Lenovo ThinkPad Laptops First To Receive Optimized For Microsoft Office Communicator Qualification

Lenovo today announced that it is the first PC maker to offer laptops that are Optimized for Microsoft Office Communicator 2007. As a certified partner in the Microsoft Partner Program, this qualification means that the Lenovo ThinkPad X301, T400 and T500 laptop PCs meet Microsoft’s stringent requirements for high quality audio and video, giving users an excellent unified communications experience, while also lowering the total cost of ownership for a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) environment.

Lenovo ThinkPad X301

Unified communications refers to the convergence of multimedia including voice, video and data over a common Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructure. Customers can communicate through voice and video conference calls, email/calendaring and instant messaging in real-time, irrespective of the communication device. The network requirements for VoIP, call set up and call quality management are important functions to build upon for customers who want to expand the capabilities of their network. To help customers maximize their networks, Lenovo has extended unified communications capabilities to several ThinkPad laptops. With the market for unified communications continuing to grow, many companies are seeing the benefits including increased productivity, greater efficiency and reduced travel and communication costs.

“Unified Communications is advancing the way our customers communicate today and as the first PC maker to have our VoIP technology qualified by Microsoft, we are already delivering these capabilities to our customers," said Sam Dusi, vice president, Worldwide ThinkPad Product Marketing. “We are providing our customers with enhanced microphones, enhanced speakers, and an enhanced user interface, and bringing them one step closer to our ultimate goal of making unified communications through our ThinkPad laptops as easy to use as a phone.”

Designing PC Technology For Communications

Lenovo has designed many of its ThinkPad laptops with leading technologies and usability features to give business users a leading communications experience. Lenovo includes stereo speakers for a fuller, richer experience with 10 band equalization and dynamic range compression for a more balanced sound, optimized speaker and microphone placement and added in Audio Director functionality, which adds up to a fuller and richer sound and allows users to switch between headphones and speakers easily without changing settings. For an excellent video experience, Lenovo designed the laptops with optimized cameras, digital zoom and improved image quality.

“By optimizing laptops for Microsoft Office Communicator, Lenovo is helping businesses streamline their Microsoft Office Communicator deployments,” said, Eric Swift, senior director, Microsoft Unified Communications Group, Microsoft. “Customers can now deploy a cost effective, single device for their communications needs using Lenovo’s PC technology to help ensure a high quality audio and video experience.”

Unified Communications Enhancing Productivity

Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 works hand-in-hand with the hardware devices, such as PCs and smartphones, to locate and then engage individuals in the ongoing business needs of their organizations wherever their location. With costly travel dollars at a premium, unified communications also helps reduce the need for travel through audio and live web video conferencing. Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 provides streamlined communications, operational flexibility and control and an extendable communications platform. Additionally, unified communications solutions can help reduce carbon emissions, a growing concern in many companies’ corporate social responsibility practices.