Lenovo Offers New Notebooks, Netbooks, ‘Smartbooks’ at 2010 CES

Lenovo Offers New Notebooks, Netbooks, ‘Smartbooks’ at 2010 CESBy Nicholas Kolakowski

Lenovo’s Skylight is the company’s newest smartbook model, with a 10.1-inch high-resolution display, 10 hours of battery life (at least in theory), a 1.3-megapixel camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz ARM II CPU, and a weight of less than 2 pounds.

Available in “Earth Red” and “Lotus Blue,” the Skylight will retail for $499 in the United States. The device boasts Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, and a Web-optimized interface with 18 pre-loaded widgets such as Amazon.com’s MP3 store.

Lenovo is offering its new ThinkPad Edge line, which includes 13-, 14- and 15-inch models, in two colors: black and red. Lenovo’s increased color options reflect its theory that ThinkPad owners are increasingly using their devices for both enterprise and personal use, and thus will want more variety than the standard-issue black color.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad Edge includes Windows 7 optimization, battery life at more than 8 hours, Skype software, and choices of AMD Turion and Athlon Neo dual-core processors or Intel Core 2 Duo ultra-low voltage and standard dual-core processors.

The ThinkPad Edge includes a new, larger multitouch touchpad for fingers to pinch, zoom and scroll, along with a variety of ports. Pricing for the 13-inch version starts at $549, with pricing for the 14-inch and 15-inch to become available when the devices are released in the second quarter of 2010.

Lenovo has re-designed its laptop keyboards, with expanded key size, removal of the traditional mainframe-oriented keys from the top row, one-tap access to multimedia functions, and (on certain models such as the ThinkPad Edge 14-inch and 15-inch) illumination from beneath in low-light conditions.

Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10-3t includes a revolving 10.1-inch display that allows the device to be converted into a tablet. Processor options include the Intel Atom N470, and battery options include either a 4-cell battery for four hours’ life, or an 8-cell (hybrid 4 cell + 4 cell) battery for 10 hours’ life.

Continuing the theme of a more consumer-oriented design, the IdeaPad S10-3t includes a rather distinctive outer shell design. Pricing for the device starts at $499.99.

The IdeaPad S10-3t can be converted into a capacitive multitouch-screen tablet. Another IdeaPad model, the S10-3, is also equipped with multitouch. The DirectShare feature allows files to be synchronized between the IdeaPad and another laptop without an Internet connection.

The ThinkPad X100e, Lenovo’s ultra-portable model, includes an 11.6-inch high-definition screen and a number of processor options, including the AMD Athlon Neo MV-30. Ports and slots include 3 USBs, a VGA port and a 4-in-1 card reader slot.

Battery options for the ThinkPad X100e include a 3-cell battery for 2 hours’ life, which will bring the device’s weight to below 3 pounds, or else a 6-cell 2.6 Ah battery which will bring its overall weight to 3.3 pounds.

Design-wise, Lenovo is also trying to step up its game with a silver band around the frame of the ThinkPad Edge.

Lenovo is also updating its line with T410s, T410 and T510 laptops, which boast Intel dual-core processors for heavy data-crunching. In addition, the company is suggesting that its 9-cell batteries in various models will provide between 18 and 22 hours’ battery life.