Lenovo ThinkPad Edge to bridge gap between IdeaPads and pro machines?
By Vlad Savov 
posted November 19th 2009 5:07AM
posted November 19th 2009 5:07AM
[Thanks, Carlo B]
posted November 19th 2009 5:07AM
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@SBAB_Book
You are going to be low ranked into oblivion. :)
@Saad Rabia
Thank God
@Saad Rabia ..Or he'll just get cleaned up by the attentive Engadget spam assassins.
That keyboard better be good, not a fan when I first saw it was a chiclet one. One Thinkpad signature other than UltraNav is the awesome keyboard.
Change the keyboard and you can no longer call it a Thinkpad.
A true ThinkPad user has a Windows 98 Theme on WIndows 7.
@Oli D
Hahaha sounds like a lot of Gov. workers I know.
Hahaha
Now we have to click on the arrow saying how many replies there are every single time? I like to read all comments, but having to click on each and every comment with replies is very annoying, both on a desktop O.S. and especially a mobile O.S.!
I can't believe that thinkpad is still using the red ball for mouse movement!
@Seahound Some of us actually prefer it.
@Seahound It's not a ball, it's a nipple
@PiperSon
http://xkcd.com/243/
I believe the proper terminology for Engadget would be "clit mouse".
It's my preferred method of cursor movement.
@Seahound Honestly, they're terribly convenient once you get the hang of them.
@Seahound
The ones on the Thinkpads are amazing but if you try to use the half-assed attempt they but on dells you will be sorely disappointed.
This is it, I think Lenovo have gone to far; this system is clearly generic crap with a ThinkPad badge, way worse than the SL series. With this and the X100e, it is clear that the new Lenovo is just going to milk the brand and I will no longer be confident saying that ThinkPads are the best laptops on the market and will think twice before recommending them now.
I did ThinkPad support for 10 years for IBM/Lenovo and seeing what happened to the company since Lenovo took the reigns was bad enough but to see a brand devalued like this is just sad.
@snife Wow, cause you've had actual hands on experience with the new thinkpads. Idiot.
@Luffy
I do not need hands on experience to know what this is, I said it about the i Series back in the IBM days (not a proper ThinkPad) and more recently the SL series long before I got my hands on them and I was right.
The 6 Row keyboard, the total lack of a robust design (no screen buffers, ridges, latches) and the fact that it is an all plastic design tell me conclusively this is not a proper ThinkPad.
The ThinkPad development team in Japan are what makes a ThinkPad a ThinkPad, they have always had the vision and the attention to detail that make ThinkPads the most functional and robust in the industry and I know they are not behind these models.
@snife
I've been waiting for a CULV or even an ION with Atom that has an UltraNav track point.
@Dubb
Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying the systems are necessarily bad and I would also like to see a Trackpoint on more models so I have a greater choice of machines; the only thing I have a problem with is it being labelled as a ThinkPad when it is not a proper one. A ThinkPad has always been greater than the sum of its parts and a lenovo system with a TrackPoint does not suddenly become a ThinkPad.
For instance, one of my systems is a Lenovo S10e, its a great little system and I only wish it had a TrackPoint but even if it did have one, it still wouldn't be a ThinkPad.
STOP ADDING FUCKING TRACKPAD OR SIMPLY REMOVE NIPPLES.
That's definitely taking me further and further away from choosing Thinkpad, Lenovo. Two control method in one laptop isn't the right way to go.
@num0 I love the trackpoint, I've been waiting for more small and light laptops to include these for ages! Horses for courses, right?
@Sara
I'm actually a big fan of Trackpoint. But I can't stand having a laptop with both of Trackpad and Trackpoint. Only either should be on a mobile computer, not both. That kills all the good thing of Trackpoint.
@num0
Haven't they been doing this for years though? My 5 year old Thinkpad has both as well. Kind of annoying since I just disabled the touchpad and never used it.
Why can't every company offer the option of the nub? I've actually been able to play FPS on a thinkpad pretty decently with it. I can't even imagine trying that with a touchpad.
@IannCannon (XBL&Steam: ianncannon. PSN: Iann Cannon)
Agreed. I'm definitely in the minority when I say that I prefer the trackpad on the T41 over the thinknipple for daily use. But when it comes time to fire up some Quake Arena or Half-Life: Deathmatch (Hehe, 32mb of VRAM), thinknipple is AWESOME.
I'm definitely interested seeing as they have a flat black color option and will most likely have a matte screen (crosses fingers) since it's a Thinkpad. I just fear it will be out too late and I will have purchased a netbook or ultraportable beforehand.
Any word on if the 6cell battery sticks out?
This might just be the first time I've seen powered USB (http://www.poweredusb.org/whatispusb.html) on any device. Don't think I've ever come across a device that uses it, though >.>
Dear Lenovo:
I love you, you know that. That's why I have to be honest when I say this: you're losing it. You used to be the standard, the absolute pinnacle of quality and usability. All the other laptop brands looked to you as the flagship. Now that you've parted ways with IBM, I realize you feel free at last and want to stretch your wings, and I respect that.
What I want you to know about that is that I feel pushed away from the you I fell in love with. These "entry-level" laptops are certainly pretty, and the price is right. However, I saw something on the internet today that says your brand-wide reliability is below Toshiba's. Toshiba, that slut. You're better than that!
I want to believe that it's just this recently developed side of you that brought about that terrifying statistic, that deep down you know the value of the ThinkPad name and would never sully it. The IdeaPads are to blame. All that aside, the fact is that the damage is already done.
Lenovo, I'm asking you as a lover to reconsider this promiscuous lifestyle and come back to the noble, refined life we once shared so happily. My needs haven't changed, I still need that quality that I found in you. Please Lenovo, come back?
@arcsine While I am wondering if Lenovo's losing their way with this thing... the reliability rankings are based on 2 year old laptops.
2 years ago, Lenovo was cranking out T61s. Their bread and butter is the discrete graphics 14.1" T series. If you got discrete graphics on a T61, you got a Quadro NVS 140M, which is an 8-series GeForce equivalent.
Note that the 8-series GeForces, especially in mobile applications, were horrendously problematic. (The only reason that Apple wasn't the worst brand on that chart is their bread and butter is the MacBook, which at the time was integrated Intel graphics.)
I like it, and I'm a T400 owner.
Question about the powered USB ports, though. Aren't all USB 2.0 ports powered? Why would some ports be powered and some not powered?
@LloydChiro
I love my t400, after I swapped keyboards with a T61 that is. Lenovo is doing is doing okay with the ThinkPad line imo.
Odd place to put the ethernet, IMO.
Guys, guys...this and the x100e are entry-level machines. If anything, Lenovo can now make their high-end Thinkpads even better with less regard for cost. More choice = better, right?
Blasphemy!
If these new entry level ThinkPads come with the awesome warranty service that comes with regular ThinkPads, then this could be a winner.
For $500 I'd probably think about picking one up. I love my X301, this might be cool to play around with though.