Lenovo has already made big waves in 2014, starting off with a bunch of new announcements at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show. Now, we have some news in the education sector. Introducing the ThinkPad 11e series, announced today at the Florida Education Technology Conference, these are designed for education use. They still offer a ruggedized ThinkPad build, but still a thin and light design. It is available in the traditional laptop build or in Lenovo’s unique Yoga multimode designed.
From the durable design point of view, students may throw them in their backpacks and drop them. The laptops may be with them from K-12, or for a majority of this time. Lenovo knows this and understand this, thus it makes sense that they make them durable and long-lasting. Unique features like reinforced ports help to protect it from the classroom and what the student may do to it. Rubber bumpers and stronger hinges are put in place as well.
The ThinkPad 11e devices feature an 11.6-inch HD LED antiglare display, but on the Yoga editions they have an IPS wide-angle touchscreen display. This will let you take advantage of the Yoga modes, like laptop, tablet, tent and stand. Having a device that can meet the needs for a student is important, for instance awaking from sleep mode and starting up quickly. Of course saving files, creating those files, and then opening and using those files, will be daily tasks. Each of these ThinkPads are powered by an Intel Processor and this is paired with an all day battery. LEDs are located on the top case and act as status lights.
There will be a choice for the operating systems on the ThinkPad 11e series of devices. The traditional Windows software systems are available on the ThinkPad 11e and ThinkPad Yoga 11e. For the IT Administrators you can get applications like LanSchool and webNetwork. These will let you check up on the computers and run a better classroom. With the Yoga variants, it will adapt the software show it will run better in which ever mode you are in. Then they are offering ThinkPad 11e Chromebook and ThinkPad 11e Yoga Chromebook. This will allow any school system that has an internet connection to deploy a computer system.
Overall, the new ThinkPad 11e series will increase the computers presence in education. The price points are quite affordable, the Windows variant will come in starting at $449 and the Chromebook variants at only $349. We are awaiting some images and will update when we have them, in the meantime please see a press release below.
Press Release
Lenovo Unveils New Rugged ThinkPad Devices Built Strong for Schools
ORLANDO, FL and RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC –January 29, 2014: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced at the Florida Education Technology Conference (FETC), the ThinkPad 11e series of laptops, designed specifically for education and ruggedized for classroom performance. Thin and light, these purpose-built devices offer education administrators the durability necessary to succeed in the hands of K-12 students and the flexibility to meet the increasingly changing needs of their technology demands. The ThinkPad 11e series is available in two form factors: traditional laptop or Lenovo’s innovative Yoga multimode form with four unique positions: laptop, tablet, tent and stand. The ThinkPad Yoga 11e devices offer students a system that can adapt to their needs based on the application or the content they are working with.
The ThinkPad 11e series provides students, educators and administrators with an intuitive, easy-to-manage rugged device. Sometimes kids drop their laptops. Sometimes kids throw their backpacks with their laptops in them. Features like rubber bumpers, reinforced ports, and stronger hinges are included to protect the system from the hustle and bustle of the classroom. The 11.6-inch HD LED antiglare screen on the traditional laptop provides a clear display in any environment. The ThinkPad Yoga 11e devices have an IPS wide viewing angle touchscreen displays. Each device is powered by an Intel processor – fast boot times mean that classes can begin quickly without delay, and all day-long battery life allow students to breeze through classes without switching to alternative power. Top cover LEDs indicate wireless connectivity, laptop power or sleep mode to help teachers ensure consistent student activity.
“We have a proven track record of designing laptops and tablets built to last in education environments. With the new ThinkPad 11e devices, we’re raising the bar with new form factors,” said Jerry Paradise, executive director of product marketing, ThinkPad Product Group, Lenovo. “I’m very excited that Lenovo is able to offer a device that’s not only rugged enough for the classroom but also flexible enough to adapt to the many ways technology can be incorporated into the overall learning experience.”
The ThinkPad Yoga 11e and the ThinkPad 11e offer an excellent Windows experience in education. With optional applications like LanSchool and webNetwork, these devices become excellent solutions for IT administrators by adding simple, reliable classroom management and access to files and applications from any device. Intel Education Software helps students develop 21st century skills through rich, interactive applications and is also optionally available for these devices. On the ThinkPad Yoga 11e, Yoga Modes in Lenovo Settings recognizes when the user switches modes and allows apps to adapt for the best experience.
The ThinkPad Yoga 11e Chromebook and the ThinkPad 11e Chromebook make it possible for any school district with an internet connection to deploy a 1:1 computing program. These laptops are fast, simple, secure, always up-to-date and offer more than eight hours of battery life – ideal for the classroom. They are also easy to manage – ideal for administrators.
Customization options are also available to meet the unique needs of schools so students and educators can easily manage their devices, including asset tagging, BIOS modifications, laser engraving and custom imaging. Color options include Graphite Black or Silver.
“In CDW-G’s work helping K-12 customers adapt technology to support new requirements like Common Core and digital curriculum, we see many schools struggle with choosing the right device for students to carry,” said Julie Smith, vice president for K-12 education, CDW-G. “Lenovo’s new ThinkPad 11e devices will help make that decision easier as they enable students to use them in various ways and can eliminate the need to carry multiple devices.”
Pricing and Availability
The ThinkPad 11e series of devices will be available this spring from Lenovo business partners and on w www.lenovo.com. Pricing for the ThinkPad Yoga 11e and ThinkPad 11e models starts at $449. Pricing for the ThinkPad Yoga 11e Chromebook and ThinkPad 11e Chromebook models starts at $349.
