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All posts tagged "thinkpad"


Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Lenovo ThinkPad T420s Review: Lightweight and Powerful

Posted by John London in "Laptop Thoughts Articles & Resources" @ 12:00 PM

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/lap...kpad-t420s.aspx

Lenovo's ThinkPad T420s is the business user's ultimate Goldilocks notebook. At 14.1-inches and 4 pounds, the laptop is extremely light and portable, but large enough to provide a generous high-res screen, a powerful processor, and full-sized keyboard and touchpad. However, with a price of $1,349 (as configured), the ThinkPad T420s costs more than heavier 14-inch systems such as the ThinkPad T420 or the HP EliteBook 8460p. Spoiler alert: this lightweight notebook is worth the investment.

I have not used a ThinkPad since around Y2K. At that time I swore that I would never buy one. Of course work bought them and even today the ThinkPad is still a business worrier’s tool. Boy has time change my thoughts. First, it weights a mere 4lbs and less than a 1 inch thick. The build quality is excellent with the use of carbon fiber and plastics for durability, in case of a fall. Even the screen is excellent for watching HD movies. The keyboard was even mentioned as having the ability to channel a spill (coffee or your favorite beverage) away from the computer. Of course the downside is the cost. Time has changed the ThinkPad and is looking like a contender. For you ThinkPad fans does this fit the bill?


Tuesday, February 22, 2011

ThinkPad T,W,L Series to Feature Intel's Sandy Bridge

Posted by Michael Knutson in "Other Laptops & Netbooks" @ 11:30 PM

http://blog.laptopmag.com/lenovo-an...ile+Technology)

"Today, Lenovo announced updates to its popular ThinkPad T, W, and L series business notebooks, updating all models to Intel's 2nd Generation Core Series processors (Sandy Bridge) and adding faster boot times, longer battery life, and enhanced conferencing features. With model numbers each ending in "20," the new ThinkPad T420, T420s, T520, L420, L520, and W520 are due to ship at the end of March."

What's new here? Plenty: a faster BIOS promising 30-percent faster system start-up; SSD options; claimed battery life of 15-hours (!!) on the T420 with a 9-cell battery; 30-hours with a 9-cell battery slice added; "only" 10-hours on the slim T420S with a 6-cell battery and a bay battery instead of an optical drive; NVIDIA Optimus technology on several models; better wireless connectivity resumption; enhanced conferencing; and lots more. The T420S is expected to weigh less than 4-pounds, the T420 4.84-pounds, the T520 5.57-pounds, and their new "value-oriented" models, the L420 and L520 weigh 5.1-pounds and 5.75-pounds, respectively. There will also be a workstation-class model, the W520, offering higher resolution, more robust processors, up to 32GB DDR3 RAM, better graphics, and up to 10.7-hours of battery life. Quite an impressive new lineup from Lenovo.


Monday, February 7, 2011

ThinkPad X120e: Nearing Greatness!?

Posted by Michael Knutson in "Other Laptops & Netbooks" @ 02:30 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/07/...d-x120e-review/

"Most things deserve a second chance, right? Hey, if they promise improvement, we think so, and that's exactly what we're giving Lenovo's ThinkPad X120e. If you recall, the previous X100e was quite a disappointment, and that's actually putting it rather nicely -- not only did the 11.6-inch system redefine the term "lapburner," but it struggled to last 3.5 hours on a charge. It was bordering on tragic, but Lenovo's ready to right all those wrongs with the X120e. While it has kept the chassis and the wonderful chiclet keyboard unchanged, it's subbed out AMD's older Neo chip for the long awaited Fusion Zacate APU."

As a mostly happy former owner of a ThinkPad x100e, the x120e follow-on (or fixed version, if you prefer) keeps the best features from the x100e, and has fixed the worst offenders, so may be a system to consider in the light-but-not-a-netbook (or notbook, as Engadget calls them) ultraportable category. The former's anemic processor has been upgraded to AMD's Fusion Zacate, battery life is significantly improved to about five hours, and the x120e no longer roasts the hand. A couple down-sides mentioned: fan is a bit loud; battery life is still not "all day" and still juts out the back; touchpad could use some improvement; and the speakers sound a bit tinny. In the plus column: 3.3-pounds; the keyboard and screen (matte, 1366x768) are still first-rate; construction is plastic but solid; it runs Windows 7 Professional 64-bit without a hiccup; its multitasking and performance is superb; it's not burdened with much crapware; it has HDMI-out; and pricing starts at $399 ($579 as tested by Engadget). Lenovo does listen to user feedback! Availability is shown only as "starting in February."

 


Saturday, September 4, 2010

Lenovo X100e: Small, But Still a ThinkPad

Posted by Michael Knutson in "Other Laptops & Netbooks" @ 12:00 PM

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3886/...-thinkpad-x100e

"First things first: regardless of pricetag, Lenovo's ThinkPad X100e is a pretty nice ultraportable. Performance is solid if unexceptional, and the Radeon HD 3200 can even handle some mild gaming if you ask it nicely. What you're really looking at with the X100e is the superior keyboard and build quality, and these things really go a long way."

AnandTech's review pretty much parallels my own experience with the Lenovo X100e, both love it and hate it. Love it: it provides the illusion of true "Thinkpadedness" by offering arguably the best keyboard in its class, coupled with a very good trackpad, and the ubiquitous trackpoint nestled within the keyboard. Millions of Thinkpads have been sold just for the superior keyboard experience and solid build quality. It's also light and easily transportable. Hate it: the AMD processor is a generation old (Athlon Neo MV-40), somewhat slow, and heats up the left side and bottom nicely. The screen is perfect for writers and authors, handling text and simple graphics with aplomb, but with rather small onscreen standard fonts (at 1366x768) make it less than ideal for more intensive graphics activity and light gaming. And battery life disappoints: I get barely more than three hours of untethered usage. And then there is that heat.

All that being said, the X100e can be easily upgraded with an SSD to improve performance, along with adding additional RAM. But still, the "older" AMD platforms come out second-best in comparisons with anything (current generation) Intel inside, and the cost quickly increases with upgrades. That takes me back full-circle to the keyboard and trackpad, still amongst the best in the business. Lenovo's online outlet may be a good choice for finding a reasonably-priced (refurbished) X100e, many with the "newer" AMD Turion Neo X2 processor. I really do like my X100e, but wish that the processor were a bit more robust, and that the heat problem would go away (SSD?).


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