Lenovo has announced their ThinkPad USB Portable Secure hard drive. It features a passcode system that uses a physical keypad. This should be useful for those who store sensitive information. The unit is just 3 x 5-inches, and is designed to pair up with ThinkPad laptops. It can have up to 10 unique user IDs and an admin account. The unit should be available by the end of the month. The 160GB model will cost $180 and the 320GB model will run $219.

I, for one, worried that Lenovo might let the ThinkPad line slip in its legendary ruggedness. Looks like such fears were unfounded. Looking at the internals of the upcoming  T61p, it would seem that Lenovo’s making the things even more robust. Specs are decent: Santa Rosa, nVidia Quadro FX 570M, and ultra-wideband. Pricing is as expected, at around $1,800 and up.

Cloth an otherwise outstanding notebook in real leather, and you limit your market a bit. Not just to animal rights activists and Hindus, but to normal people with decent taste. In addition, I have some basic questions, such as: how does the air flow? I think I’ll take my ThinkPads in their non-Select versions–and trust me, I enjoy a nice, thick steak every now and then.