Sunday, March 7th, 2010Recently we reviewed Lenovo’s ThinkPad T410, the latest in their bread & butter lineup with a new chassis and some nice design tweaks. One of the things Lenovo has stressed in the past is their desire to improve serviceability on their laptops. This took a decided nose dive around the T60 models, with the memory placed under the touchpad and a dozen screws holding the touchpad and keyboard in. And when you went to put the palm rest back on? You needed to be a Xen master to contort the palm rest such that every latch clicked into place, and even then you probably still had a creaky panel now. Lenovo has made some nice improvements in these areas, even over the T400 which had evolved from the hellish T60 and T61’s. Let’s dive in (more…) Tags: thinkpad t410 Posted in Reviews | 15 Comments » Monday, March 1st, 2010 Quick GlanceGood: Every port & connectivity option imaginable, high performance, runs cool, great touchpad, improved battery design Bad: Picky keyboard, fan runs often, no switchable graphics | Specs | Lenovo ThinkPad T410 | | Processor | Intel Core i5-430M (2.26-2.53GHz) | | OS | Windows 7 Professional 64-bit | | Memory | 4GB DDR3 | | Graphics | NVIDIA NVS 3100M 256MB | | Storage | 320GB 7200rpm SATA | | Display | 14.1-inch WXGA+ LED backlit, 220 nits | | Optical | DVD burner | | Ports | 5-in-1 card reader 4 USB 2.0 (one powered) eSATA DisplayPort & VGA output Ethernet IEEE Firewire 1394a (4-pin) Smartcard Reader | | Dimensions | 13.2 x 9.4 x 1.1-1.3 inches | | Weight | 6-cell: 5.0lb, 9-cell 5.35lb | | Price | $1494 as tested |
(more…) Tags: thinkpad t410 Posted in Reviews | 5 Comments » Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 I recently received one of Lenovo’s new ThinkPad T410 models for review and wanted to share some of my first impressions of it with everyone. If you haven’t already, give the other posts I have on the T410 a look over to find out what Lenovo changed with this new model. While the changes don’t sound like a lot, the T410 really does elevate the plain T4xx models to swiss-army-knife status with its plethora of ports, decent portability, high performance and capable battery life. (more…) Posted in Reviews, ThinkPads | 4 Comments » Thursday, November 5th, 2009 Quick GlanceGood: Thin & light, competitive price, HDMI output Bad: Limited expansion, mediocre 4-cell battery life | Specs | IdeaPad U350 | | Processor | Intel Core 2 Solo U2700 (1.3GHz) | | OS | Windows Vista Home Premium | | Memory | 4GB DDR3 | | Graphics | Intel GMA 4500MHD | | Storage | 320GB 5400rpm SATA | | Display | 13.3-inch WXGA (1280×800)LED backlit glossy; 200 nits | | Optical | None | | Ports | 4-in-1 card reader3 USB 2.0 VGA, HDMI output Ethernet | | Dimensions | 12.9 x 9 x 0.7-1.0 inches | | Weight | 4-cell: 3.52 lb | | Price | $649 for Windows 7, SU4100, 8-cell model |
(more…) Tags: ideapad u350 Posted in Reviews | 2 Comments » Thursday, October 29th, 2009 Today we have here Lenovo’s ThinkPad USB keyboard, their newest external keyboard. If you are familiar with the ThinkPad T400s, you know Lenovo messed with tradition and revamped the keyboard a little. The ThinkPad USB Keyboard replicates the T400s keyboard design in this slim external version. The Esc and Del keys were doubled in length and the spacing between keys tightened up through the use of larger key caps. The key enlargement change was made due to research showing that those are the two most commonly used keys on the keyboard, while the larger key caps were instituted to reduce the amount of crumbs and other debris that finds its way under the