Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
A preliminary report states that Lenovo will not be furthering development of the ThinkPad X300/X301 ultrathin laptops, instead favoring the T400s/T410s models that were developed based on X300 technology. This move is not unexpected, although perhaps disappointing for those who favored a thin & light 13.3-inch ThinkPad. Intel has come out with ULV versions of their 2010 Core processors that would be suitable for an X301 update, but the cost of updating, certifying and upgrading anything needed for the refresh likely made the choice a difficult one. Then considering the limited market for an upscale, SSD-only premium laptop (with an arguably sub-standard display), the economics made this decision. The X300 series led the way in ThinkPad technology in a way that had not been seen for quite some time. The processes and technologies used to make it so thin, so light and so feature packed were carried over to the ThinkPad T400s, a thinner & lighter version of the T400 that was more like a 14-inch X300 than anything else. In fact, our comparison review found it superior to the X301 in many ways. The ThinkPad X301 is still for sale on Lenovo’s U.S. website at the time of publishing, with a 15% off coupon that brings the price down to $2141. Too bad you missed when they were blowing them out for $1299. Stay tuned for our X300 eulogy Source: [Trading Markets] Tags: thinkpad t410s, thinkpad x301
Posted in ThinkPads | 16 Comments » Thursday, April 29th, 2010  Intel’s new line of 2010 processors have made quite the splash so far, but a ULV variant that offered good performance for high end thin & lights has been noticeably missing. Reports are circling that such a processor will debut later this year. Two Core i7 ULV processors are expected to announce, the 1.33GHz i7-660UM and the 1.46GHz i7-680UM. These would both be dual-core and sport HyperThreading, to appear as four logical CPUs to the operating system. The 660UM is expected to launch this summer, while the faster 680UM would debut in the fall. Perhaps most surprising is that they will also feature Turbo Boost, the feature that allows one core to be “overclocked” as long as the heat levels are low enough. The 1.33GHz 660UM would go up to 2.4GHz, while its faster brother would reach 2.53GHz. Both chips are reported to have an 18W Thermal Design Power rating. Finally, a refreshed ThinkPad X301?The remaining Lenovo ThinkPad that we haven’t seen refreshed in 2010 is the ultraslim, feature-packed X301. To keep the X301′s weight and power usage down, it uses a Core 2 Duo ULV processor. To date, a suitable replacement processor hasn’t been announced by Intel, which is the likely reason we haven’t seen a refresh. But… Lenovo has taken a lot of the technologies and techniques realized from the X300 program and implemented them in their other notebooks, in particular the slimmed down T400s/T410s. The T400s/T410s gets you 85% of the X301′s thin & light design, with a larger screen, hot-swappable bay, comparable battery life and far better performance. And it does all this for as much as $500 less. Who is to say that Lenovo will continue the X300 series? Another alternative could be that the X302 will announce this year with the Core i7 ULV’s, but when we finally see an X Series redesign there will be a more economically designed 13.3-inch model and the T410s models will retake the engineering flagship role of the ThinkPad lineup. Time will tell! Source: [Slashgear] Tags: thinkpad x301
Posted in Tech News | 11 Comments » Thursday, January 28th, 2010  I know some are anxiously awaiting the return of the new ThinkPad T410s to Lenovo’s website, but I just wanted to send a reminder that the closeouts are still going on at the Microsoft Store. The 40% off coupon is still in effect and you can snag a nicely loaded T400s for $929 or an X301 for $959. One of our readers even chimed in on the X301 he purchased from the Microsoft Store, so check out their comment if you were considering a purchase. Head over to the original post for all the deal details and helpful user comments Tags: thinkpad t400s, thinkpad x301
Posted in Laptop & Tablet PCs | No Comments » Sunday, January 17th, 2010
