The X100e is currently advertised on Lenovo's Web site, and goes on sale starting Tuesday. Does a professional grade Netbook sound like your cup of tea? We'll provide a hands-on review when we return from CES and tell you if it's worth it, but we truly appreciate a full-size keyboard on a tiny notebook.
Feb 24 2010 - Most of the netbooks on the market are based around the Intel Atom platform. Lenovo has decided to take a different route with the ThinkPad X100e by using the AMD Athlon Neo platform. This has certain implications both for the performance and the power consumption. In terms of performance, the Neo MV-40 processor works extremely well when the system is plugged in and running off full power. The same can't be said when the unit is not plugged in. The processor speed is scaled back to conserve power but it means that performs below most Atom based netbooks. This can be adjusted in the power profiles but it will reduce battery life.
While on the subject of the display, Lenovo has decided to use an anti-glare filter on the panel rather than the more common glossy coating. This is a very welcome addition as it allows the ThinkPad X100e to be used in many more conditions as it is not as prone to glare or reflections of the average netbook.
The exterior of the ThinkPad X100e also carries this matte finish. This is actually a nice touch since the glossy plastics of many netbooks easily attract smudges and fingerprints. The keyboard and trackpad on the ThinkPad X100e are also some of the best around. Rather than using the traditional Thinkpad keyboard design, it uses an isolated island design that is quite comfortable and larger than most 10-inch netbook designs thanks to the larger size. The keyboard does feature the trackpoint device in addition to a well laid out trackpad.
