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Thinkpad X200t and X200s announced
Lenonvo's ThinkPad X200t tablet finally made the trip Stateside after hiding out in Hong Kong for the past few weeks, and it's brought a little friend with it -- the X200s laptop. As expected, the X200t replaces the X61t, and specs for the new machines are right in line with that transition: available processors range from a 1.2GHz SU9300 Core 2 Duo to a 1.86GHz SL9400 chip, RAM maxes out a 4GB, there's a 128GB Samsung SSD option, graphics are integrated GMA 4500MHD, and WWAN, WiMAX and UWB are optional. Notable changes from the X61t in particular include a dual swivel hinge, an LED backit 1280 x 800 screen, and claimed 50% improvement in battery life to 15 hours, reduced touch pressure with a Wacom digitizer, and built-in GPS when the WWAN option is ordered. Prices should start at $2325 when these start going out in October, less for the X200s -- we'll have a hands-on for you ASAP, but there's a vid after the break to hold you over.
Lenovo stops selling Linux-based PCs via the web
While Dell seems to be madly and passionately in love with Linux, rival Lenovo is breaking things off... or at least refusing to take things any further via IM. Reportedly, the computer maker has decided it best to stop offering Linux-based machines via its online sales portal, though open-source fanatics can still snap up Linux-infused rigs through Lenovo's own or partner direct sales teams. Ray Gorman, a spokesman for the company, noted that its "commitment to Linux has not changed," and he continued on to say that "what has changed is that customers will no longer be able to order Lenovo ThinkPads and ThinkCentres with pre-installed Linux via the lenovo.com website." Truthfully, there's no bitterness with Linux here -- online sales figures simply didn't justify keeping 'em on there. And you know, money talks.[Via The Inquirer]
Lenovo ThinkPad SL300 gets examined up close
Lenovo's new ThinkPad SL300 may not stand out too much from the ThinkPad pack, but it's budget-friendly price will no doubt help it attract its share of curious potential buyers, and NotebookReview has now offered a few pics and impressions to give them an idea of what they may be in store for. As you might expect, Lenovo had to cut a few corners to keep the price down, and the build quality looks to have take some of the biggest hits, with it described as "durable" but with minor flexing all around and even some squeaking around the TouchPoint buttons. On the upside, the system's fairly high-end specs delivered some impressive enough performance, and the included 6-cell battery managed to last for a full four hours with the WiFi enabled (turning it off resulted in an extra 30 minutes). Still undecided? Then hit up the link below for plenty more pics and impressions.
Lenovo's ThinkPad W500 and W700 now on sale
Not like Lenovo has been keeping this duo on the DL or anything, but the potent W500 and W700 are now available to order. Hailed as the company's "most powerful notebooks ever," the 15.4-inch W500 gets going from $1,629 with a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 CPU, Vista Home Premium, a WSXGA+ display, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, ATI's 512MB Mobility FireGL V5700, a 100GB HDD, DVD combo drive, WiFi and a 6-cell battery. Overshadowing that is the 17-inch W700, which starts at $2,978 and features a WXGA+ display, T9400 CPU, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, NVIDIA's 512MB Quadro FX-2700 and a 160GB hard drive. The W500 should ship within 1 to 2 weeks, while the W700 isn't expected to head your way for a solid month. No worries -- that gives you plenty of time to save up for the $1,275 QX9300 Core 2 Extreme option.[Via 32packets]
Thinkpad X200t surfaces in the wild
While we've seen tons of evidence that the Thinkpad X200t is ready to hit, the tiny tablet's managed to remain thoroughly hidden until now -- and unsurprisingly, it looks a lot like the X61t it's undoubtedly going to replace. Still no specs, pricing, or release date to be found, but we're guessing those'll come any day now.[Via GottaBeMobile, thanks diode3diode]
Lenovo's ThinkPad X200T tablet with UWB confirmed by FCC
There it is, the X200 Tablet courtesy of the FCC. No more guessing, no more burrowing into the bowels of asian Baptist organizations, the X200T is real and packing a bit of UWB special sauce for UltraBase docking. We expect to see it appear on Lenovo's retail site with loads of misprinted features, errant pricing, and bogus delivery dates any day now.
Lenovo's ThinkPad T500 gets previewed
Now that you're well acquainted with the specifications of Lenovo's ThinkPad T500, there are only a couple more hoops to leap through before pulling the trigger or calmly placing the mouse on the ground and walking away. Here to help you inch closer to one option or the other is NotebookReview, which has procured one of these rigs and given it a thorough inspection. Fans of the trademark design (read: plain, simple, boring / beautiful) will find oodles to love, and build quality (overall) was seen as satisfactory. Unfortunately, a good bit of flex was noticed in the keyboard, which could be a serious issue for fans of previous units. There's plenty more discussion where this came from, so head on down and give the full writeup a look if you're remotely interested in bringing the T500 into your loving abode.
