的 TPMonitor 是一个非常不错的软件，他自己的 Levono X60s 正在使用，接着他告诉我他是 SDI 的 CEO，他要送我一个Tn3270 plus 的 Free License 。这真的让我非常意外，当然更多的是兴奋，世界很小，不是吗？

我跟这位 SDI 的 CEO 一直保持着邮件交往，成了朋友。他告诉了我他的 real name，说自己是一个在美国闯荡的澳洲人。他并不会中文，但是他很骄傲地告诉我他们的总理奥克文会。因为平时是英文办公，这样的交流并没有太为难我。他夸奖我的英语很好，甚至以为我是找别人翻译的，我告诉他，邮件的确都是我写的，只是我需要花多些的时间才可以写好一封邮件——他可能不知道中国人有自己的英语宝典——金山词霸。

SDI CEO 的邮件给了我很大的促动，原来自己稍微动动手也能帮助到这么多人，尽管对于互联网来说，一个程序微不足道。我重新从硬盘里翻出了那个早已挂起的项目，只用了一个白天就完成了多国语言的版本。当英文版完成后，我第一时间把它分享给了这位朋友，不仅为他的那份免费的 License，而是为他的邮件带于我的鼓励。

与 SDI CEO 的这段故事不禁让我想到一个以前看过的美洲原住民印第安人谚语，虽然谚语的本意是教育我们要对自己所做的每一件事情负责，但是故事中关于生命波纹的描述则很好地解释了 TPMonitor 的小插曲：一个人所做的一件普通事情也许会对另一个人形成很大的影响。而互联网的平等精神，网友们的分享习惯也促使“免费”成为一股强大的力量，它正在改写着我们的生活，甚至是未来。

- Mark

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Lisa Adnan

This was my first experience exploring virtual 3D on-line shop and I began with a simple Google search on Lenovo eLoungewhich returned a number of results including the youtube video below. The site impressed me as very similar to my experiences playing 3D games on my T61.

The Lenovo eLounge runs on an additional plug-in from web.alive. If you don’t already have the plug in installed, you will need to first download and install it before moving on to an interactive Lenovo eLounge. You don’t have to worry much because the instructions are provided and are easy to follow.

At first, I was excited and spent my time just moving here and there in eLounge and exploring each of the featured machines.  Then, I found the highlighted instructions on the wall of eLounge  which explain how to customize my 3D avatar. I felt thrilled as a child who just got a new book and tried everything there. I was able to choose how I look, my clothing and as an option, I can even upload my picture too. More, I can interactively speak with Lenovo representative or chat with them.

It is very simple to personalize the 3D avatar. The F2 key can describe how do you want be looked like. Two menus that allow you to customize the 3D avatar  are ‘Identify’ and ‘Clothing’. Under Identify, there are basics, vital stats and appearance.  Basically, sales representatives will know  how to address you while you are in eLounge by the display name and attach photo here function. Then, in vital stats, you can set your 3D avatars’ gender, weight and height. Finally, in appearance, you can rotate one by one and choose face of your 3D avatar.

Within Clothing, there are clothing type, eyeglasses, shawl, robe and shoes. Actually, these settings are almost same as appearance. It depends on your level of interest in the details - you will be amazed with your personalized 3D avatar!   Additional menus also can help you  interact with sales representatives.  When you want to ask some questions of the sales representative, you can wave to them where the action is included in communication menu. You can talk with them or mute and chat with them. If you select to be muted, you type the letter M and the letter T to chat. More hints and tips can be explored to utilize eLounge effectively from Help information.

Click for larger image

Moving on to what’s inside the eLounge, two types of Lenovo products - ThinkPad and IdeaPad are displayed.  But unfortunately, workstation type as ThinkCentre and IdeaCentre are not presented at the time of my visit.   Here, I can find the detailed  information of each series of ThinkPad or IdeaPad once I clicked the machine to know and learn further. If I’d like to purchase any machine, by clicking customize or buy button, it will move to ordering process site. Obviously, eLounge makes your shopping more interesting.

There are some areas for improvement.  I found it is too quiet without background music that can relax you while exploring eLounge, and I felt dizzy walking around eLounge because of weakness in controlling my avatar. But with a bit of practice exploring eLounge, you will become adept in controlling  your 3D avatar. If you get stuck, there is help page which can be a guide.  I am curious what is the function of ePortal, eStage and eMeeting because no information is provided.  Who can imagine what future ways Lenovo could make use of these functions?  As English isn’t my first language, and eLounge is supported for English speaking customers, and I am wondering in the future  if eLounge can be expanded to support other guest in their native languages like Japanese, Korean and etc.

eLounge is one interactive online shopping site which can save time and petrol.  Besides, your online shopping becomes more interesting and you can ask representatives for an assistance.   Finally, don’t forget to participate in the survey  to improve eLounge and allow us to serve our customers better.

Lisa Adnan

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First Lenovo Blogger Nite for 2009!

-Derrick Koh

Good food, great venue, exciting never-seen-before Lenovo products and excellent company. I was referring to our blogger guests of course - ahem. Last Monday 9 Feb, about 15 local bloggers and six Lenovo colleagues descended upon 7atenine, a trendy restaurant in the uniquely shaped Esplanade, right on the Marina Bay in Singapore.

The room was set up simply for this no-frills event - being the practical organiser, I’d rather let our upcoming products be the highlight and meaningful conversations frame the night. So no prancing horses, dancing bears, fire eaters or stilt-walking cameos for entertainment. Just our product managers, comms and marketing folks there to support the all star cast of the all-in-one IdeaCentre A600, IdeaPads Y650, Y550, Y450, as well as the game-changing ThinkPad W700 workstation. A little surprise that I brought along to show off was the Secure Portable HDD which won rave reviews recently.

Close to 7pm, guests began streaming in and were served cocktails and finger food. Drinks flowed as did conversations revolving around what’s happening in the local blogosphere and what’s new in Lenovo World. With almost all the invited in the private corner of the swanky black and white themed restaurant, I welcomed them and gave them a run down of our straight-forward agenda for the night: Brief product intros, some demos and FOOD, GLOROIOUS FOOD!

Lots of questions were raised regarding the 4-in-1 remote control of the A600, including its wireless VoIP handset functionality, motion control games, ‘air’ mouse and Windows media centre features. Some bloggers loved the mean-looking 17″ W700, testing out it’s WACOM digitiser with impromptu sketches via deft strokes of the stylus. The photography buffs among them checked out the colour calibrator built into the notebook. Many had never seen a HDD that is both secure and comes with its own digital combination lock built into the casing - a couple of raised eyebrows and nods of approvals ensued.

The night slipped too quickly by and soon it was 11.30pm. Most were draining the last sips of their beverages from glasses, and with camera flashes (and videocams!) batteries exhausted, we exchanged goodbyes and thanks for the kind attendance and ‘reveal-n-tell’.

All in all, another worthwhile event for Lenovo to meet the social media community again, listen, learn and act on feedback received. The bloggers’ initial comments were positive - most of them appreciating the ‘first looks’ opportunity before the traditional media and press did - a very rare but deliberate decision by Lenovo to put our money our mouth is - to give increased priority and privileges to bloggers in the brave new (digital) world where regular media and new are complementary and exist side by side.

Having a nice ambience, great food and drinks sure doesn’t hurt. Did I mention great products?

-Derrick Koh

(All images credit to http://Lesterchan.net)