MANTEO, NC — May 12, 2005 — Lenovo and IBM today announced the Manteo ThinkPad Learning Project, a 1-to-1 computing pilot program that will provide each middle-school and high-school student in Manteo, North Carolina, with a ThinkPad notebook pre-loaded with VitalSource educational software and the ability to access the town-wide wireless network, further strengthening the economic development of this historic island community. One of the first small towns in the United States to be 100 percent wireless, Manteo led the project to provide leading-edge PC technology and free unlimited access to the town-wide wireless network, created by Charter Communications, to more than 80 students. On Saturday, May 14, each family with middle-school and high-school students in Manteo will receive a wireless-enabled ThinkPad R50e notebook equipped with the VitalSource Library — including more than 3,400 works of literature, art, history, philosophy, science and mathematics, ranging from the complete works of William Shakespeare to Mark Twain.
“By empowering our young people with access to technology, we are giving them the tools necessary to fuel their personal development and taking steps to foster the economic development of our small town,” said John Wilson, Mayor of Manteo, who has led the project. “The Manteo ThinkPad Learning Project will enable systemic change in our community and equip our students with the tools and behaviors that are essential for life in the 21st century.” The ThinkPad R50e notebooks include innovative ThinkVantage Technologies such as Rescue and Recovery, a one-button solution that helps people diagnose problems, get help and recover from a software failure, and Access Connections, a software utility that helps people switch easily between wireless and wired network settings. The Manteo ThinkPad Learning Project will help assess the educational impact of 1-to-1 computing, which addresses inequities in access to technology that affect communities nationwide. In addition to supporting students, Manteo will leverage its city-wide wireless network as a way to support residents and visitors who need anytime, anywhere access to information. The wireless network supports free access for students in the Manteo ThinkPad Learning Project and economically priced wireless access for commercial use.
Manteo is a community of 1,100 people and 1.7 square miles on Roanoke Island, the location of the first English colony in the New World. This story is chronicled in outdoor theatrical productions of “The Lost Colony,” which have taken place in Manteo since 1937. Manteo is on the Outer Banks near Kitty Hawk, N.C., and is the long-time home of actor Andy Griffith, who gave a preview of the computing project during Manteo holiday festivities in December 2004.
ThinkPad notebooks will be distributed to students beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Manteo Town Hall, 407 Budleigh Street. The Thinkpad Demonstration Tour, a vehicle exhibiting the latest PC security, wireless and usability technologies, will support the event.
About IBM IBM is the world’s largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. Drawing on resources from across IBM and key Business Partners, IBM offers a wide range of services, solutions and technologies that enable customers, large and small, to take full advantage of the new era of e-business. For more information, visit www.ibm.com . About Lenovo Lenovo is the world’s third-largest personal computing company. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of IBM’s Personal Computing Division, the company is headquartered in Purchase, N.Y., and employs 19,000 people worldwide — including about 2,000 in North Carolina. Lenovo develops, manufactures, and markets reliable, secure, and easy-to-use technology products. For more information, visit www.lenovo.com/think .
About VitalSource Technologies VitalSource Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a solutions provider of software and content to educators. VitalSource provides a suite of software and services for graduate and professional schools, undergraduate schools, and elementary and secondary schools. For more information, visit www.vitalsource.com .
About Charter Communications Charter Communications Inc., a broadband communications company, provides a full range of advanced broadband services to the home, including cable television on an advanced digital video programming platform via Charter Digital™ and Charter High-Speed™ Internet service. Charter also provides business-to-business video, data and Internet protocol (IP) solutions through Charter Business™. Advertising sales and production services are sold under the Charter Media® brand. For more information, visit www.charter.com .
