Filed under: Laptops

If the X200t is just too convertible-y for you, and the standard X200 just doesn’t last long enough for your 18-hour plane rides, the X200s won’t do you any good either. If you only need 10-hours of juice, however, this unit is just about perfect. The ultraportable does give up some raw horsepower in order to deliver such stunning life, but true road warriors will certainly make the sacrifice. Critics over at Laptop Mag were duly impressed with just about everything the pricey X200s was packing, noting that the keyboard was “excellent,” the design was sturdy and the screen was clean and crisp. Additionally, they found that the power decrease wasn’t too noticeable in real-world use, though they did lament the omission of a WWAN module (agreed!) and webcam. Bottom line? These folks found it well “worth the splurge,” though we’d recommend giving the full spill a read if you’re seriously on the fence.

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Filed under: Laptops, Wireless

It’s a big day in Baltimore with the proper launch of Sprint’s XOHM WiMAX network, and Lenovo’s making sure it snags a bit of that limelight to announce this. Starting today, prospective customers can snatch up a ThinkPad SL300, SL500, X301 and T400 with integrated WiMAX capability, meaning that you can hop on the ultra-fast mobile internet highway in Baltimore and elsewhere if you’re really lucky. Later this year, the laptop maker will be adding the option on its business-focused ThinkPad W500, W700, SL400 and X200 models as well as the consumer-minded IdeaPad Y530. There’s no word on how much this capability adds to the cost of a machine, but WiMAX-enabled lappies can be had starting at $720 right now.

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Filed under: Laptops

You could tell from the specs sheet that Lenovo’s ThinkPad W700 wasn’t a common man’s machine, and a review from the cats at Laptop Mag has all but confirmed that. Dubbed “a beast of a 17-inch [laptop],” this rig was marveled upon right from the get-go; after all, it’s not everyday that you see a full-fledged digitizer built right into the palm rest, not to mention the integrated color calibrator. Unfortunately, such niceties weren’t bundled in for free, as the review unit they had rocked a $3,802 price tag. Still, the design, build quality and performance were all stellar, but critics couldn’t help but point out that this unique creature wouldn’t be worthwhile for everyone. In fact, they praised Lenovo for “incorporated some truly innovative features,” but they did confess that they weren’t “entirely convinced of their practicality.” Think long and hard before digging into your kids’ college fund for this one, you hear?

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

It didn’t take long for Lenovo’s two-faced ThinkPad X200t to hit the test bench after coming over to US soil, and the critics over at Laptop Mag have mostly positive things to say about it. For starters, the convertible tablet maintains the “security, durability, and performance” that we’ve come to expect from Lenovo. The keyboard was deemed “excellent,” the lightweight design was applauded, the display performed admirably and the performance was very satisfactory (or “snappy,” as it were). The biggest knocks on the machine were the omission of an optical drive and the below average battery life; testers only squeezed out around 6 hours, which was far less than the company’s claim of 10.3 hours. Still, at just north of two large, the X200 was seen as an excellent choice for those seeking a versatile business machine, particularly if you dig that stylus-on-screen action.

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Filed under: Tablet PCs

We’re torn. Lenovo kicks ass in the tablet space, and the X200t is no exception to that rule, but we were hoping for a little more “X200” and a little less traditional Lenovo tablet action. Compared to its straight-up X200 namesake, the X200t is mega heavy, due to a different battery, screen and internals. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just a letdown compared to the insanely great engineering that Lenovo poured into the X300 and X200. We’re also a little miffed that Lenovo hasn’t worked out a capacitive touch option yet, though they claim that the X200t’s dual-purpose touchscreen has been improved, including a method for switching off touch automatically when the pen is in close proximity to the screen, to allow for some palm resting. They were just showing pen-only units this evening, so we didn’t get to test that out. Everything else is traditional love-it-or-hate-it ThinkPad design, quality and touchpad-freeness.

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Filed under: Laptops

Lenonvo’s ThinkPad X200t tablet finally made the trip Stateside after hiding out in Hong Kong for the past few weeks, and it’s brought a little friend with it — the X200s laptop. As expected, the X200t replaces the X61t, and specs for the new machines are right in line with that transition: available processors range from a 1.2GHz SU9300 Core 2 Duo to a 1.86GHz SL9400 chip, RAM maxes out a 4GB, there’s a 128GB Samsung SSD option, graphics are integrated GMA 4500MHD, and WWAN, WiMAX and UWB are optional. Notable changes from the the X61t in particular include a dual swivel hinge, an LED backit 1280 x 800 screen, and claimed 50% improvement in battery life to 15 hours, reduced touch pressure with a Wacom digitizer, and built-in GPS when the WWAN option is ordered. Prices should start at $2325 when these start going out in October, less for the X200s — we’ll have a hands-on for you ASAP, but there’s a vid after the break to hold you over.

Continue reading Thinkpad X200t and X200s announced

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

While Dell seems to be madly and passionately in love with Linux, rival Lenovo is breaking things off… or at least refusing to take things any further via IM. Reportedly, the computer maker has decided it best to stop offering Linux-based machines via its online sales portal, though open-source fanatics can still snap up Linux-infused rigs through Lenovo’s own or partner direct sales teams. Ray Gorman, a spokesman for the company, noted that its “commitment to Linux has not changed,” and he continued on to say that “what has changed is that customers will no longer be able to order Lenovo ThinkPads and ThinkCentres with pre-installed Linux via the lenovo.com website.” Truthfully, there’s no bitterness with Linux here — online sales figures simply didn’t justify keeping ‘em on there. And you know, money talks.

