DailyTech - Lenovo Thinks Low-End With Its New C100 Notebooks

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Gadgets Lenovo Thinks Low-End With Its New C100 Notebooks
Brandon Hill (Blog) - February 23, 2006 11:50 AM

17 comment(s) - last by executive.. on Mar 17 at 1:29 PM

Image courtesy Laptop Logic

Lenovo launches its first non-Thinkpad branded notebooks

After plastering its name all over the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, Lenovo is ready to blanket the entry-level market with its first non-Thinkpad branded laptops. Lenovo's new C100 series laptops start at $599 with the top model ringing in at $999.

All of the laptops feature a 15" XGA screen, Intel 915GM chipset, 3-in-1 card reader and weigh in at 6.2 pounds. The low-end $599 0761-22U comes with a Celeron M 370 processor, 256MB DDR2 memory, 40GB 5400RPM hard drive, Thinkpad A/B/G wireless, CD-RW/DVD drive and Windows XP Home. The top of the line 0761-26U features a Pentium-M 740 processor, 512MB DDR2 memory, 80GB 5400RPM hard drive, Intel A/B/G wireless a DVD burner and Windows XP Professional.

While the features are pretty good for the money, Laptop Logic reports that the ergonomics on the new laptops are pretty bad:

Thinking back to the front loading optical drive, we see three out of the four USB ports on the back side of the laptop. Two are stacked on top of each other and the third is sort of...on the bottom lip of the laptop. You do get one handy USB 2.0 port on the left side though. We'd imagine most people don't want to have to turn the laptop around or fumble on the backside while trying to connect some device. What is even more perplexing is the placement of the 56K modem jack on the side while the LAN plug is on the back, albeit near a corner.

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An honest mistake

By timmiser on 2/23/2006 12:50:53 PM , Rating: 2

"Turino, Italy"

You could either use the English spelling/pronunciation of "Turin, Italy" or you could use the Italian spelling/pronunciation of "Torino, Italy" but there is no Turino. :)

RE: An honest mistake

By TheGee on 2/23/2006 12:56:03 PM , Rating: 2

Don't they mean 'Turion'in Italy ? Maybe there a 'Centrino' on steps guarding the stadium!

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RE: An honest mistake

By JackPack on 2/23/2006 5:02:33 PM , Rating: 2

He's thinking... AMD Turino Mobile Technology, with Liiv!

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RE: An honest mistake

By T1 on 2/25/2006 3:53:00 AM , Rating: 2

No edit button for us, but they can always correct the numerous spelling mistakes in the news articles.

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Why never a slot load cd drive?

By c0smic on 2/23/2006 1:47:42 PM , Rating: 2

One thing I appreciate about apple is their front slot load cd/dvd drives. Why is it no one out there has one but them? do they have it patented or something?

RE: Why never a slot load cd drive?

By glennpratt on 2/23/2006 5:02:50 PM , Rating: 2

Nope, no patents... if you really like them, you can buy one and put it in any old lappy.

For example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82...

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RE: Why never a slot load cd drive?

By JackPack on 2/23/2006 5:09:34 PM , Rating: 2

Cost.

There are more innovative designs like those used in Japan by Panasonic in their "Let's note" series. The drive is even more compact since it's integrated into the chassis.

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RE: Why never a slot load cd drive?

By aliasfox on 2/23/2006 5:23:05 PM , Rating: 2

I have a 12" PowerBook, and I actually appreciate side load better- less contortions to pull the disc out after it ejects. Maybe I'm just more used to it.

That being said, while slot load drives don't have a fragile tray coming out of the chassis, you can't put mini or odd shaped (business card shaped) CDs into the drive.. at least, I've never been able to get it to work properly. At least those are rare.

Also, slot load drives, in addition to being more expensive, are often a step behind taller tray drives - slower or lacking features. DVD burning on a slotload drive (If I recall correctly) is slower, and it was late in the game before slot load combo drives became widel available.

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Did Lenovo get...

By Ringold on 2/23/2006 12:09:18 PM , Rating: 2

... IBM engineers and whatnot?

I'd think if they did they wouldn't miss something like ergonomics. or is such a mistake generally common?

RE: Did Lenovo get...

By fbrdphreak on 2/23/2006 12:39:49 PM , Rating: 2

They got all the Thinkpad people. Search my shorts as to why they did all that. Ergonomics alone make me not want to look at this for a purchase, value or not.

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RE: Did Lenovo get...

By Cygni on 2/23/2006 2:08:34 PM , Rating: 2

The ergonomics look fine to me? I dunno... maybe i just dont get it.

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Ram installation

By littlebitstrouds on 2/23/2006 3:08:02 PM , Rating: 2

Any idea of how easy it will be to slap in an extra 256mb or memory would be? The article speaks of a possible 1 slot design for memory which would make this upgrade kinda crappy seeing as you'd be buyin a 512mb dimm and be forced to sell the original 256mb dimm. If it's easy sign me up for one since my friend is hastling me to find him a laptop for $599 that doesn't suck to bad (always the case, everyone wants you to find an awsome computer, and oh yeah I only have $500 to spend).

If anyone has any idea of the dimm layout pst please.

RE: Ram installation

By Phantronius on 2/23/2006 4:29:02 PM , Rating: 2

Thats why they call them "budget" laptops.

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RE: Ram installation

By handydave on 2/23/2006 6:37:47 PM , Rating: 2

It has two memory slot accessible via a panel on the bottom. One nice thing about IBM and now Lenovo is they have great documentation. Here's a link to the Hardware Maintenance Manual. Check out page 50.

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/4...

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tempting

By Adul on 2/23/2006 12:06:48 PM , Rating: 2

I think I may get one for my mother. She always prefered using a laptop over a PC. Just toss in more ram.

lol

By phaxmohdem on 2/23/2006 2:46:40 PM , Rating: 2

hahahaha looks like the inbred step-child of an old school HP omnibook, and Thinkpad A series.. However if it does infact inherit the famous Thinkpad keyboard (or a close variant) I think Lenovo might just have something there.

Ergonomics?

By executive on 3/17/2006 1:29:50 PM , Rating: 2

Ergonomics?
A science of idoiots for idiots?

WTF ergomnomics is?

A marketing of bullshit to protect the medical fraud?

Carpal tunel myths?
Carpal tunel has so much to computer or keyboard usage as landing an aircraft on the bottom of the deep sea !

One must be a complete MORON to believe that carpal tunel has something to do with use of keyboard!

Carpal Tunel is a neurotoxic injury (mercury poisoning) more likely than not caused by toxic poisoning by silver mercury fillings (amalgamat) and has nothinNg to do with KEYBOARDS as group of mentally sick idiots proposes!

Think that weight lifters lift every 5 minuts few hundred pounds which resyt on their wrists only, and thwey do not suffer from Carpal Tunel alleged as RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury!)

If those idiots who practice medicine will lose licence to steel there will be no RSI injuries.
That is a fucken marketing of low intelligence and nor RSI!

The alleged ERGONOMICS is nothing but a hog wash!