Lenovo is providing a hardware and software bundle that allows ThinkPad laptops to sync e-mail with a server using Research In Motion's BlackBerry phone as an intermediary. This is part of Lenovo's new Constant Connect program, which the company plans to announce at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Through Constant Connect, synchronizing e-mail with servers is a two-step process. First, ThinkPad laptops transfer e-mail back and forth with a BlackBerry using Bluetooth wireless technology. The smartphone then synchronizes laptop e-mail with a server using a mobile-phone network.

This could be useful in certain places like airports where users have to pay for Wi-Fi connections to sync e-mail with servers. This technology does not use Wi-Fi networks, said Rich Cheston, distinguished engineer and executive director at Lenovo. Users may also prefer to see their e-mail on a laptop with a bigger screen and full keyboard rather than on a BlackBerry, Cheston said.

The hardware comes in the form of a PCI Express card with its own radio and storage that plugs into a laptop. A user doesn't need to start a laptop, as the card replicates with a RIM device by drawing its own battery power. The real-time syncing can provide quicker access to e-mail where wireless connectivity is spotty, Cheston said.

Users will also have the ability to sort and get alerts when specific e-mails arrive, Cheston said. "Let's suppose I want to be notified when my wife sends me an e-mail. I could have the card start blinking when the e-mail comes," Cheston said.