IBM will unveil two prototype ThinkPad notebook PCs, designed to illustrate how laptops could be more comfortable for everyday use.

IBM designers, envisioning the next generation of the 10-year-old notebook ThinkPad line, have been studying how to make ThinkPads easier to use, without sacrificing important characteristics such as their performance, light weight and battery life.

"What we sought to do was to study the area of ergonomics and ease of use associated with notebook computers," said David Hill, director of PC design for IBM's personal systems group.

"Today, many people have (notebooks) as their only computer. That means that you use them in a number of different ways. So we sought to do a couple different things. Could we take the single box of a ThinkPad and fold it or unfold it in a different way?"

Notebooks are gaining in popularity with consumers and businesses, and more people use them as their primary computer. But the characteristics that draw people to notebooks, such as their small size, result in undesirable features such as fixed keyboard and screen positions, which aren't always as comfortable to use for hours on end.

IBM's ThinkPad G-series offers many characteristics similar to a desktop PC and features an angled keyboard that Big Blue said is easier to use. But the company's two prototypes take those efforts a step further.

By: DocMemory
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