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Lenovo ThinkPad X300  (Source: Gizmodo)

  (Source: Gizmodo)
Lenovo readies an ultra-light notebook of its own

It seems quite convenient that just days after the launch of the MacBook Air that a new lightweight notebook from Lenovo finds itself leaked onto the web. We're not ones to sweep such items under the rug, so here's the skinny on Lenovo's latest and greatest.

According to Gizmodo, the Lenovo ThinkPad X300 uses a Merom-based 2.0GHz "Dual Core Hybrid LV" processor with a 12W thermal envelope. The hybrid nature of the processor could mean that it is related to the special processor that Apple worked with Intel to develop for the MacBook Air.

The ThinkPad X300 features a 13.3", 1440x900 LED backlit display, two DIMM slots for a maximum of 4GB of DDR2 memory, fingerprint reader, touchpad and trackpoint inputs, webcam, and a full-size keyboard.

When it comes to connectivity, Lenovo throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Physical connections include three USB 2.0 ports, three internal PCI-E slots and GbE. Lenovo covers the entire wireless spectrum with Bluetooth, 802.11n, Verizon EV-DO Rev A, Cingular HSDPA and WiMAX options.

Surprisingly, Lenovo lists just one internal storage option for the ThinkPad X300: a 64GB solid state disk (SSD). There is no mention of a HDD, but surely there will be one available, otherwise the X300 will start off as an extremely expensive notebook. For those looking for optical storage, Lenovo hasn't forgotten about you and they do in fact include a DVD burner onboard.

Most importantly, Lenovo managed to pack all of these features into a 12.5" x 9" x 0.73" - 0.92" frame that weighs 2.5 pounds. The 2.5 pound weight is likely calculated with a 3-cell battery. Lenovo lists an upper limit of 3.17 pounds which probably takes into account a 6-cell or 9-cell battery.

We don't have any information with regards to pricing or availability, but stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

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Yet no one will know about this...
By matthewpapa on 1/18/2008 8:10:43 PM , Rating: 5
Yet no one will know about this... Even though the X300 specifications meet or beat those of Apple's new MacBook. Too bad Apple has so many people eating out of their hands.




RE: Yet no one will know about this...
By stmok on 1/19/2008 9:39:05 AM , Rating: 5
Well, that's what Apple relies on.

(1) People's ignorance of computers.

(2) Visual stimulation. (ie: Looks are everything)


RE: Yet no one will know about this...
By Mudvillager on 1/19/2008 11:32:53 AM , Rating: 2
Look and feel is very important, that's why you can make those sacrifices with Apple.

Although I must say that I'm incredibly impressed that Lenovo has been able to cram so much into so little space and also that they've been able to keep the weight down so much. They should've left out the DVD burner though (to me optical media today is what the floppy was to me 7 years ago, i.e. dead), but that's just my personal opinion...


RE: Yet no one will know about this...
By spluurfg on 1/19/2008 1:47:44 PM , Rating: 2
Gee, I dunno... When they started to phase floppies out, hard drive discs were in the 100GB or so range... 1.44mb is pretty pathetic by comparison. An 8GB DVD is still pretty handy, since hard drives are pretty much 1,000GB max, and much less for notebooks...

Although I agree that it's not something that one uses every day anymore, it's probably still at the point where it's just irritating enough not to have one. E.g. let's install a new app, oops, let me search for my USB disc drive.


RE: Yet no one will know about this...
By Mudvillager on 1/19/2008 3:08:27 PM , Rating: 2
I agree - unfortunately it's still needed. But imo an external drive does the job (in fact I don't even have an internal optical drive in my desktop PC, just an external one hidden in the closet most of the time.)


RE: Yet no one will know about this...
By MatthiasF on 1/20/2008 1:35:34 AM , Rating: 2
Where do you backup your stuff? Tape drive?

Blue light DVD burners are really the next step for easy, cheap backups, so I'm not sure where you're going with your "optical is going the way of floppies" opinion.

I guess LTO1 tape drives are getting sorta cheap nowadays ($400).


By CyborgTMT on 1/20/2008 5:22:47 AM , Rating: 1
quote:
Where do you backup your stuff? Tape drive?


Um... NAS.


By Samus on 1/19/2008 6:02:12 PM , Rating: 2
I think IBM Thinkpads look great. Big and black. Just how I like it.


RE: Yet no one will know about this...
By JustTom on 1/19/2008 7:06:14 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
(to me optical media today is what the floppy was to me 7 years ago, i.e. dead)


And how are people going to install software?