Lenovo's WTF of the day: ThinkPad R400 for $200, marked down from $250!
So far, Lenovo's shotgun launch of its new ThinkPad T, SL, W, R, and X-series has been a lesson in retail clumsiness. It started yesterday with that 128GB SSD freebie and culminates (after several missteps in between) into a Canadian $200 for the 14.1-inch ThinkPad R400, uh, Eee PC killer. This is not just a simple typo mind you, the pricing issue is systemic as that baseline price increments as you adjust your options all the way to checkout. There's no guarantee that they'll honor your order of course, in fact they likely won't. But at the very least, they should be paying our readers for doing the quality control they seem incapable of handling themselves.P.S. While we have your attention Lenovo, how about axing those contrived "Sale" prices. You're not fooling anyone. [Thanks, Geoffrey A. and Rahul G.]
ThinkPad X200 $70 cheaper with 128GB SSD option, order now!
It's almost certainly a mistake but if you head on over to the Lenovo store and plunk down an order for the 12.1-inch ThinkPad X200 ultra-portable with 128GB SSD, you'll pay $70 less than the standard 80GB hard drive configuration. This isn't just a misprint, we ran the config through Lenovo's site and sure enough, the entry level X200 price drops from $1,434 to $1,364 after selecting the biggie SSD. Hell, you'd likely pay that much for the SSD alone as the 64GB SSD lists for an $830 premium. Reader Sunil already has his order in so you'd better hurry up and do the same -- it won't be long before Lenovo wises up to the situation. Update: Well, it was fun while it lasted, the 128GB SSD option is now gone, completely gone at any price. Do let us know if Lenovo honors those orders.[Thanks, Tobias W. and Sunil]
Lenovo's ThinkPad T, SL, W, R, and X-series are popping for retail
Sitting up nice and pretty on Lenovo's US store front are none other than Lenovo's newest lineup of ThinkPad notebooks. The site breaks down if you try to custom configure and order anything at the moment but it's good to see the 12.1-inch X200, 12.1-inch X-series tablet, SL, R, T, and W-series of laptops readying themselves for take-out. [Thanks, Salman and Spencer]Read -- Full lineupRead -- X200
Lenovo X200 tablet in the works?
Lenovo's dimunitive X200 finally made the scene just recently after hiding out in the shadows for a couple weeks, and it looks like it's got a little friend waiting back there as well -- some specs for a tablet version of the 12-inch ultraportable surfaced over the weekend. We're not taking any of this as fact -- the spec sheet showed up on the web page for the Hong Kong Baptist University, and it's accompanied by a picture of the regular X200, so it could just be a mistake -- but we certainly wouldn't say no to a 4-pound tablet with a 1.86GHz SL9400 Core 2 Duo and a 7-hour battery life for $1,339, so we'll see how this one plays out.[Via GottaBeMobile]
Lenovo's SL, R, and T series ThinkPads get the data sheet treatment
Lenovo provided most of the basic specs for its new batch of ThinkPads when it announced 'em yesterday but, if you want to examine them right down to the very last detail, Lenovo has now got you covered with some data sheets for most the Centrino 2-based laptops. That includes the SL300, SL400 and SL500, the R400 and R500, and the T400 and T500, but not the W series models, although those are really just T series ThinkPads with added ATI Mobility FireGL graphics and Display Port. All set? Then dig into the PDFs below.Read - ThinkPad SL300, SL400, and SL500Read - ThinkPad R400 and R500Read - ThinkPad T400 and T500
Lenovo's ThinkPad SL400 gets reviewed
As the Centrino 2 train rolls on, we've found yet another standout that has already hit the test bench. The recently revealed SL400 is being aimed directly at mobile business professionals, but it's also potent enough to handle basic 3D gaming and the occasional Blu-ray flick on those intercontinental flights. According to reviewers over at Laptop, this 14.1-incher was pretty swank overall, though a few minor niggles kept it from snagging a coveted Editor's Choice award. First, a number of the ports are recessed, which may or may not grate your nerves, and while overall performance was satisfactory, the sluggish 5,400RPM hard drive was definitely frowned upon. Still, the great battery life, wireless performance and multimedia capabilities enabled it to claim 3.5 out of 5 stars, which means that you should probably give the full review a read before pulling the trigger on blind faith.
