Lenovo Finds Its 'Edge' With New ThinkPad Notebooks

Getting a head start on its CES competition, which is sure to unveil its own latest notebook innovations, Lenovo Monday showcased the new ThinkPad Edge series, a consumer-business hybrid, and the ThinkPad X100e, a $500 ultraportable.

The ThinkPad Edge series is an amalgamation of sorts of the ThinkPad and IdeaPad lines aimed at the SMB market. The series will be available with 13-, 14- or 15-inch displays, of which the 13-inch ThinkPad Edge is the first ThinkPad to offer a dual-core AMD microprocessor and to be offered on AMD's Vision Pro Technology. Aimed at businesses with consumer flair " check the smooth, rounded edges " the ThinkPad Edge is optimized for Windows 7.

For the style-conscious, the ThinkPad Edge series offers rich and vibrant color choices " it comes in Heatwave Red and traditional Midnight Black -- and a new contemporary keyboard featuring uniform black keys, one-finger multimedia access and backlighting in the 14- and 15-inch models. The Edge line also features an expanded multitouch touchpad that lets users pinch, zoom and scroll.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Edge series also lets SMB users choose either AMD Turion and Athlon Neo dual-core processors or Intel Core 2 Duo ultra low-voltage and standard dual-core processors. The battery can hold a charge for more than eight hours and the Edge offers wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi and optional Bluetooth, 3G and WiMax.

The 13-inch ThinkPad Edge will be available starting Jan. 5 with models starting at approximately $549 through Lenovo Business Partners and through Lenovo's Web site. The 14- and 15-inch versions will be available starting in the second quarter of 2010. Select Best Buy stores in the U.S. will offer the 14-inch version.

Along with adding the Edge to its ThinkPad series, Lenovo Monday also pulled the curtain off the ThinkPad X100e, Lenovo's first professional-grade sub-$500 ultraportable laptop. Like the Edge, the X100e is also available in various colors and leverages AMD processors.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X100e gives users the choice of AMD Athlon Neo single- and dual-core processors and Turion dual-core processors. The laptop is equipped to run Microsoft Windows 7 Professional and comes with Lenovo's ThinkVantage Technologies tools to deploy, manage and maintain PCs.

The ThinkPad X100e features an 11.6-inch high-definition display, a full-size keyboard, a multitouch touchpad and Trackpoint for navigation. It clocks in at less than 3 pounds and comes equipped for 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless connectivity and optional Bluetooth and 3G.

The ThinkPad X100e will be available starting Jan. 5 through Lenovo Business Partners and online with models starting at $449.

And while the ThinkPad Edge and X100e are the highlights, Lenovo Monday also unveiled four additional ThinkPads, the T410s, the T410, the T510 and the W510 mobile workstation.

The T410s offers a thin and light design with full performance for extremely mobile users, while the T410 and T510 are designed for full performance for mainstream business users. The high-performance W510 mobile workstation fits the needs of professionals in data- and graphics-demanding fields like oil and gas, computer-aided design and photography. The ThinkPad T410s, T410, T510 and W510 laptops will be available Jan. 7 through Business Partners and online. Pricing for models start at $1,399 for the T410s, $999 for the T410 and T510 and $1,599 for the W510.