RE: Yet no one will know about this...
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 1/19/2008 7:52:18 PM , Rating: 2
I install most of my software on my "optical drive-less" Eee PC with a thumb drive or over the network.

I've only actually used an external optical drive twice with it.


By CyborgTMT on 1/20/2008 5:19:44 AM , Rating: 2
I have to agree about the optical drive. On all my laptops over the years I think I've used the built in drive only when upgrading, reinstalling or changing the OS. Even on my desktops, only one has a optical drive loaded on it which is shared across my network.

I've recently purchased an EEE and I don't see any reason I'll ever have to use an optical with it.


By JustTom on 1/20/2008 10:03:47 AM , Rating: 1
Good point, however software is seldom, if ever,sold on thumb sticks so some sort of optical media drive is needed somewhere in the process.

I should have phrased my original post better, however I don't see his analogy between floppy media and optical media as accurate, at least as of yet.


By kelmon on 1/20/2008 8:17:34 AM , Rating: 2
There's this thing these days that the cool kids call the Intra Web or some such. Even major applications like Photoshop can be installed over the Internet and almost all my software comes this way. The only reason not all my software is installed that way is that I have disks for some of the applications and using them is often quicker but the alternative is definitely available.

We're going to have pretty much the same arguments with optical disks as we did with floppy disks but the fact is that they aren't needed anymore. Personally, I'm waiting for the games industry to wake up to this so that you don't need to have the damned disk in the drive to play a game.


By 91TTZ on 1/21/2008 9:22:59 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
They should've left out the DVD burner though (to me optical media today is what the floppy was to me 7 years ago, i.e. dead), but that's just my personal opinion...


By 7 years ago, the floppy had already been replaced by higher capacity installation mediums. There was no point in including a floppy drive when nearly all programs came on CD-ROMs.

With no optical drive, how are you going to install programs on this? Nearly all software still comes on CD-ROM or DVD. The lack of an optical drive would really cripple a laptop.


By bhieb on 1/21/2008 10:08:54 AM , Rating: 2
How do you watch movies on a flight (legally that is)? A DVD you own cannot be legally ripped to disk. So you either have to buy it again, make an illegal copy to disk, or not watch it. If you travel one of the best things about these are the portable DVD player aspect.


RE: Yet no one will know about this...
By gochichi on 1/19/08, Rating: -1
RE: Yet no one will know about this...
By stmok on 1/19/2008 11:16:35 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I don't even know why I even try to address the Windows zealots. I guess I just feel that you guys are talking smack you don't know crap about. I guess that's why.


Sorry dude, I'm NOT a Windows user. Linux, BSD, and Solaris is more my game.

You address the "Windows Zealots", because you're an Apple fan. Plain and simple. When someone talks negatively about Apple, you have to step in! Because seeing people criticizing Apple is YOUR soft spot.

Look at their operating system, your beloved OSX...Guess what's under there? Open source technology. They repackaged it and made it all pretty for those who know sweet f**k all about Unix.

Underneath that prettiness is the same girl you can meet without paying a premium to Apple. Now do you get why I say "ignorance"?

Why do you think its more robust compared to Windows? Its FreeBSD and Mach under there.

quote:
More beautiful things are worth more, that's just life. If a girl was equally nice to another girl and was prettier, she'd be more desirable. Some for men, houses, cars, all the way down to mechanical pencils and a can of corn. It's a fact of life, open your eyes already.


That is the most terrible analogy you can come up with.

You can't compare women with materialistic goods.

The most pretty girls are often the least secure about themselves. They're rarely confronted by decent guys, and are often hooked up with jerks, losers, or older men who have one thing in mind. To fuck them.

The most beautiful things in life are the ones you create yourselves. It gives you an immense satisfaction and fulfillment. Not things you buy, use for a period, then throw away.


RE: Yet no one will know about this...
By kelmon on 1/20/2008 8:22:21 AM , Rating: 2
I don't understand your point. Are you suggesting that it's a bad thing that computers are simpler these days? That anyone can use a computer without a degree in nuclear physics? Windows 95 was just a UI over DOS but no one seems to suggest that this was in some way dumbing-down computing. Ignorance has nothing to do with it. Get over yourself.


RE: Yet no one will know about this...
By inighthawki on 1/20/2008 1:37:13 PM , Rating: 2
I think what he is trying to say is, that macosx, being just a mod of unix to achieve a goal is much like windows itself as well, coming from DOS, that putting something on top of it doesn't justify the afterimage.


RE: Yet no one will know about this...
By kelmon on 1/21/2008 3:39:34 AM , Rating: 2