Lenovo has expanded its ThinkSmart portfolio to support businesses upgrading their smart meeting rooms.
Announced at this week’s Enterprise Connect, the Lenovo ThinkSmart Tiny Kit and the ThinkPad Universal USB-C Smart Dock – ThinkSmart Edition empower users with innovative collaboration capabilities and offer IT managers managed meeting spaces. These solutions transform basic meeting rooms into advanced video conferencing spaces and Microsoft Teams Rooms.
Shannon MacKay, General Manager of Worldwide Smart Collaboration Business at Lenovo, said:
Customers are faced with a continuum of options as they look to deploy the right technologies to build and upgrade meeting spaces for today’s world of hybrid work and distributed teams. The ThinkSmart Tiny Kit and the ThinkSmart dock are entry-level solutions for transforming meeting spaces into better audio/video experiences while adding backend manageability for IT support.”
The portfolio upgrade addresses the rise of hybrid work scenarios, now the global norm, with businesses adapting their meeting spaces to meet this challenge. Lenovo research indicates that over 43 percent of remote workers feel excluded from meetings, while less than 8 percent of meeting rooms globally are video-enabled.
The Lenovo ThinkSmart Tiny Kit is priced at $949 and will be available worldwide in the second half of 2024. The Lenovo ThinkPad Universal USB-C Smart Dock – ThinkSmart Edition starts at $349 and will also be available globally in the second half of 2024.
Lenovo ThinkSmart Tiny Kit
The Lenovo ThinkSmart Tiny Kit combines the ThinkCentre M70q Gen 4 compute module and the ThinkSmart Controller to facilitate Microsoft Teams meetings with a single front-of-room display and external audio and video. It’s designed for users transitioning from BYOD meeting setups to Microsoft Teams Rooms experiences.
Users can access Microsoft Teams Rooms features like one-touch join and Front Row with in-room computing power. The modular kit allows for the addition of certified peripherals such as the ThinkSmart Bar 180 and ThinkSmart Cam.
For those desiring enhanced features, Lenovo offers certified Microsoft Teams Rooms devices like the ThinkSmart Hub, ThinkSmart One, and ThinkSmart Core. Supported by the ThinkSmart Manager, IT teams can centrally deploy, monitor, and troubleshoot ThinkSmart devices, receiving real-time notifications for critical issues.
ThinkPad Universal USB-C Smart Dock – ThinkSmart Edition
The ThinkSmart Dock offers an entry-level solution for businesses aiming to gather room usage and data analytics while maintaining BYOD room flexibility.
Preloaded with ThinkSmart Manager Basic, it enables IT administrators to manage room functionality effectively. Featuring a variety of ports, plug-and-play functionality, and rapid charging capabilities, the dock simplifies installation and allows automatic firmware updates. Its cable management system keeps cables organised and secure, facilitating quick laptop connections with a single cord.
With UC interoperability and plug-and-play flexibility, the ThinkSmart Dock streamlines connections to excellent audiovisual devices and large format displays for group meetings in conference rooms or meeting spaces.
What Else Has Lenovo Been Up To In 2024?
Earlier this year, Lenovo added a video looping capability that allows users to duck out of calls briefly.
Revealed at CES 2024, it functioned by a user recording a three-second video of themselves. The video is then looped forward and reverse until the user is back and ready to re-engage with the call.
The function is accessed via a sidebar in Windows called AI Now, which brings up Lenovo’s new AI-powered personal assistant to launch services or change system settings. Users can use natural language to type “I’m leaving” into a search bar before selecting a confirmation button. After confirmation, the AI Now sidebar presents another button to end the loop.
However, the feature is currently exclusive to China, and it’s presently unclear whether it will expand globally to other markets.
