Lenovo ThinkPad T410, T410s and T510 get NVIDIA Optimus update

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Lenovo is celebrating 60m ThinkPad laptops being sold this coming month, and rather than baking a big cake they're marking the occasion by slotting NVIDIA Optimus graphics into their ThinkPad T410, T410s and T510 notebooks.  Meanwhile there's also a sale – running through to October 8 – which will see up to 15-percent off select machines.

It's the updated ThinkPads we're most interested in, though, with NVIDIA's NVS 3100M GPU making an appearance and – thanks to the automatic graphics switching technology – delivering up to an hour's extra runtime without sacrificing video performance when you need it.  Meanwhile, pair the notebooks with a ThinkPad dock and you can drive up to four displays, simultaneously, from a single machine.

Otherwise they're the same machines we saw initially announced back in January, with various Core i5 and Core i7 processors to choose from, WiFi b/g/n and – on certain models – optional 3G and WiMAX.  Pricing starts at $1,299 for the T410 and T510 and $1,849 for the T410s.

Press Release:

Lenovo Reaches Major Milestone – 60 Million ThinkPad Laptops Sold

Introduces Industry's First Business-Focused Laptops with NVIDIA Optimus Technology

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – October 5, 2010: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced that sales of ThinkPad laptops will surpass 60 million this month. More than 14 ThinkPad laptops are now sold every 60 seconds, contributing to Lenovo's position as the fastest growing major PC company1. Throughout its evolution, begun 18 years ago to date, ThinkPad has recorded many ground- breaking innovation firsts like the first spill resistant keyboard and protective roll cage. Also today, Lenovo is elevating graphics performance by adding NVIDIA Optimus technology on ThinkPad T410, T410s and T510 laptops.

"Long recognized as a hallmark for innovation and excellence, ThinkPad has been the trusted laptop brand for business users around the world for nearly two decades," said Peter Hortensius, senior vice president, Think Product Group, Lenovo. "With Lenovo, ThinkPad has grown even stronger for quality, reliability and performance, and we'll continue to drive our commitment to innovation further as we design future ThinkPad laptops."

Record of Innovation

With more than 2,000 design awards under its belt, ThinkPad has helped transform laptop computing and changed the way people use their PCs. Famous firsts include:

First modern laptop to fly in space First with a spill-resistant keyboard First with built-in CD-ROM First with built-in DVD-ROM

First with built-in wireless First with embedded security subsystem First with built-in fingerprint reader First thinnest, lightest full-function 13-inch laptop2 First dual screen mobile workstation

Watch, Play and Win with ThinkPad in October

In celebration of this milestone, Lenovo is rewarding customers with a Customer Appreciation Event (http://shop.lenovo.com/us/landing_pages/promos/thinkpad/ThinkPad-sale) featuring up to 15 percent discounted pricing on select ThinkPad models purchased in the U.S. The promotion begins today and runs through Oct. 8.

Log onto Lenovo's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/lenovo) to match major ThinkPad milestones to their date in history for a chance to win a ThinkPad laptop. Learn more at this page and watch a video about past and present innovations and what the future holds for ThinkPad design. And read personal stories about users' oldest ThinkPad laptops at Lenovo Blogs.

Killer Graphics Performance Plus Extreme Battery Life

NVIDIA Optimus technology makes graphics automatic, instantaneous and seamless. Users no longer have to manually force switching to reduce performance and save battery life. Now they can have extended battery life and electrifying multimedia performance. ThinkPad laptops with Optimus achieve up to 33 percent longer battery life over discrete only or switchable models3. That adds up to one extra hour of battery life per charge3. ThinkPad is the only laptop supporting this kind of graphics performance on four displays via select ThinkPlus docks.

"New technologies like NVIDIA Optimus are making ThinkPads even smarter," said Rene Haas, general manager, Notebook Products, NVIDIA. "Never before has there been a solution that so effectively eliminates the tradeoffs between riveting graphics performance and long battery life.

Visual content is the most popular and important form of data today, and we've built the NVIDIA NVS 3100M graphics processor to be the perfect processor for the task."

Pricing and Availability4

The ThinkPad T410, T410s and T510 laptops with Nvidia Optimus technology are available immediately through business partners and www.lenovo.com. Pricing begins at approximately $1,299 for the T410 and T510 and $1,849 for the T410s.