[Via The Inquirer]

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Filed under: Laptops

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Filed under: Laptops

Not like Lenovo has been keeping this duo on the DL or anything, but the potent W500 and W700 are now available to order. Hailed as the company’s “most powerful notebooks ever,” the 15.4-inch W500 gets going from $1,629 with a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 CPU, Vista Home Premium, a WSXGA+ display, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, ATI’s 512MB Mobility FireGL V5700, a 100GB HDD, DVD combo drive, WiFi and a 6-cell battery. Overshadowing that is the 17-inch W700, which starts at $2,978 and features a WXGA+ display, T9400 CPU, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, NVIDIA’s 512MB Quadro FX-2700 and a 160GB hard drive. The W500 should ship within 1 to 2 weeks, while the W700 isn’t expected to head your way for a solid month. No worries — that gives you plenty of time to save up for the $1,275 QX9300 Core 2 Extreme option.

[Via 32packets]

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Filed under: Laptops

While we’ve seen tons of evidence that the Thinkpad X200t is ready to hit, the tiny tablet’s managed to remain thoroughly hidden until now — and unsurprisingly, it looks a lot like the X61t it’s undoubetedly going to replace. Still no specs, pricing, or release date to be found, but we’re guessing those’ll come any day now.

[Via GottaBeMobile, thanks diode3diode]

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

There it is, the X200 Tablet courtesy of the FCC. No more guessing, no more burrowing into the bowels of asian Baptist organizations, the X200T is real and packing a bit of UWB special sauce for UltraBase docking. We expect to see it appear on Lenovo’s retail site with loads of misprinted features, errant pricing, and bogus delivery dates any day now.

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

There it is, the X200 Tablet courtesy of the FCC. No more guessing, no more burrowing into the bowels of asian Baptist organizations, the X200T is real and packing a bit of UWB special sauce for UltraBase docking. We expect to see it appear on Lenovo’s retail site with loads of misprinted features, errant pricing, and bogus delivery dates any day now.

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Filed under: Laptops

Now that you’re well acquainted with the specifications of Lenovo’s ThinkPad T500, there are only a couple more hoops to leap through before pulling the trigger or calmly placing the mouse on the ground and walking away. Here to help you inch closer to one option or the other is NotebookReview, which has procured one of these rigs and given it a thorough inspection. Fans of the trademark design (read: plain, simple, boring / beautiful) will find oodles to love, and build quality (overall) was seen as satisfactory. Unfortunately, a good bit of flex was noticed in the keyboard, which could be a serious issue for fans of previous units. There’s plenty more discussion where this came from, so head on down and give the full writeup a look if you’re remotely interested in bringing the T500 into your loving abode.

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Filed under: Laptops

So far, Lenovo’s shotgun launch of its new ThinkPad T, SL, W, R, and X-series has been a lesson in retail clumsiness. It started yesterday with that 128GB SSD freebie and culminates (after several missteps in between) into a Canadian $200 for the 14.1-inch ThinkPad R400, uh, Eee PC killer. This is not just a simple typo mind you, the pricing issue is systemic as that baseline price increments as you adjust your options all the way to checkout. There’s no guarantee that they’ll honor your order of course, in fact they likely won’t. But at the very least, they should be paying our readers for doing the quality control they seem incapable of handling themselves.

P.S. While we have your attention Lenovo, how about axing those contrived “Sale” prices. You’re not fooling anyone.

[Thanks, Geoffrey A. and Rahul G.]

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

Sitting up nice and pretty on Lenovo’s US store front are none other than Lenovo’s newest lineup of ThinkPad notebooks. The site breaks down if you try to custom configure and order anything at the moment but it’s good to see the 12.1-inch X200, 12.1-inch X-series tablet, SL, R, T, and W-series of laptops readying themselves for take-out.

[Thanks, Salman and Spencer]

Read — Full lineup
Read — X200

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

Lenovo’s dimunitive X200 finally made the scene just recently after hiding out in the shadows for a couple weeks, and it looks like it’s got a little friend waiting back there as well — some specs for a tablet version of the 12-inch ultraportable surfaced over the weekend. We’re not taking any of this as fact — the spec sheet showed up on the web page for the Hong Kong Baptist University, and it’s accompanied by a picture of the regular X200, so it could just be a mistake — but we certainly wouldn’t say no to a 4-pound tablet with a 1.86GHz SL9400 Core 2 Duo and a 7-hour battery life for $1,339, so we’ll see how this one plays out.

[Via GottaBeMobile]

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Filed under: Laptops

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Filed under: Laptops

As the Centrino 2 train rolls on, we’ve found yet another standout that has already hit the test bench. The recently revealed SL400 is being aimed directly at mobile business professionals, but it’s also potent enough to handle basic 3D gaming and the occasional Blu-ray flick on those intercontinental flights. According to reviewers over at Laptop, this 14.1-incher was pretty swank overall, though a few minor niggles kept it from snagging a coveted Editor’s Choice award. First, a number of the ports are recessed, which may or may not grate your nerves, and while overall performance was satisfactory, the sluggish 5,400RPM hard drive was definitely frowned upon. Still, the great battery life, wireless performance and multimedia capabilities enabled it to claim 3.5 out of 5 stars, which means that you should probably give the full review a read before pulling the trigger on blind faith.

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