LenovoThinkpadX130e
Latest
Student-friendly Lenovo ThinkPad X130e available now for $429
The last time we heard about the inexpensive and student-friendly ThinkPad X130e, it was being snatched up by the eager school districts. That move ultimately pushed back the rig's planned ship date, but fortunately Lenovo seems to have caught up with the demand for its rugged miniature. In case you need a mind refresh, the X130e is sporting an 11.6-inch HD LED display, 250GB for all your storage needs, four gigs of RAM and your choice of an AMD Fusion or i3 processor at its Core (see what we did there?), just to mention a few goodies. Those of you who've been counting the days to get your hands on the $429 entry-level ThinkPad can finally do so at the source link below. [Thanks, Andrew]
Lenovo ThinkPad X130e delayed until February, early-adopting school districts to blame
We'll be honest: when Lenovo said it would ship the new student-friendly ThinkPad X130e starting on December 20th, we didn't actually program an alert in our calendars, reminding us to place our orders on the very first day it became available. But it looks like at least a few you did just that, and were quite taken with this durable 11.6-inch laptop. As it turns out, though, you'll have to wait a little longer to get yours -- Lenovo's product page is now saying it won't be available for individual purchase until February. Apparently, it's because the X130e's rubber bumper, recessed ports, reinforced hinge and Core i3 / Fusion innards were just too irresistible to educators: a Lenovo rep told us all the early units have been scooped up by hungry school districts, meaning individual students and other fans of inexpensive, ruggedized laptops will have to wait for a later batch.[Thanks, Markus]
Lenovo's rugged ThinkPad X130e targets students, arrives December 20 for $469
When we first spotted leaked photos of Lenovo's ThinkPad X130e, we just kind of assumed it was the next-gen successor to the X120e, which we reviewed almost a year ago. Well, you know what happens when you A-S-S-U-M-E, right? Turns out, there is indeed an X130e, but it's intended specifically for students. The company just made its official announcement, and explained that that rugged design we've been hearing about isn't meant to protect it from careless baggage handlers at the airport so much as freewheeling six year-olds. Though Lenovo's already had a hand in Intel's Classmate project, this is the first time it's released a classroom-ready laptop under the ThinkPad brand, red pointing stick and all. Of all the kid-proof touches, the more obvious ones include a rubber bumper ringing the plastic lid, along with a thicker bezel shielded by 1.2mm of plastic. It also has recessed, reinforced ports, an accelerometer to protect the hard drive and a hinge rated for 30,000 cycles. Of course, the result of all this ruggedizing is that the X130e is fairly heavy for an 11-incher, at 3.9 pounds (1.78kg). Otherwise, though, its specs are pretty much what you'd expect in an 11.6-inch laptop. For starters, it's offered with an Intel Core i3-2367M processor, as well as AMD Fusion E-300 and E-450 APUs. It comes with 2GB of RAM (upgradeable to 8GB), up to 500GB in storage, Bluetooth 3.0 and a 6-cell battery rated for 8.5 hours of battery life. Lenovo's also added its RapidBoot technology, promising a sub-20-second startup time. It also has three USB 2.0 sockets, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, a combined headphone / mic port and a 4-in-1 memory card reader. And, because Lenovo is also selling these to schools, it'll customize the laptops by tweaking the BIOS and tricking out the lid in assorted colors. It'll go on sale on Lenovo's site starting December 20th for $469 and up. Until then, we've got some candy-colored press photos below. %Gallery-140929%
ThinkPad X130e spotted again, toughs it out with strengthened body and three CPU options
Lenovo may have prematurely revealed its forthcoming ThinkPad refreshes, the X1 Hybrid and the X130e, but venture over to PCHome and you'll spot a few extra tidbits on the product pages there. Specifically, the toughened sequel to the X120e is purportedly packing a rough-and-tumble keyboard, strengthened hinges and a thicker plastic bezel. Behind its protective credentials, Lenovo is apparently promising eight-hour battery life, an 11.6-inch screen, AMD Radeon HD graphics plus HDMI and USB ports. The online store lists three different processor options, including an Intel Core i3-2367M and two AMD Fusion APUs -- the E-300 and E-450. No whispers just yet on HDD or RAM specs, but ThinkPad fans jonesing for something small shouldn't have to wait long -- it looks set to land by the end of the year.
Lenovo Live update outs ThinkPad X1 Hybrid, $800 Ultrabook plans
Not so hip on the ThinkPad X1's short battery life? Lenovo doesn't seem too thrilled about it either, and are prepping to launch a new twist on the X1 sporting a battery efficient "Instant Media Mode" sometime this month. A recent Lenovo Live update dubs the refresh the "ThinkPad X1 Hybrid, and shows the rig rocking the same media interface as the IdeaPad K1. The Hybrid promises Windows 7 / Media Mode switching, instant-on convenience and enough juice to get you through eight hours of video playback or up to 10 hours of web browsing. The document also details plans to release 13 and 14-inch Ultrabooks in May starting at $1300 and $800, respectively, as well as the ThinkPad x130e -- an apparent successor to the X120e, ruggedized and due in December. Hit the source link below to peek at the PDF yourself.
