Lenovo’s ThinkPad T400s has only just crossed the wire – check out our review here – but the company is already thinking one or two steps ahead to what its replacement might have. According to David Critchley, a marketing manager at the PC maker, both multitouch display technology and an OLED panel are being considered for future models.
With Windows 7 officially outed, the screenshots, video and first-impressions have been coming thick and fast. Whether you’re a media junkie, a tableteer or just wondering what your work desktop might look like after the next upgrade cycle, we’ve been gathering up all the details you need.
Netbooks would be a whole lot more believable as companion devices if they switched on as fast as, say, a smartphone or PDA. However the combination of Intel’s Atom and generally wheezing specs tend to make starting-up – or resuming from standby – measure more around the one minute mark than anything less. Two Intel engineers might be looking to change all that, though; at a recent Linux conference, they demonstrated an ASUS Eee PC that could boot to a Fedora desktop in just five seconds.
Sony are preparing to drop a new VAIO ultraportable, the TT-series, which will replace the VAIO TZ. Make no mistake, this is no netbook; according to SonyStyle’s VAIO advisor, the four model TT-range will top out with a 1.4GHz Intel SU9400 Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM and dual 128GB SSDs in RAID setup. The top-spec VGN-TT190UBX also has a Blu-ray burner and HDMI output, and weighs just 2.87-pounds; every model has an 11.1 inch LED screen with XBRITE-DuraView running at 1366 × 768.
Lenovo have announced an update to their ThinkPad X300, adding a so-far unreleased Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor and two new SSD options. The ThinkPad X301 will be available with Intel’s 1.2GHz U9300 and 1.4GHz U9400 CPUs, both having 6MB L2 cache and 1066MHz FSB, while the X300’s 64GB SSD is replaced by either an 80GB or 128GB version.
We had the opportunity to spends some hands-on time with Lenovo’s ThinkPad X200 recently, the company’s latest ultraportable and the smallest of the X-series notebooks. With a 12.1-inch, 1280 x 800 WXGA display and choice of 2.26GHz (P8400) or 2.4GHz (P8600) Intel Core 2 Duo processors, the X200 is just 0.8-inches thick. It’s also being compared by many buyers to the ThinkPad X300, reviewed back in April – that machine starts at $2,268, compared to the X200’s $1,385 – which is slightly thinner but, thanks to its optical drive, is actually a little bit heavier than the X200.
It’s not all glib home users who are in line for some new Lenovo fun; business users may be slightly more predictable in their usage, but that doesn’t mean they’re satisfied with last year’s ThinkPad. The new SL-series of SMB notebooks – the SL300, SL400 and SL500 – all have an options list weighed under with choices such as mobile broadband, Blu-ray and more.
Apple has reduced the cost of specifying the solid-state drive option on its Air ultraportable notebook. The SSD, originally priced at $999, now costs $599 as an addition to the 1.6GHz entry-level Air. The 1.8GHz Air, which is pre-configured with the SSD, has dropped to $2,598.
Lenovo’s upcoming ThinkPad X200 ultraportable, which was recently tipped in a company presentation, has been spotted and profiled by 51nb, a Chinese notebook forum. Not only did they dig up two new images of the ultraportable, but the spec sheet too; we now know that it uses a 45nm Intel Centrino 2 + VPro Core 2 Duo CPU running at up to 2.4GHz, has a 12-inch WXGA LCD screen (or, in the case of the Tablet version, a touchscreen) and an SSD storage option alongside conventional hard-drives.
There’s still no official announcement, but an ASUS PR rep has revealed pricing for the Eee PC 901, 1000 and 1000H in the US. We now know that the 901 will come in at $599, the 1000 at $699, and the 1000H at $649. Aside from the 1000H, they’ll be available with Linux or Windows XP installed.
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