Lenovo IdeaPad U110 unboxing and hands-on
By Darren Murph 
posted May 3rd 2008 12:07PM
posted May 3rd 2008 12:07PM
Update: Impressions, notes and video are all live. Check 'em out right here. Oh, and a few more comparison shots with larger machines were added to the gallery.
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hawt
PC users are so easily impressed.
James Bond would be pleased
looks good... but a bit too overboard on the glossy imho
I agree completely. Good looking laptop, but the glossy keyboard is a little much. Neat design, but I think the glossy plastic would drive me nuts after a while.
Nice to see that Lenovo is taking a risk in their laptop designs and trying to change it up a little bit.
Fingerprint magnet
I agree, looks good, but over glossy.
and i can't BELIEVE people still buy computers with lame-ass stickers all over 'em.
maybe i'm out of touch, but i thought for SURE that shit would be gone years ago.
@Jeff:
If you're talking about the processor & OS stickers, most laptops have them. My lappy doesn't because I had to replace the palm rest. But it's pretty common (aside from Macintosh) to have such stickers. It's not that big of a deal to me. They can be peeled off.
@Jeff
Nice way to hide your Mac fanboyism. Its just a sticker, why would you refuse to buy a computer because of it? Guess what! STICKERS CAN PEEL OFF! If you hate stickers so much, take it off!
@ PeterF
Oh my goodness! When did Jeff mention anything at all about Macs? Why do that, hmm? Why?
I completely agree with Jeff. Yeah, they're easy to take off and maybe the complaint is trivial, but when you buy a computer from a store or online you tend to know it runs X, Y or Z and that it has X processor in it and what not. I just think that they needn't put them on there.
Oh, and Pete - can I call you Pete? You said that stickers can peel off? Well you've just labelled yourself as a PC cretin. Not to say that Mac users aren't any better, with their stupid sense of superiority just because their product is glossy and they hide well the fact that programs actually do crash occasionally on Macs. And Linux users, trying constantly to claw people into thinking that their OS is the best - even though to get much out of Linux you have to really know what you are doing, unless you get a build such as Ubuntu which is relatively easy to setup.
At the end of the day, people are clever enough (doubtful in some cases) to make up their own minds about which OS they use. You point. You click. Something happens.
Oh, and just to unnecessarily clarify things, I'm writing this on my gorgeously glossy white MacBook (notice the change in case) which never crashes, but also have a desktop downstairs that can actually play games (unlike my shitty / superior Mac) which also dual boots Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon - which you should try, it's much better than Mac or Windows (unless you want to print anything), which are both the best OSs in the world because one can play Call Of Duty and the other also can but I like to pretend that it doesn't so that I can use it in ammo against people who buy products from a company that they think is best friends with them.
I'm sure many people agree with my rant, but not many people will read the entire thing, will think I have offended their beloved operating system and will low rank me.
Oh, and the Lenovo look nice.
Come on, stickers are ultra tacky and cheap-looking. Why do manufacturers feel compelled to plaster them all over expensive devices like laptops?
looks better than the air, just as useless
那才是你脑子里想的！这台电脑是很好，比很多笔记本电脑好多了！
Yeah, you tell him!
你你脑子他里媽多多的 很好了！
And you own which one to give such a blisteringly educated assessment?
"just as useless"?
This has three usb ports.
um... not to mention a card reader, and a firewire port.
哎呀, 你们太不文明. 满口出话. 丢我们中国人得脸.
n30, I sorry maybe a little bit less useless than the air
lenovo the dust picker-upper
Nice but where is the trackpoint nipple?
I will not buy a machine unless it has one...
Let me guess, you are at least 30 years of age, correct?
Each to their own, I absolutely hate "the nipple" and it's the first thing I disable if a laptop has one...you need to invent yourself a USB connected portable nipple device that you can tweak whenever you feel the urge come upon you.
I lack the patients to put up with the annoyance of the craptastic touch pad. (though I am open minded if multi touch remedies some of the BS associated with inefficient touch pads)
People that talk about not liking trackpoint, never got to try it for at least a week.
