Review I have always been a fan of ThinkPads, ever since my father brought home a beaten 560e featuring a 150MHz Pentium which was rejected from the corporate pool due to travel abuse. Even though half of its 1GB disk was bad sectors I ran it well into this century and with all the cheap tat that is flooding the market these days, I’ve not used anything that felt quite the same.
Business values with a consumer style: lenovo‘s ThinkPad Edge E420s
Now though, I have my hands on the lenovo-built ThinkPad Edge 420s which seems to hark back to the good old days of the IBM ThinkPad era. There are no gimmicky features to be found here, except perhaps the fingerprint reader. The TrackPoint ‘nipple’ is a comforting sight, yet now somewhat redundant with the multi-touch trackpad also fitted to the E420s.
Although this arrangement are effectively provides two mice, fortunately lenovo hasn’t tried to cram in a second keyboard. Instead, it has produced a very comfortable keyboard with ample-sized keys and great tactile response which, although it isn’t backlit, does feature a keyboard light mounted above the screen.
The shell has a matte soft-touch finish and features actual chromed metal edge trim – a flourish to broaden its appeal beyond the boardroom. Indeed, the E420s certainly maintains the impression of quality that is associated with the brand. Even the sound is better than most, listenable rather than tinny and supporting Dolby Home Theatre. Read the rest of this entry »
Review A recent business profile of lenovo in a national newspaper made an interesting assertion. “Anyone you spot on the Tube using a ThinkPad has almost certainly obtained it from their employer,” claimed the reporter.
Well, discerning readers know this isn’t true. The build quality, devotion to no-frills heavy lifting, the aftermarket support, and ease of maintenance have long made ThinkPads a favourite. This is a machine for people who know their work, and want to buy the best tool possible to get it done. Read the rest of this entry »
Launching an affordable lightweight laptop that appeals both to lifestyle and business markets is a fine idea and one lenovo clearly thinks has mileage in it. The new ThinkPad Edge is a stylish and affordable machine that is tasked with getting the ThinkPad brand into the world’s coffee shops, as well as its board rooms.
Previous ThinkPads tended to have both eyes fixed firmly on solidity and functionality rather than style and, while the Edge is still no beauty queen, it’s a clean and sober piece of design with enough appeal to straddle both consumer and corporate camps.
Besides a choice of either matte or gloss lid finishes, for the first time with a ThinkPad you get a choice of colours. So, besides the usual Henry Ford black, you can also have your Edge in a rather fetching heatwave red or the rather less adventurous can opt for the greyish, midnight black. Looks are only slightly let down by the exterior lid design, which does rather remind us of the trays used in motorway service station cafeterias. Also, the wide plastic screen bezel on the inside which looks a little cheap. Read the rest of this entry »
While we may not know exactly what item we’re looking at in the photo above, we do know that we like it. This hot Peripheral showed up on lenovo‘s photostream without any explanation, and from the image it seems pretty much like a keyboard-lover’s dream; it looks to be wireless, psychotically thin, and boasts an integrated trackpad and numpad. If you’ve been itching to find a stylish companion to that ThinkPad USB Portable Secure HD, this may just be the keyboard for you. As expected, no info on pricing or availability, but we’ll definitely keep our eyes out for more as it becomes available. Read the rest of this entry »