keys. (more…) Tags: keyboard, ThinkPad USB keyboard Posted in Reviews | 25 Comments » Thursday, October 15th, 2009 Quick GlanceGood: Amazing screen, dual-swivel screen hinge, good ergonomic design Bad: A bit pricey, no capacitive touch with outdoor viewable display | Specs | ThinkPad X200 Tablet | | Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo L9600 (2.13GHz) | | OS | Windows 7 Professional | | Memory | 2GB DDR3 | | Graphics | Intel GMA X4500 | | Storage | 160GB 7200rpm SATA | | Display | 12.1-inch WXGA (1280×800) LED backlit anti-reflective; 400 nits, IPS | | Optical | None | | Ports | 5-in-1 card reader 3 USB 2.0 VGA output Ethernet, Modem ExpressCard/34 & 54 | | Dimensions | 11.6 x 10.1 x 1-1.3 inches (8-cell) | | Weight | 8-cell: 3.88 lb | | Price | Approximately $2100 MSRP from Lenovo.com |
(more…) Tags: thinkpad x200 tablet Posted in Reviews | 2 Comments » Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 Quick GlanceGood: 3 USB 2.0 ports, good keyboard feel, improved size & layout Bad: No dedicated Home/End keys, no expansion slot The Rest: Just like every other netbook | Specs | IdeaPad S12 | | Processor | Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz) | | OS | Windows XP Home | | Memory | 1GB DDR2 | | Graphics | Intel GMA 950 | | Storage | 160GB 5400rpm SATA | | Display | 10.1-inch WSVGA (1024×600) LED backlit glossy; 200 nits | | Optical | None | | Ports | 4-in-1 card reader 3 USB 2.0 VGA output Ethernet | | Dimensions | 10.2 x 7.6 x 0.7-1.8 inches (6-cell) | | Weight | 6-cell: 2.65 lb | | Price | $349 as tested |
(more…) Tags: ideapad s10-2, Netbook Posted in Reviews | 4 Comments » Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009Lenovo sent me one of their new ThinkPad X200 tablets with the outdoor viewable screen to play with, and in bright sunlight the screen is the most vibrant and legible I’ve seen yet; with a couple caveats, unfortunately. I recently spent some time outside with it and my trusty ThinkPad T400 with standard WXGA screen (not the high brightness LCD), snapped a few pictures, and recorded a quick video. Hit the jump for some more details, images, and my hands-on video. (more…) Tags: thinkpad x200 tablet Posted in Reviews | 3 Comments » Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Who saw this one coming? A multitouch display, much less on a non-convertible notebook? Crazier things have been done, like wrapping a laptop in leather. To make use of the multitouch features, Lenovo loaded a mostly-final version of Windows 7 on the T400s multitouch (MT) along with a new ThinkVantage utility: SimpleTap. TrackPoint enthusiasts will appreciate the homage paid within this application. Without further ado, let’s dive in. (more…) Tags: simple tap, thinkpad t400s multitouch, Windows 7 Posted in Reviews | 18 Comments » Monday, September 14th, 2009 Quick GlanceThe Good: ExpressCard/34 & 3 USB ports, good keyboard feel, available VIA Nano processor, NVIDIA Ion forthcoming The Bad: Iffy touchpad, no dedicated Home/End keys The Rest: Just like every other netbook | Specs | IdeaPad S12 | | Processor | Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz) | | OS | Windows XP Home | | Memory | 1GB DDR2 | | Graphics | Intel GMA 950 | | Storage | 160GB 5400rpm SATA | | Display | 12.1-inch WXGA (1280×800) LED backlit glossy; 20 nits | | Optical | None | | Ports | 4-in-1 card reader 3 USB 2.0 VGA output Ethernet ExpressCard/34 | | Dimensions | 11.5 x 9.1 x 0.9-1.4 inches | | Weight | 6-cell: 3.42 lb | | Price | $449 as tested, $429 with VIA Nano |
(more…) Tags: ideapad s12, Netbook Posted in Reviews | 6 Comments » | |