Lenovo's ThinkPad X200 reviewed: it's a winner
Lenovo's heralded "rock solid" design? Check. An ample amount of ports stuffed into a lightweight package? Check. A price tag that's on the good side of reasonable? Check. Laptop has just awarded Lenovo's recently announced X200 ultraportable an Editor's Choice award after determining that what it has is likely what you'll want. Reviewers deemed the travel-friendly machine an "excellent lightweight notebook for mobile professionals who demand the business essentials," noting that the omission of an optical drive wasn't really a deal-breaker for them. The Centrino 2 platform was also praised, and while performance wouldn't please the avid gamer, it should handle most everyday tasks without breaking a sweat. If you've got $1,200 or so burning a hole in your pocket, this might not be a bad way to remove that discomfort.
Lenovo debuts new SL, R, T and W series ThinkPads
Calm down, would you? It's not like there's a brand new chipset on the scene or anything, Lenovo, what's the hurry? Lenovo just busted out four new or refreshed lines of ThinkPads, in addition to that new X200 we saw earlier, and those four new IdeaPads. It's pure and utter mayhem. First up is the brand new SL series, which is Lenovo's new grab for the small business set, with prices ranging from $699 to $1199, an HDMI port and Blu-ray option for dual purpose friendliness. There's also going to be a super cheap 3G add-on from AT&T and Ericsson for around $30, and WiMax is in the cards as well. SL will be showing up in SL300 (13-inch), SL400 (14-inch) and SL500 (15-inch) flavors. Also new is the W series (pictured), a workstation line being split off from the T series with ATI Mobility FireGL graphics and Display Port. The T series keeps its chops with Switchable Graphics, which lets you switch from discreet to integrated graphics without rebooting the computer, along with Display Port, while the R series holds of the budget end of things. Many models include options for SSD and GPS, and of course they're all Centrino 2 powered. Interestingly, the introduction of the X200 marks the death of standard ratio LCDs -- Lenovo is officially an all widescreen outfit now. The SL400 and SL500 laptops start at $799 and are available now, while the SL300 and all the others hit in August and range from $899 all the way up to the $1,999 W500.%Gallery-27637%
Lenovo prepping business-oriented ThinkPad SL series
The details keep coming in on those new ThinkPads we caught wind of earlier this month -- this time it's the SL series, which Lenovo has confirmed is on track for release in the next few weeks. Although the company didn't nail down specs on the business-oriented laptops, it did say that pricing will run from $699 to $1,199, and the machines will be bundled with online backup services and Absolute Software's LoJack theft-protection software. To hit that price point, Lenovo stripped some of the features found on higher-end ThinkPads, like the proprietary docking ports, but users will get a freshened case design that takes cues from the consumer-level IdeaPad line. That's great, guys -- now how about some specs and pictures?
Lenovo's X300 sees price cut, you'll see it ship eventually
Good News: Lenovo trimmed at least $160 off its 13.3-inch X300 ultra-portable configurations.Bad News: "Ships in more than 4 weeks."[Thanks, Nomi]Read -- Old pricing via Google CacheRead -- New Pricing
Pictures of the ThinkPad X200 surface
We got specs on Lenovo's rumored ThinkPad X200 a couple weeks ago, but we didn't really know what it looked like until now -- surprise, it looks like the X300. We're not exactly pumped about the removal of a trackpad in favor of TrackPoint nub, but we suppose something's got to give to hit that 2.9-pound starting weight. One more shot at the read link.[Thanks, Albert]
Details surface for future ThinkPads: X200, SL, T and R series
Hang on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen -- we've got a preposterously large helping of ThinkPad news coming at you tonight. We're talking details and photographs of the forthcoming X200, SL, T, and R series laptops, so without further adieu, let's get to know the X200 a touch better. Preliminary slides are hinting at the following hardware: 12-inch WXGA panel 45nm Core 2 Duo CPUs up to 2.4GHz Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology SSDs up to 64GB WiMAX / WWAN / GPS / WiFi / UWB / Bluetooth Magnesium alloy top and bottom covers 9.6-hours of battery life on the 9-cell pack DDR3 RAM 1.3-megapixel camera DisplayPort connector 3 USB ports Starts at 2.93 pounds If we've already got you hot and bothered, you should probably grab a dry towel before heading on past the break. There's more where this came from.
Found Footage: Thinkpad MacBook Air parody
There are two hot ultraportable computers on the scene now-a-days: the MacBook Air and the ThinkPad X300. Some clever Lenovo lover created this MacBook Air ad parody which points out the key differences between the Air and the X300: number of ports and an internal DVD drive (only available on some models).Judging by pure aesthetics alone the Air wins, but ThinkPads are time tested workhorses so I wouldn't count out the X300. Either way, this parody is one of the better ones I've seen.[via Fake Steve]
