Lenovo Thinksmart One | 2022

Designer: Lenovo Design Innovation Team, Lenovo, Morrisville, North Carolina, USA
Manufacturer: Lenovo, Morrisville, North Carolina, USA

Lenovo ThinkSmart One offers best-in-class audio visual technologies by combining a Cam, speakers and Mics in a sleek, compact unit and bundled with the ThinkSmart controller display to control meetings, share content, and collaborate. It includes a high-res camera with auto zoom, premium speakers, mics, and windows compute with 11th Gen Intel® CoreTM vProTM processors with Intel® Iris® Xe graphics for next-level collaboration. Immersive collaboration is a must in today’s hybrid workforce. That’s why the designers designed ThinkSmart One, the only Windows-based all-in-one (AIO) bar on the market. Combining the high-res camera with wide field of view, premium sound for life-like clarity, and powerful computing core with Microsoft Windows, this device is ideal for small and medium meeting spaces. With it’s all-in-on form factor and customizable brackets ThinkSmart One was designed for simple installation, making it not only a great solution for the end user but also for IT managers. The flexible bracket design allows the user to mount the ThinkSmart One Bar above a TV display, below a TV display, on a table or credenza, as well as to any standard TV mounting system at a variety of angles to provide an optimal camera angle. The flexible bracket design allows the user to mount the ThinkSmart One Bar in a variety of places and angles to provide an optimal camera angle.

The integrated physical camera shutter is not only an iconic design element, it gives users privacy they can trust. The cable management system allows IT installers to keep cables organized and secure no matter how they choose to mount the device. With the rise of Covid-19 the workforce has transitioned to a hybrid model, which studies show is here to stay. This poses new challenges around communication and collaboration and offices are looking to provide better technological solutions to meet these challenges. That’s why the designers designed ThinkSmart One, the only Windows-based all-in-one (AIO) bar on the market. the designers wanted to create a simple solution that could meet the needs of ITDMs and end users in different types and sizes of meeting spaces. the designers also wanted to leverage the existing internals and platform from the ThinkSmart Hub and ThinkSmart Core kit to simplify both the design and the management of the device. By leveraging the same motherboard, camera internals, speakers, and mics the designers were able to streamline the design process and deliver a more wholistic family of products under the ThinkSmart brand.

ThinkSmart One leverages the same internals that are used in other ThinkSmart product offerings to bring a simple and wholistic management experience and a strong story to the portfolio. This was also a key decision in bringing down the overall cost of the product. The overall design follows the streamlined, geometric design of the ThinkSmart family of products. The addition of fabric to the speaker bar was a decision intending to bring a softer and more approachable feel to the design and into the office space. The material split of the fabric surface and the plastic surface serves to visually divide the speaker bar to deliver a slimmer appearing device. Thermal management was also key to the design of this high-powered all-in-one device. By implementing wide vents on either side of the bar as well as venting holes all along the back of the device the ThinkSmart One can perform at its best.

The designers knew the designers needed to allow the users to mount the ThinkSmart One Bar in a variety of ways, including above a TV display, below a TV display, on a table or credenza, as well as to any standard TV mounting system. The flexible design of the mounting bracket allows the product to do this, while at the same time accommodating a range of angles from 5-10 degrees of tilt in either direction to provide an optimal camera angle. Thermal management was also key to the design of this high-powered all-in-one device. By implementing wide vents on either side of the bar as well as venting holes all along the back of the device the ThinkSmart One can perform at its best. The ThinkSmart One also features a status light behind the fabric which indicates both power as well as mute status to the entire room when in meetings. The illuminated digital clock behind the fabric is the cherry on top, giving the design extra character and functionality perfectly suited to its context.