Lenovo ThinkPad Z60t

The ThinkPad Z60t is chockfull of firsts. It’s the first 14.1-inch widescreen ThinkPad with two speakers on either side of the keyboard. Most importantly, it’s the first non-ruggedized notebook with a built-in EV-DO connection, allowing users to connect to the Internet at DSL-like speeds without having to hunt for a hotspot. The best part is that this 5.1-pound thin-and-light notebook, complete with a cool and scratch resistant titanium cover, doesn’t feel like a first effort.

Lest business users believe that Lenovo has completely consumerized the ThinkPad brand, rest assured that the Z60t is as secure, comfortable, and reliable as its predecessors. In addition to a TPM chip and fingerprint sensor, this system protects its hard drive using what’s called a Roll Cage. It’s a single piece of magnesium that houses the internal components to keep your data safe, a smart design element that’s complemented by the ThinkPad’s often copied Active Protection System, which can stop the hard drive in case of a fall.

What really makes the Z60t a cut above other business notebooks is its built-in EV-DO connection. Users can tap into Verizon Wireless’ BroadbandAccess Network at speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps in 171 U.S. markets by simply opening the VZAccess Manager software and double clicking on the National Access-Broadband Access icon. In most cases, we were online within six seconds.

Whether in a coffee shop or in the office, the Z60t delivered speeds on par with Verizon’s claims. Most Web pages opened within five seconds and our average throughput according to McAfee’s Internet Connection Speedometer was a zippy 510 Kbps. We then surfed the Web and used the same speedometer on a bus ride from Manhattan to New Jersey and on a train ride back into the city. Load times for Web pages averaged a slower nine seconds and throughput dropped to about 182 Kbps, but that’s still more than three times faster than dialup.

The bottom line is that you can do online demos at a client’s office or check your favorite sites and grab e-mail as you’re riding to the airport without worrying about finding a Wi-Fi connection or digging that PC Card modem out of your bag. It’s worth noting that Verizon Wireless has lowered the price for unlimited data to $59 per month for existing voice customers, but that may still be too steep for some.

Under the hood of this sleek screamer is a 2-GHz Pentium M processor, 1GB of RAM, and a fast and big 5,400-rpm 100GB hard drive. As one might expect from these top-of-the-line specs, the Z60t plowed through MobileMark’s productivity chores, turning in a high score of 232. The system’s 4 hours and 24 minutes of runtime was quite good using the seven-cell battery, which juts out a bit from the back.

Keep in mind that using the cellular connection unplugged will significantly impact your endurance. In 45 minutes we lost 33 percent of battery capacity, which would suggest that using EV-DO regularly will result in 2 hours and 16 minutes of runtime.

As with other ThinkPads, the Z60t puts most thin-and-light laptops to shame, with the best keyboard on the market and both a pointing stick and touchpad that are paired with buttons with great feel. Above the keyboard rests dedicated Volume buttons and a Mute button, but the most unique button is the blue one that opens the ThinkVantage Productivity Center. With the center’s easy-to-navigate dashboard interface, you can do everything from manage your wireless connections to perform backups.

One smart new feature you can activate from this menu is the Away Manager, which runs system maintenance tasks when you’re away for your notebook. When you come back to your PC, you can have these tasks, whether it’s a Windows defrag or a virus scan run by Symantec Client Security, run in the background in Whisper mode so they don’t affect your performance.

When it comes to entertainment, the Z60t is better than previous ThinkPads, but not in the same league as some mainstream notebooks. Case in point is the 14-inch widescreen, which has good horizontal viewing angles when watching DVDs, but washes out if you have the system in your lap. Our Coldplay CD sounded pretty crisp through the stereo speakers, but the tunes didn’t get very loud. Other multimedia amenities include an SD Card slot, a FireWire port and DVD burner, and an S-Video port.

Overall, the Z60t is a breakthrough notebook because of its many firsts, but one worth owning because of Lenovo’s execution. You simply won’t find a thin-and-light notebook that’s as well connected or well designed.