Lenovo ThinkPad Edge S430 readies to enter Euro market, gets priced at €809 on German site

A lot has happened since Lenovo unveiled its biz-oriented Edge S430 back at this year's CES, but after months of staying under the radar, it's finally looking like the laptop's ready to hit a few shelves around the globe. If a product page on Geizhals.at is to be believed, the Thunderbolt-loaded, 14-inch S430 is set to carry a €809 (about $1,015) price tag on one of the higher-end models, with this particular one showing a hot-off-the-press Ivy Bridge CPU (i5-3210M), NVIDIA GeForce GT630M graphics, 4GB of RAM and two USB 3.0 ports, among other things. Of course, this kind of cash is a slightly larger amount than, say, the $749 we heard when the machine was announced -- though, that's likely caused by the souped-up specs and could, as usual, vary depending on configuration. Either way, we have a feeling it won't be too long before we find out its official pricing and release date.

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LENOVO,

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ThinkPad X220 review: awesome keyboard and 20 hour battery

I have a lot of laptops come through Mobile News Manor, my home office, and rarely does one hit on all cylinders like the newly announced ThinkPad X220 from Lenovo. The X220 couples a sterling ThinkPad keyboard with a buttonless trackpad that works well, and adds a slice battery option that provides up to 20 hours of operation on a single charge. I have been using the X220 for almost a week, and it is with great reluctance I will be sending it back to Lenovo at the end of the evaluation.

The ThinkPad X220 is a thin and light notebook with an attention to detail that will delight road warriors. I am finicky about keyboards but the one on the X220 is as good as they get. This keyboard fits the hands like a pair of custom-fitted soft leather gloves, and makes data entry not only easy to do but comfortable, a rarity on notebooks.

Lenovo has opted to continue using the special 12.5-inch display it originally included on the IdeaPad U220, and it works well on the X220. The screen is slightly wider than 12.1-inch displays commonly used, and handles the resolution well (1366×768) while yielding a little extra room to spread out the keyboard.

Hardware specs as reviewed

• CPU: Intel Core i5, 2.5 GHz
• Memory: 4 GB
• Storage: 320 GB, 7,200 rpm
• Display: 12.5-inch, IPS wide-angle, 1366×768
• OS: Windows 7 Pro, 64-bit
• Slots/ ports: 3-USB, DisplayPort, ExpressCard 34mm, SD (multi-format), VGA, audio
• Battery: 6-cell, 63 Wh
• Connectivity: WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth
• Webcam: yes
• Dimensions: 12 x 8.13 x approx. 1 inch (depends on battery attached), < 3 lbs.

Lenovo has provided all of the amenities one expects in a ThinkPad, and has raised the bar with two special features that set it above the pack. The trackpad on the X220 has no buttons, and it is the first laptop I have used besides the MacBook series where this works perfectly. This trackpad is unusual in that it has a ribbed surface that curves over the front lip of the notebook, which makes the buttons integrated into the front of the trackpad easy to click. I find it a very good tracking/clicking solution, and haven’t connected an external mouse yet. The famous ThinkPad red trackstick is also present, with buttons.

The second feature is an optional one, although reasonably priced at $179. The slice battery (6-cell) attaches to the bottom of the X220 like a dock, and adds almost 10 hours of battery life while adding a little bulk and weight. I am seeing over 15 hours of battery life with this battery attached to the notebook (including 6-cell battery), making it a solid traveling companion. This is the first laptop I have tested that could be taken on a two-day business trip with the power adapter safely left at home.

The X220 is available with 3 different battery sizes, from 3-cell to 9-cell. The unit I am testing has the 6-cell battery which is providing 7 hours of battery life with no aggressive power management. Lenovo claims 23 hours of battery life is available with the internal 9-cell battery coupled with the slice battery. My testing indicates a solid 20 hours should be possible with that combination.