I have used touchpads for years, and the trackpoint is 10 times better.
Faster, more precise, it doesn't makes you take out your hands from the keyboard.
Much, much better.
Just try it for a week.
People that talk about not liking trackpoint, never got to try it for at least a week.
I have used touchpads for years, and the trackpoint is 10 times better.
Faster, more precise, it doesn't makes you take out your hands from the keyboard.
Much, much better.
Just try it for a week.
Don't feel bad Heathen, I feel the same. Touchpads suck. Sure, they work.. But unlike a touchpoint, even if you get proficient with them, it still takes longer to navigate and use. And yes, I'm 33, what's your point?
No trackpoint = No buy
Watching someone who really knows how to use a Trackpoint is really awe-inspiring. It can be better than a trackpad, probably even better than a mouse.
The only thing that kept me from trying out the nipple for more than 30 seconds is that there's no way to scroll down pages like going down the side of the trackpad. (is there?)
On Lenovo, which has 3 buttons under the space bar, you hold down the middle button with your thumb (or at least I use my thumb) and then move the trackpoint in the direction you want to scroll. It works for vertical, horizontal, and diagonal scrolling.
Yeah, I'm 32 and have been using trackpoints for about 12 years. I don't buy laptops without them either. Infinite value in your fingers never needing to leave "home row."
...But I'm only 23.
Trackpoints (I call them eraser-heads) are AWESOME! At times I would even touch-up stuff in Photoshop using the eraserheads, it's that good. Also, the fact that it is in the center and the buttons close to the spacebar means my palms and wrist won't accidentally hit the buttons.
Oh my...... such a beauty......but WAY too glossy.....
Did you take these pictures with a Nokia N95, Engadget?
No, Engadget did not take these pictures with the Nokia N95. You can see what they used in the reflection:
http://www.engadget.com/photos/lenovo-ideapad-u110-unboxing-and-hands-on/786503/
Nice: I see it has dedicated PageUp and PageDown keys instead of stupidly mapping them to Fn plus an arrow key on the other side of the keyboard.
I don't think I'd mind the glossiness, but at that price it ought to have:
- trackpoint
- DVI instead of VGA (I haven't used VGA in years, and those DVI to VGA adapters are easily available)
- analog volume control (does anyone but Toshiba do this?)
It'd look a lot better without the tacky stickers on it. And those stickers are not easily removable. I've tried with my T61, and it feels like I need a chisel to get them off.
Use a piece of thread to slide under the sticker and across all the way underneath to get rid of it. If you need to remove residue, put a piece of cloth (so as not to scratch the plastic) between your finger nail and the residue and "scratch" away at it. Works for me.
wouldn't a cleaner like goo gone work to get rid of the left overs.
Damn, is this a portable computer or a portable mirror?
lol
Yes, wish they had this back in my college days when cocaine was reasonably priced :>
Can't believe they ditched the trackpoint.
Trackpoint is the BEST pointing device.
It is the one thing i most miss on my macbook.
They have not ditched the trackpoint since it only has been used on Thinkpad-branded laptops, and this a a Ideapad-branded machine. A damn shame if you ask me since a trackpoint is so much better than a touchpad and most likely less expensive to incorporate in the design.
Now I'm eagerly waiting for this model but with the typical Thinkpad-branding, i.e. trackpoint and a matte screen.
I can tell you that a trackpoint is more expensive than a touchpad for one simple reason - supply and demand. There are a bunch of companies that supply touchpads and even touchpad controller. There are really only about 2 (maybe 3) companies that make pointing sticks these days.
On most machines, you add a trackpoint in addition to the touchpad (except the ThinkPad x6 series). That's about $5~6 of factory cost, which will translate to $25~$30 at retail.
Most manufacturers think most people don't want to pay an extra 3~5% for their laptop to have 2 pointing devices. (I for one, disagree!)
wow, so many pics.
