Lenovo caves, lets you order 14-inch IdeaPad U450p laptop
By Darren Murph 
posted August 12th 2009 6:57AM
posted August 12th 2009 6:57AM
Apparently the note sent in by the collective internet had its desired effect, as the machine we knew was sitting somewhere in a Lenovo R&D lab two weeks ago is now available to order. The IdeaPad U450p packs a 14-inch "anti-glare" display (1,366 x 768 resolution), your choice of Intel's 1.3GHz SU2700 or 1.4GHz SU3500 CPU, Windows Vista Home Premium, GMA X4500 integrated graphics, 3GB or 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 250GB or 320GB 5400RPM hard drive, six-cell Li-ion battery, WiFi and a bundled DVD writer with Ultrabase. Current shipping estimates show that machines ordered today won't arrive until mid-September, but those with ample amounts of patience (and at least $799 in marked US bills) can get in line right now.[Thanks, M. Hellenthal]
so sexy....
Indeed. The price is excellent, makes me want to ditch my MBP since I hardly use computers anymore. Would make a great alternative.
Where can I get one?
NO MORE INTEL INTEGRATED GRAPHICS!!!
seriously, how hard could it be to stick a 9400m in there?
i would sooner give money to Dell then a chinese owned company
If you are wanting to make a politcal / moral boycott on chinese products then you probably shouldn't be buying electronics of any kind.
Just where do you think all of these computers are built?
Well, considering Dell PCs are made in China and most components of any PC are made in China good luck not supporting the Chinese. Oh, Lenovo rocks BTW. I have an ideapad Y530 and I love it. I ordered a Dell @ the same time - the build quality of the Dell made it look like a kids Leapster toy compared to the Lenovo. The Dell was unboxed for all of 15 minutes before being repacked for return.
So its basically a over priced, underperforming, less battery life version of the acer timline.
Am I missing anything? What benefit does the u* series have over the timelines?
Woops, forgot it was the same proc as the timline. But still- What advantage does this have over a timeline?
afaics, its more expensive, and you get less for it.
After looking at the Timeline I'd have to say while it's $100 cheaper I will still probably buy a U450p if it's placed side by side, because of the design of the Lenovo. It's black and look very clean and crisp (pardon my adjectives) and looks more professional overall.
While many would shudder saying I'm paying more for a patterned lid and coat of black, it's an extra $100 I wouldn't mind spending.
What exactly does this model have over the U350? Apart from an hour of battery life and $100?
Optical drive and larger Hard Drive capacity
larger screen
Also, when are any of the U-series laptops coming to the UK?
When you guys change the K to an S. :P
Those specs seem horrible, why would someone want one for 799 USD? Im curious, especially with a 6 cell Lithium ION, 5200 RPM Drive, and a 1.3 Ghz CPU?????? What am I missing?
You're paying for the size. The more recent U-line Lenovos are fairly thin and light compared to other systems at the same price point. Additionally, since this carries one of Intel's CULV procs it's expected to have a longer battery life compared to most other systems at this price point while still being functional for the average consumer. Really the only thing holding this system back is a lack of a discrete (or superior integrated) graphics option, something the Acer Timelines will have.
Why on earth would you pay $799 for that machine when the same price gets you the following:
Acer Timeline 3810T-6775
Core 2 Duo SU9400 (CULV)
4gb ram
80gb Intel X25-M SSD
Bluetooth
Wifi AGN
Proven 8+ hour battery life
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115593
http://www.laptopmag.com/mobile-life/tech-support-showdown-2009.aspx?page=10
tech support c- vs b+
Man, if only I could find that Acer Timeline in Canada with same specs and similar price...
Great product overall!! I cannot wait to try it out. As far as the price, you get what you pay for; fortunatelly my was free, lol. http://www.computersncs.com/rd_p?p=186122&t=9544&a=25820-c355engadget&gift=25820
The Timeline is a 13" laptop, U450p is 14"
The SU3500 has a Max TDP of only 5.5W, while the SU9400 is 10W...so less power required and more battery life w/ the SU3500
If you only need 80GB of storage, the Timeline SSD is a good option. If you need more space, the 250GB or 320GB in the U450p is a better choice.
The Timeline doesn't have an optical drive, the U450p has a DVD-RW
If the Timeline is claiming a 8+ battery life (I am highly skeptical) the U450p should be better given it's components and the same size battery
The U450p is designed to be a slim, fairly light, and still full featured...not to mention somewhat stylish.
I have the lowest end 13" timeline with the SU2700 which is 10w TDP and I get 9 hours of battery in power save mode using wifi all day so there is no need to skeptical about the battery life. The dual core model got over 8 hours in the laptopmag review and that was without the most frugal battery settings.
@gus6464 - how well does your laptop play video (dvd's or 1080wmv's)? Costco has the 14" Timeline for $490 which seems like a good price.
@Brian
If it is the SU3500 cpu it will have no problems playing up 720p video. Now with 1080p depending on the bitrate the machine will have issues. One thing you can do though is buy the broadcom HD accelerator card from ebay for $35 and install it in the free PCI-e slot and that way you will be able to play all hd video with very minimal cpu usage. I ordered mine a couple of days ago and will be posting a tutorial on how to install in the Acer subforum at notebookreview.com
If you want more info about the Timeline series head over to the notebookreview forums as there is an extensive thread on the machines.