Lenovo, the Chinese company that bought IBM’s PC business, will pip Dell to the post by getting its Verizon-enabled machine to market first.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z-Series notebooks will include a Verizon’s wireless WAN antenna to connect users to Verizon’s evolution data optimized (EV-DO) wireless broadband network. The machines, the ThinkPad Z60m, which has a 15.4-inch display, and its larger cousin, the Z60t, are due to market October 11, 2005.
Dell, on the other hand, said it would bundle a Verizon broadband card into its new laptops that are due out in the US early next year. The Verizon Wireless V620 PC card has been tested for use in Dell Inspiron and Latitude notebooks. (Currently, Verizon’s EV-DO network users must buy the card separately.)
Lenovo argues its approach of building the WWAN antenna into notebooks helps avoid many of the pitfalls associated with PC cards, including hardware incompatibility and fragile, easily damaged antennas protruding from the computer, according to a Lenovo statement.
Verizon’s EV-DO network promises average data speeds of 400-700kbps in more than 60 US cities and airports, covering more than 140 million people.
Verizon Wireless, which is a joint venture between Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group, is the second-largest mobile phone provider in the US.