We interrupt your regularly scheduled weekend for this important announcement: the closeouts on “last generation” Lenovo PCs continue and today we bring you two awesome deals. The Microsoft Store sells Windows PCs directly and thus has a stock of Lenovo’s previous products which are now being marked down 40%. A well loaded ThinkPad T400s is going for $929, while the normally $1600+ ThinkPad X301 is only $959. The T400s is the same one we featured last week for $1161, so you can now save more than another $100 on this beast. You can check out the full specs of each machine below, but notice that both use a 1.8-inch 5400rpm 120GB hard drive. With this low of a price you may want to spring for an SSD, even with a nearly $500 Intel 160GB you still come out cheaper than a comparable model new from Lenovo. If these two models don’t tickle your fancy, a number of other “last generation” PCs are 40% off through the Microsoft Store for a limited time. Browse them here. Microsoft Store 40% off coupon code: MSStore-PC-40% Original coupon expired, new coupon code: MSStore2-PC-40% ThinkPad T400s 2801-AQU $929 after 40% coupon - Core 2 Duo SP9400 2.4GHz; 4GB DDR2; 120GB Hard Drive; DVD+/-RW
- DisplayPort; eSATA; 6-cell battery; 2MP webcam; 3.91 lbs; Windows 7
- 14.1″ WXGA+ LED-backlit LCD; Ergonomic keyboard; Spill-resistant keyboard
- Click here to buy
ThinkPad X301 2777-MSU $959 after 40% coupon - Core 2 Duo SU9400 1.4Ghz; 2GB DDR3; 120GB Hard Drive; DisplayPort
- 6-cell Battery; 13.3″ WXGA+ LED-backlit LCD; Gigabit Ethernet
- 3.3 lbs. ; Bluetooth; Webcam; Ultra-thin DVD burner; Windows 7
- Click here to buy
SSDsIf you are interested in an SSD, you can view all the latest deals on SSDs at LogicBuy by clicking here. The new Intel drives are a safe bet for maximum performance for your dollars, but I recommend Anandtech’s latest article on SSD for a good overview of the latest drives in the market. MS Signature PCsOne last thing to remember about these models is they are Microsoft “Signature PCs,” meaning they have almost no third party software installed and a more streamlined first-setup experience. You also get 90 days of software support from Microsoft, handy for the person who isn’t very familiar with Windows. Tags: thinkpad t400s, thinkpad x301
Posted in Laptop & Tablet PCs | 41 Comments » Sunday, September 13th, 2009 Today is the last chance to get this amazing deal on Lenovo’s ThinkPad X Series models. You get $690 off the flagship ThinkPad X301, $430 off the ThinkPad X200 Tablet, and $200 of ThinkPad X200 or X200s.
Click here for the deal Tags: thinkpad x200, thinkpad x200 tablet, thinkpad x200s, thinkpad x301
Posted in Laptop & Tablet PCs | No Comments » Friday, September 11th, 2009
This is one of those opportunities that doesn’t come around too often, making for a chance to pick up ThinkPad’s best models (in my opinion) at an insane price. Every single one of the X Series models is on sale, with $200 off X200/X200s, $430 off Tablet, and a whopping $690 off X301. This deal is only valid until September 13th! Without further ado, I’ll take you through the various base configurations of each model, the resulting discounted price, and any freebie upgrades currently running: (more…) Tags: thinkpad x200, thinkpad x200 tablet, thinkpad x200s, thinkpad x301
Posted in Laptop & Tablet PCs | 12 Comments » Tuesday, September 1st, 2009I pulled the X301 out last night to do some writing and while the T400s is overall a better buy, I couldn’t help but marvel at just how svelte and sleek the X301 is. The black rectangle just oozes quality, even near luxury I’d say. This certainly isn’t a laptop for someone who is aiming for the “best value,” but the X301 is one of the best premium laptops out there. Right now Lenovo is running a 15% off coupon that brings the entry-price of the X301 down to $1605. The coupon will probably last only the next couple days, so head on over and price your machine out before the discount goes bye-bye. Base specs and deal details are below - Core 2 Duo SU9400 1.4GHz; Vista Basic; 13.3 WXGA+ LED
- GMA 4500MHD graphics; 1GB DDR3 1067MHz RAM; WebCam
- Travel Bezel; Intel WiFi Link 5100 AGN; WWAN Mobile Broadband
- 64GB SSD; Bluetooth; 3-cell; Free Windows 7 upgrade
How to get the deal - Configure the ThinkPad X301 of your choice
- Apply coupon code in shopping cart with no spaces before/after: USPBANNERS
Tags: thinkpad x301
