Mobile Computing News, Reviews, & Tips

Notebook News: Lenovo's Consumer ThinkPads

In a switch from IBM's strategy, Lenovo (which acquired the ThinkPad line from Big Blue) recently announced a new line of ThinkPads for consumers. The Z60 series will include two models, the Z60t and the Z60m. Both will have wide-format screens, another departure for ThinkPads. You'll also find FireWire ports, three-in-one media card readers, the ability to configure your ThinkPad with a wireless wide area network antenna (which lets you snag an online connection via a cell-phone network), and more. Prices vary, beginning at $799 for the Z60m.

Wireless News: Nokia Coming Out With Mobile Business Apps

Nokia hopes to take a big bite out of Research In Motion's BlackBerry business. The cell phone maker has introduced new software that supports mobile business applications, including push e-mail. To use the service, a business would need to install the Nokia Business Center server software. Anyone with Java MIDP 2.0-capable phones certified by Nokia could then download the client so they can send and receive corporate e-mail. Initially, the service will be available on the Nokia 9500 Communicator and some Nokia 6600 handsets.

Survival Tip: Don't Forget Text Messaging

In nearly every recent disaster--the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the London bombings, the Gulf Coast hurricanes--regular mobile phone networks were overwhelmed, and land-line phones were knocked out of commission. The only reliable way that some people communicated was by sending text messages over their cell phones to one another. Text messages run on a separate, low-bandwidth spectrum on cellular networks, so they're much more likely to get through than voice calls. So now's a good time to make sure you and your family members know how to text message one another using your cell phones. Read "Will You Be Able to Make a Call in the Next National Emergency" for more tips.

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