The slice battery weighs about a pound, and is at first glance appears to be very thick. This is deceiving, as it is designed to fit around the edge of the notebook so that it adds little thickness to it when attached. The design is well done, as once attached to the notebook the battery is not noticeable. The battery seems to be part of the notebook.

According to Lenovo the ThinkPad X220 is compatible with all T, L, and W series docking stations, but I suspect most buyers will go for the slice battery. The slice is easy to attach to the laptop, and has a dedicated power jack that charges both the slice and the laptop. There is also a battery fuel gauge for the slice that shows the charge level at the press of a button. I estimate this battery adds about a pound to the laptop when attached. The X220 weighs less than 3 pounds without the slice in place, making it very easy to carry with or without.

The ThinkPad X220 is available through the Lenovo web site starting at $979 without the slice battery. That option adds another $179 to the purchase price, but personally I find the benefits to be worth it. I usually find one or two things about laptops I review that fall short of expectations, but there is nothing about the X220 I do not like.

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LENOVO,

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Quick look at the Lenovo ThinkPad X230

The Lenovo ThinkPad X220 made such a good impression on me when I reviewed it last year I jumped on the chance to get my hands on its successor, the X230. It’s only been here a few hours but the ultraportable already shows what makes ThinkPads the top of the Windows notebook heap.

The 12.5-inch IPS display is the perfect size for portability and functionality while mobile, although the standard resolution of 1366×768 might not be enough for some. The matte screen is viewable from almost any angle, and the IPS display means you can view this thing outdoors. The outstanding display can be opened all the way flat behind the laptop, making any viewing angle possible.

The first thing you think of when you think ThinkPad is the keyboard as Lenovo excels at getting those right. The X230 is no exception as the chiclet style keyboard has great spacing to go along with a good key layout. This is the best keyboard I have used to date on an ultraportable notebook.

Lenovo has addressed one complaint about the previous model by putting a backlight on the keyboard. This can be toggled among two different brightnesses and an off state. The old ThinkPad light by the webcam above the screen is still there for those who prefer that method of lighting the keyboard.

The trackpad on the X230 is very good, so good I haven’t plugged a mouse into the laptop as I usually do. Those looking for the familiar red trackstick made famous by Lenovo on the ThinkPad will not be disappointed, as it is there too. There are three mouse buttons between the keyboard and trackpad for those who prefer clicking, or you can push the buttonless trackpad if desired.

The X230 looks to provide about seven hours of battery life under normal circumstances based on my usage so far. There is also a slice battery option like that of the X220 that could take that to the 20 hour mark, for those who need the most time away from the power outlet.

The ThinkPad X230 starts at about $1,200, so it’s not quite as cheap as Intel thinks Ultrabooks should be. It’s a little thicker than most of them, too, but still very portable for taking the X230 on the road. I will offer further coverage of this laptop as I get more time with it.

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LENOVO,

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Toshiba strains metaphors, carries its laptop range over the Ivy Bridge

Toshiba is announcing a slate of new machines that all sport Intel's Ivy Bridge internals. The more austere Dynabook Qosmio T752 sheds the color-changing shell of its predecessor in favor of brushed aluminum. The AV-centric machine sports a TV Tuner and Blu-Ray drive in addition to its 15.6-inch LED-backlit 1366 x 768 display, a 1TB HDD and 8GB of RAM -- all playing second fiddle to that 2.3GHz Core i7 CPU. You can also pick up the glasses-free 3D Qosmio T852 with an autostereoscopic displayand a Dynabook T552, with all of those fun features stripped out, but promising a slightly (five hour) more longevous battery life.

At the same time, the company is outing a Regaza home-entertainment PC that comes hitched to a 23-inch 1920 x 1080 display, the same 2.3GHz Ivy Bridge chip and a pair of TV tuners, one analog and one digital. We'll see these arrive in stores in Japan starting May 25th, with pricing and availability over here currently in the wind.

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Intel's Ivy Bridge, Toshiba,

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