Posted in Laptop & Tablet PCs | No Comments » Monday, August 17th, 2009One of Lenovo’s coupon codes that covers nearly every model sold with discounts up to 15% will be expiring today. If you’ve been on the fence about purchasing a certain model, today might be your day to do it. The popular coupon code USPNOTEBOOKS expires today and takes with it 10% off on certain IdeaPads and 10-15% off select ThinkPads. The free upgrades that we compiled previously are still good as well, making for a double win in many cases. We’ve updated the free upgrades information below with the current coupon codes, so browse below for the Lenovo system of your dreams. In case you’re looking for an IdeaPad with an ending coupon, you can find those here: Unless otherwise noted, you must select specifically the free upgrade during configuration. We do not know how long the free upgrades will last, so act quickly! Also don’t forget that any Lenovo PC loaded with Vista Home Premium or higher gets a free upgrade to Windows 7 too! (more…) Tags: thinkpad r400, thinkpad r500, thinkpad sl500, ThinkPad T400, ThinkPad T500, thinkpad x200, thinkpad x200 tablet, thinkpad x200s, thinkpad x301
Posted in Laptop & Tablet PCs | No Comments » Monday, August 17th, 2009Lenovo’s flagship ThinkPad X301 laptop can now be found in certain configurations with a 1.8-inch magnetic hard drive, rather than the fast and expensive Solid State Drives, once included exclusively. Unfortunately the new drives are not available on Lenovo.com as part of a build-it-yourself configuration, yet. Instead you are restricted to one of two pre-built configurations available through resellers: - Model 2776-H1U: SU9400 1.4GHz CPU, 2GB DDR3, Webcam, 120GB 5400rpm, DVDRW, Intel 5100 WiFi, WWAN upgradeable, 2GB Turbo Memory, Bluetooth, Fingerprint reader, 6-cell battery, Vista Business 32 – Street price ~$1700-1800
- Model 2776-32U: SU9600 1.6GHz CPU, 2GB DDR3, Webcam, 250GB 5400rpm, DVDRW, Intel 5100 WiFi, WWAN upgradeable, Bluetooth, Fingerprint reader, 6-cell battery, XP Professional – Street price – ~$1700
Considering you can only get the ThinkPad X301 into the $1600 range, sans DVDRW and other goodies, on Lenovo.com with coupons, this actually isn’t a bad deal. The magnetic HDD clearly saves you a chunk of change here. In fact, if you look for the nearly identical model 2776-33U, which adds a 64GB SSD over the 2776-32U listed above, it adds on average $200-300 to the price tag. You still need to do in-depth price comparison to find the model that best fits your needs, but the potential is here for some cost savings. More background
 When the ThinkPad X300 launched, it was criticized for its high price tag, which was largely driven by the then-expensive SSDs. The drive itself cost over $700, which is a huge portion of any laptop’s cost, considering you could get a fairly well equipped machine for that much. When questioned about offering a 1.8-inch HDD to bring the starting cost down, Lenovo stated it had investigated that route, but that the performance of those drives was just not up to par for such a high end machine. Indeed, a system’s storage drive is one of the largest bottlenecks on a modern computer. Since the ThinkPad X300 launched, SSD prices have dropped significantly bringing the X301 into the sub-$2000 price range. However, HDD technology has also advanced and not only are 1.8-inch drives faster, but they have greater capacity too. Hopefully Lenovo will start offering these 1.8-inch HDD’s for the X301 on Lenovo.com, so we can truly see what kind of value they can drive out of the flagship ThinkPad. Read other posts related to the ThinkPad X301 or SSDs Tags: ssd, thinkpad x301
Posted in ThinkPad X | 1 Comment » Friday, August 14th, 2009  We recently took a look at how the svelte new ThinkPad T400s compared to its chunkier cousin the T400. Today we have an in-depth comparison of the T400s with its true parent: the ThinkPad X301. Lenovo’s ThinkPad X301, originally debuting with the X300 model, is the poster child for compromise of form and function, without compromising much. It weighs under 3 lb, is under 1 inch thin, and still has nearly every port or feature you might need and an integrated optical drive to boot. The ThinkPad T400 is more of an exercise in function before form, with a balance between form and cost kept closely in-check. What do you get when you combine them? A thin, light, truly full-size notebook with fewer compromises than the X301 and a better form than the T400, with a price somewhere inbetween. (more…) Tags: thinkpad t400s, thinkpad x301
Posted in Reviews | 19 Comments » | |
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