Lenovo ThinkPad Line Upgrade

    The announcement of new Lenovo laptops immediately after the announcement of the updated Intel mobile platform was not a surprise. Characteristics of Lenovo's new products regularly pop up long before the official announcements. An employee of Lenovo wrote about this in an official blog that working with large corporate customers does not allow to release the product in an atmosphere of complete secrecy, unlike some other companies.

    The update has undergone the existing T, R and X lines, as well as new ones: SL (Small Business) and W (Workstation).


    ThinkPad T-series



    The T61 was replaced by the T400 and T500, with 14.1 "and 15.4" widescreen displays, respectively.

    The new laptops received the switching technology between Intel integrated graphics and a discrete graphics card, familiar to us from Sony VAIO SZ. A short period of use of NVIDIA graphics began with T61 and ended with it, while Lenovo returned to ATI (AMD) products. The T400 uses the Mobility Radeon HD3470 graphics card, the T500 uses the HD3650, both with 256 MB of video memory.

    In the options appeared screens with LED-backlight. T400 will be equipped with screens with a resolution of 1280x800 and 1440x900, and T500 - 1280x800 and 1680x1050. Screens, of course, only matte.

    Another expected new feature is the appearance of the DisplayPort connector.in a 15-inch model. Thus, Lenovo simply waited for the DVI era, causing a lot of complaints from buyers who did not like the need to buy a docking station to connect a desktop monitor via a digital interface. It should be noted that the outdated VGA port remained in place, and the motivation for this has not changed: ThinkPad laptops are aimed at business users who regularly need an analog connection to the projector.

    The laptops are equipped with every conceivable wireless interface: WWAN with integrated GPS, UWB , WiMAX (will be available later this year), not to mention Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth.

    The T400 with a 4-cell battery claims a weight of 2.1 kg, which is slightly less than 2.3 kg for a 14-inch T61, however, most likely, the first value is indicated with a dummy in UltraBay instead of an optical drive. The T500 weighs 2.7 kg. The T400 from a 9-cell battery will last for about 10 hours, and with an extra battery in UltraBay - up to 13 hours! Even if we allow the double digging of numbers on the part of Lenovo, the result is quite decent.

    The appearance compared to the T61 did not undergo any changes, even the fans were touched with the experience of the red stripes on the trackpoint keys, as in the X300, they did not wait. Under the black plastic, the same spatial frame made of magnesium alloy (Roll Cage), thanks to which you can ride a motorcycle on a laptop , drag around an open cover and do other things that ThinkPad owners love.

    X-series



    Releasing the ambitious X300 earlier this year, Lenovo has now introduced a replacement for the X61 - X200 workhorse. The main difference is a widescreen screen with a resolution of 1280x800, instead of being used until the last in this series 4: 3. This step again caused a lot of controversy, but one advantage is undeniable: the increased width made it possible to fit a keyboard identical to that used in the T-series. The touchpad is still missing, and the set of ports is impressive for an ultraportable laptop: 3 USB, Ethernet, VGA, a card reader and even a modem in some configurations. However, FireWire, present in the X61, disappeared. Of the new options, a built-in webcam has appeared.

    The X200 weighs from 1.34 to 1.67 kg in configurations with 4-, 6- and 9-cell batteries. With the latest NotebookReview.com, we managed to achieve an impressive working time of almost 10 hours with Wi-Fi turned on and low (but not minimal) screen brightness. (See full review ).

    The price of a new product in the US will start at $ 1,200.

    R-series



    In the budget R-series appeared R400 and R500 to replace the R61. DisplayPort appeared in the older model and configurations with discrete graphics disappeared, apparently moving to the new SL line.

    SL-series



    The new line is reminiscent of its focus on short-lived notebooks ThinkPad Z-series. Three models: SL300, SL400 and SL500. Outstanding features include an HDMI output and optional BluRay drive. The GeForce 9300M graphics card with 128 MB of memory in the 13-inch model and 256 in the other two. SL300 is equipped with a glossy screen with a resolution of 1280x800 with LED backlight.

    W-series



    This line is intended to replace the T-series with the suffix "p" (T61p) - mobile workstations. They use professional ATI FireGL graphics cards and high-resolution displays: 1680x1050 and 1920x1200 in the W500. W700 - the first ThinkPad with a 17-inch screen - comes with only a WUXGA display with a resolution of 1920x1200. The remaining characteristics basically coincide with the T-series.

    UPD From this page on Lenovo's website, you can download brochures with photographs and specifications, which served as the basis for the material.

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