Way back in March when I published my review of Lenovo’s refreshed ThinkPad T410, I doted on its Swiss-Army-Knife-esque features & capabilities, while dumping on some backward steps taken with usability. One of these backward steps is the release mechanism for the Ultrabay.
The previous Ultrabay design had a small switch that you would slide, ejecting a pull tab that allowed you to quickly and easily yank the drive. See the extensive photoshoot from my Droid below for an illustration.
The new design functions similarly, but places both of the buttons/switches/whatever-you-want-to-call-it on the bottom of the system. Reader Navck created the video below demonstrating what he sees as a non-issue with the new design.
Big thanks to Navck for making this video! We all know Lenovo had their reasons for modifying the Ultrabay eject mechanism, but I still feel that it was a step backwards in usability. It is certainly not a deal breaker, and I didn’t even heavily stress it in my T410 review. I did stress it in my T410 Upgrading article, as the focus was on swapping components in the T410 and this was certainly a regression from the T400 and prior models.
Reader Doug points out the remaining major concern with this new design: can you reach this latch release if the system is docked? That is a great question, but unfortunately I have neither a T410 or one of the new docks. I can put in a question to Lenovo, but I would love to see our community chime in and maybe have some photos or videos to share. Does anyone have a T400s, T410, T510 or W510 and a dock?
What do you think?
So, dear reader, what is your take on this? Is it a big deal to you? If the new design prevents swapping while docked, is that a deal breaker for you? Vote in the poll below and hit the comments
Lenovo’s ThinkPad T Series can now be had at even more of a bargain, thanks to the cost savings of the Intel Core i3-330M processor found in the 14-inch ThinkPad T410i.
We’ve known for almost 2 months now that Lenovo would be putting the bargain-bin Core i3 chip into existing models and adding an ‘i’ to the end of their name, but we’re only now seeing those models available for sale. The only one you’ll find on Lenovo’s website today is the T410i, which comes equipped with Intel integrated graphics only and the usual span of customizable components. Keep in mind that like the integrated graphics T410, you cannot get integrated WWAN on the T410i. Thanks Lenovo!
The cheaper processor saves you $100 over an identically equipped Core i5 T410, bringing the starting price down to $819. If the T41oi is just what you’ve been dreaming about, Lenovo has a 5% off coupon that is good for at least the next few days and drops the starting price to $778! Configure your ThinkPad T410/T410i here, then apply the coupon code in the shopping cart: USPRETHINK. And you can always find the latest ThinkPad T410i coupons at our sister site LogicBuy!
We fully expect the T510i and X201i models to bear soon also, but the lower volume T410si and X201si versions might take a bit longer. I really liked the ThinkPad T410 in my review and given most people don’t need excess CPU horsepower, this is a great option to get into a T Series for less.
Today we bring you a 10% off coupon for Lenovo’s new ThinkPad T410 and T510 models, which combined with Lenovo’s own instant discounts makes this the cheapest price we have ever seen on these new ThinkPads.
Both the T410 and T510 have the same base specs, coming loaded with the Core i5-520M 2.4GHz, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 250GB hard drive, DVD burner, 802.11n WiFi, Intel integrated graphics and Windows 7 Home Premium.
The T410 comes with a measly 4-cell battery stock, but you can get a 6-cell for $20 more. Stepping up to the larger T510 gets you a 6-cell battery standard, with an optional 9-cell.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T410 starts at $825, while the ThinkPad T510 starts at $845. This coupon expires tomorrow and you can find the details on how to get the deal below!
Recently 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
Some recently updated documents from Lenovo shed light on versions of their ThinkPads will have the lower priced Intel Core i3 processors.
We actually noted this last month when the T410s appeared in the PSREF docs, with the T410si model listed as having the lower end Core i3 chips. Now Lenovo has updated the documents indicating that T410i and T510i models, in addition to the T410si, will be available for purchase.
The big question is how one will be able to purchase a Core i3 ThinkPad. Lenovo hasn’t historically offered separate sub-models of a product for sale on their website. When you consider that it would add an extra layer of complexity to their T Series lineup for potential buyers, I’m not expecting to see the ‘i’ models on Lenovo.com.
Hopefully Lenovo will add the Core i3 chip to its existing web configurations, offering a lower price point to the already rather competitive T410 and T510.
It didn’t take Lenovo long to whip out the e-coupons for their new products, now offering a respectable 10% off of the refreshed ThinkPad T410, as well as the completely new X100e ultraportable and Edge 13 “small business” systems.
The T410 in particular is a pretty respectable deal for a newly announced model, especially one with such a pedigree of features, Core i5 processor and standard LED backlit display.
Check out the details and base specs below. This deal expires February 10th.
ThinkPad T410 starting at $899 after 10% coupon
Base specs: Core i5-520M 2.4GHz; 14.1″ WXGA Anti-glare LED backlight; Intel HD graphics
2GB DDR3; 250GB Hard Drive; Ultra-slim DVD+/-RW; 6-cell battery
802.11n WiFi; 1-year Depot warranty; Windows 7 Professional 32-bit OS
Lenovo just posted updated versions of its incredibly helpful PSREF documents. These data-laden PDF files contain specific model configurations and full detail of all their products. If you are a speeds & feeds freak, these are your bible. Feel free to hit the link at the end
We’ll go through the specific tidbits gleaned for each model and then provide a little analysis at the end of the post. Let’s get started!
Continuing our coverage of Lenovo’s product launches, we have the refreshes of Lenovo’s bread & butter T and W Series ThinkPads. Lenovo is incrementing to the 10′s with the product number, so we present to you the T410, T410s, T510 and W510.
As I was writing this post, Lenovo’s Matt Kohut put up an excellent summary of all these refreshed models, highlighting the major changes, including a few that I’d have missed. I highly suggest you give it a read.
Let’s take a look at what is new:
All models
New Arrandale-based Intel Core i5 & i7 processors, including quad-core in W510
T510 & W510 are now 15.6-inch 16:9 ratio, 14-inch models stay 16:10
Keyboard design (larger Esc/Del keys, larger keycaps, etc) from T400s
Dual noise cancelling mics, low light webcams & dedicated mic mute (as seen on T400s)
Mini Dock Series 3 docking support (as seen on T400s, details here)
Full Windows 7 Enhanced Experience support
Larger, flush-mounted touchpads (appears to be same type & texture as on T400s)
Fn & CTRL key mapping in BIOS
T410, T510, W510 support new “bump” battery that attaches to bottom-rear of notebook (see pic below, T410s excluded)
Existing Ultrabay batteries no longer compatible with T410, T510, W510; is compatible with T410s
All LED backlit screens with symmetrical LCD (no more off-centered LCD, cosmetic change only)
Powered USB port that is active when machine is in standby/hibernate, denoted by yellow tab
USB/eSATA combo port
ExpressCard 34mm & 5-in-1 card reader (no more choosing between the two)
ThinkPad W510
Available 95% color gamut display with optional color calibrator
Four SO-DIMM slots for 16GB max DDR3 1333 RAM
RAID 0, 1 via Bay Adapter
Single USB 3.0 port, in addition to three USB 2.0 ports
Phew, that turned out to be a lot more changes than I figured when just glancing at the documents. Now let’s talk a bit about what all this means – hit the jump for more analysis and photos.
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