I just wish they'd included a touchscreen (and made it less glossy), the touchscreen, even a passive one, is good for sketching, a kind of activity you might do on an ... ideapad.
Agreed, why is it that Fujitsu is the only company (that I know of anyway) that puts a touchscreen on some of their regular notebooks (not just on tablet models) ?
It's beautiful. And if you want it to stay that way, don't touch it.
I love this computer except for the one thin that will never allow me to ever ever ever buy a Lenovo.
Why in bloody hell do they put the mother!@#$ing FN key where the CTRL key is on every other keyboard in the world. I am CONSTANTLY using CTRL+C and V and that FN key ruins my life. When my job got me a Lenovo, the first thing I did was to rip it off the keyboard. Do they really expect me to buy a $2,000 laptop and rip the key off it?
configure your function key and use the Fn+c, Fn+p
I can't agree more with you about the Fn key in place of the Ctrl key. It drives me nuts too. But there's an easy fix: you can just software (I use KeyTweak) to reconfigure the Fn key to act as the Ctrl key and vice versa. Sure, the keys will be labelled wrong, but if you're as much of a keyboard user as you are, I doubt that'll throw you off.
i have a lenovo, and i was going to say the same exact thing about the ctrl and fn keys. i'm completely baffled as to why they'd layout the keyboard this way. i'll have to try that program.
Eh, I've been using thinkpads for a while now, I've gotten used to that.
Remap the keys as mentioned above. Then on most units, you can swap the CTRL and FN keys -- pop them off, look as the way they are designed, and then you can easily snap them back on.
i dnt know why lenovo is more expensive in china then in usa ?
what kind of policy is this man !! !!
If I had the money I would be cradling it in my arms right now :P .
Lumix?
Never head of them.
*googles*
Ah, Panasonic.
From now on I refuse to buy another computer or indeed any device without vents like those. Really, check them out.
I agree fully. Best vent design ever
http://www.engadget.com/photos/lenovo-ideapad-u110-unboxing-and-hands-on/786554/
For those who can't be bothered to look.
uhm ok this is akward... we have the same avatar...
YAY ITS A LAPTOP
why isn't there any complete picture of the bottom? and "complete" picture of the thing itself compare to a standard object, like a can of soda or something?
time to sack the photographer man
Why the ugly design on top.
Leave it plain, especially in a business class notebook.
Take a lesson in design from the Sony TZ.
That's why you have ThinkPads(the exspensive ones only)
Pointer stick and Ctrl-Fn key is not an issue. The stock model don't come with Bluetooth and I hate to use USB-dongle for frequent mobile sync and btooth mouse.
This is nice. So, how much does it cost?
Apple wannabe.. right down to the packaging :)
Looks good, I'd like to have a blue one. Hard to visualize the size, what is that silver thing it is compared to in images 1 and 2?
A lenovo that doesn't look like it was designed and built in the late nineties \o/
Looks sexy, how come most of their laptops look so old and terrible? When I saw the Thnkpad T61 review I though "lol, they have a pic of an old Thinkpad!" But nope, it was the T61
http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/27426.jpg
Maybe for the same reason that Porsche has kept its design very similar for the last 30 years? The Thinkpad-brand is legendary in the world of computers, a design icon as large as the ipod among "us older folks".
ha! Maybe you should hold onto your original 33mhz Thinkpad? Or maybe they should release a "Nostalgia Edition"
Also, Have you seen a porsche recently? Unlike the thinkpad it has been updated externally as well as under the hood.....
I like the design, but not so sure about how practical the keyboard is... With hardly any divide between the keys, it looks clumsy to type on.
If you consider any other laptop keyboard they all are crammed together.
The mac keyboards have slightly larger space between the keys and it feels like my other notebook.
One thing I'd like from that keyboard is glow, if it hasn't already (like MBP's keyboard).
The metallic body of the U110 looks sleek and sexy, but is it a major finger print magnet? I might consider this when I'm upgrading from my laptop.
