New Features Compliment the ThinkPad x200

The ThinkPad x200 has been around for a while. It is the classic boxy, unglamorous and straightforward business work machine—devoid of the frills, thrills, and fancy features that characterize its cousins. Lenovo recently announced that they are launching changes in next generation of X200s and T400s that add a bit of flair to the machine.

The ThinkPad X200 Tablet PC will get an upgrade to its touchscreen. Now, X200 users who purchase the optional touchscreen will be able to use a variety of touches to control their input. Two-finger touch, touch zoom, tapping, flicking, and pinching are all recognized by the touchscreen, and bring a new level of versatility to the device’s capability. Since touch technology has evolved to a new level, ThinkPad’s Sam Dusi remarked that “now [is] the right time for multitouch screens on PCs.” Since most PCs are not yet utilizing touchscreen technology yet, he may just have a point. While Apple’s MacBook touchpad and iPhone (or iPod Touch) are basically bristling with the technology, bringing it into the personal computer side of things may be helpful.

A few additional upgrades to the X200 include an extra-bright screen option for ease of viewing in direct sunlight. The screen also gets a specialized coating, which hides fingerprints and maintains a crystal clear display for the screen. With a boost in battery power, Lenovo is claiming that X200 users can get nine hours of battery life off a single charge, which is a helpful feature for the X200 clientele that includes largely sales personnel, health care, education, and other mobile professionals.

The powerful ThinkPad T400 also utilizes the advanced touchscreen technology. These computers now boast four-finger touch recognition, allowing them to move and manipulate objects, use two hands on the screen, or even collaborate with another user also touching the screen. They call it “advanced capacitive touch” and claim that the advanced hardware can compensate for touch imprecision, light-touch sensitivity, and other features. Lenovo even thinks that the power of the touchscreens will eventually render the mouse or touchpad obsolete.

“SimpleTap” is Lenovo’s trademark for a new tablet-focused technology that adds simplicity and customizability to the touchscreen. SimpleTap launches with a mere double tap anywhere on the device’s touchscreen. The double tap brings up a series of tile-like buttons that can open applications, go to specific websites, turn on the camera, turn off the computer, or other hardware functions. The tiles are completely customizable, meaning that within three quick taps, users can immediately access information or programs in a way that saves time and effort.

A Billion Bucks For Start-up Tech Firms Going Green

Backed by the success stories of Sun Microsystems and empowered by his billions of dollars in capital, Vinod Khosla is at it again. He’s pouring a billion bucks back into Silicon Valley to make the world a bit greener, technology a bit more progressive, and maybe his wallet a bit fatter.

Just yesterday, Khosla Ventures announced that they have raised $1.1 billion for two funds. Vinod Khosla’s venture-capitol firm has solicited funds from outside tech investors and from public sources for a major influx of money into exclusively green technology projects. It is the biggest dedicated fund of its kind in the last three years. This is received as good news for the reviving tech sector as well as for environmental technology research, which Khosla predicts will be big in the years ahead.

Both funds are focused on green tech research as well as IT startups with a focus on innovation and environment. The first fund, the larger of the two, consists of nearly $800 million. The goal of this “Khosla Ventures III Fund” is to aid the traditional pursuits of solar power, biofuels, energy efficiency, renewable batteries, and similar research. As Khosla himself remarked, it’s for “almost anything that can be made renewable, sustainable, more efficient and cheaper.” The money will flow toward research-focused firms which are in their early stages or mid-stage of research. One fourth of this fund was filled by CalPERS (California Public Employees’ Retirement System), which boasts the biggest public pension fund nationwide. Sheeraz Haji, who advises green tech research, regards this as a good omen for the future of the fund: “the fact that an investor like CalPERS is stepping up is a good sign.”

The other side of the fund, $250 million worth, is not for your traditional technology. It’s for the wilder side of green research, the kind that Khosla describes as firms who will “take risks that nobody else will take.” Khosla is one to take risks, which is part of the reason he is so successful. But clean tech start-ups which are commonly regarded as too pricey and too risky for investors, are just the kind of start-ups that Khosla wants to empower. He describes the investment strategy as an old-school strategy with a new-world focus: “This is the 1980s style of venture capital — real technical risk with small amounts of money and small teams.” And, while some of the money may get spilt along the way, that’s part of investing, according to the experienced investor himself, who said, “We will often invest in things that have a high probability of failure.”