You can already see their fingerprints on it just from opening it, and in the closeups it's already attracted dust and fibers....
that looks so clean, love the design. The screen and the keyboard just looks so classy :)
Now days I'd like a small and light laptop to carry it anywhere that has decent specs.
Am I the only one who thinks that the keyboard looks less ergonomic than the usual Lenovo fare?
Not that I've even touched a Lenovo before, but certainly, those flat keys look pretty awesome, but the lack of space between them must make it easy to accidentally hit the wrong key.
don't buy chinese company products
FREE TIBET
why are you using a computer then?
Can you guys take comparison pics of it with the similar Vaio TZ since I own that notebook myself?
I especially want to know how the display adds up.
For example, the other 11.1" WXGA laptop on the market, Asus U2E also has an LED-backlit screen like the TZ and U110. But I compared the U2E and TZ side-by-side and the TZ does blow it away in contrast and brightness.
The U2E looked fine by itself but put a TZ next to it and you see its not so great.
I love the Chinese patterns this notebook features top and bottom. And I agree with the poster about the vent design, this is the only way I'll take vents from now on. :-)
To summarize:
1. It's great to see Lenovo finally break from that atrocious ThinkPad design. And I'm glad they're ditching the TrackPoint too. I returned my only ThinkPad because my fingernails kept hitting the "nipple," an awful feeling to be sure. If I want to massage a nipple, I know where to find one. :)))))
2. The price for the U110 (US$1,900) makes it an attractive alternative to the lower-priced MacBook Air, whose 13-inch screen is way too big for roadwarriors, so someone, phuleeze, get Leopard running on the IdeaPad! ;-)
I remember when IBM first began integrating both Trackpoints and Trackpads into the same system at the same time. They should offer that on all laptops.
Trackpoints are better for precision, and trackpads are better for speed and scrolling. That's why I'd like to see them in the same laptop simultaneously.
On another note, I like some of the glossy finish on this unit, but not on the keys. Keyboards should never be glossy because that isn't going to hold up. Over time, the gloss is going to wear off on the keys - and not evenly across the whole keyboard; and before you know it, it's gonna look like rubbish. A keyboard should always have a matte finish (which can also wear down, but the gloss will just amplify matters).
Speaking of the finish, the imprinting looks really nice.
And I want manufacturers to stop integrating VGA ports. Can we get past that already? It's 2008 - we've passed even DVI and are on HDMI now. Hey look, if OQO can integrate an HDMI port on their little handheld Model 02, then what's Lenovo's (or any other manufacturer's) excuse?
Actually, the clear coating on the keys will hold up way better than the texture on your typical uncoated key. I design similar products for a living. When we want better material hardness or scratch/abrasion resistance, we use a clear coating.
That said, I've never been bothered by my T30, T41p, T60p, X61T keys getting glossy and shiny after 3 months use as the texture wears away on the uncoated plastic.
Anyway, if Lenovo used the right kind of clear coating (and I imagine they did, knowing the lifetime testing regiment to which ThinkPad keyboards are subjected during development), then you've got nothing to worry about in terms of the coating wearing off on the keys.
For reference, HP has been clear coating some of their consumer notebook keyboards for over a year now (many of them are silver colored).
@Scoopster
Well, if that's the case, then that's great news. The only thing people would need to fiddle with is wiping off the fingerprints.
Doesn't a hands-on imply that you're gonna give impressions, not just pictures?
check this:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/03/lenovo-ideapad-u110-review-and-video/
Yep! They're posted now at:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/04/lenovo-ideapad-u110-overview-and-video/
why are you using a computer then?
sorry this was meant to reply ryan, failed...
i like laptop
There should be an LG logo on that thing.
Typical crap here in Australia. The U110 in the US costs $1899. given current exchange rates I could expect this machine at roughly AU$2100.
Not so. It's listed at AU$2999 or approx US$2800 How can they justify a near $1000 mark up on an identical item? I don't care if shipping etc is added in, this is BS plain and simple.