The ambitions of Lenovo are clear, create the best ultraportable in the market. Building on the prestigious ThinkPad family, the X300 is an impressive computer which does not compromise ultraportable and functionalities.
Lenovo X300 versus MacBook Air. The MacBook Air is definitively a beautiful design (some will say sexy) and is ultra thin and light. In order to look that way, the Mac book has made some sacrifices in ways of functionalities, battery life and power. X 300 has a more conventional (old fashion) look, thicker and a bit heavier but it gains in functionality, power, has a DVD burner and yet has the dimensions and weight of an ultraportable. To complete the comparison The MacBook Air is beautiful extra light, trendy and will satisfy light users; the X300 looks conventional, is powerful and functional and will satisfy medium and some heavy users.
ThinkPad style
At first look, you can see a lot of similarities from previous generation of ThinkPads. The lines are straight (most competitors have rounded their laptops) and the min-joystick is still there. The keyboard has a the usual soft touch and comes with a retro light if needed. The finish is clean, robust, only the screen maybe sensitive to scratches.
Inside the X300
The processor used for the X300 laptop is new, it is a Core two duo L7100 this processor has an ultra compact chip similar to MacBook Air; it has a speed of 1.2 GHz and belong to the family of the Intel-based low voltage processors. The L7100 runs at 800 MHz and has 4 Mo of cash memory. This laptop comes with 2 GB of RAM which is enough to run Vista. That ThinkPad works very well in most situations and unless you are a graphic artist, big database user or heaver gamer, you will be very happy with its performances.
Lenovo X300 equipment
Despite its small size, The X300 focuses on maximum integration. No wasted space here, it comes with a DVD burner, you will also find three USB and one Ethernet connection. The wireless is equally well represented with Bluetooth 2.0 WiFi, 802.11 and 3G HSDPA. This one is also in charge of the video output for VGA.
Screen for professional
With a 13.3 inches the screen is big enough to view wide spreadsheet such as Excel, it is built up with a high quality definition of 1440 by 900 pixels. The graphic card is the classic Intel GMA X3100 with 368 Mo of shared memory.
Disappointing autonomy
During a testing the laptop battery never lasted more than 2 hours and 30 minutes, which is a bit disappointing with the SSD, LED screen and low-voltage processor. After we “played” with the numerous internal management tools we were able to extend the autonomy to 4 hours with light use such as Word. Additionally, the DVD can be replaced by an additional 3 cell battery.
Conclusion
All in all, a ThinkPad X300 is a wonderful ultraportable, light, compact and robust. Professional travelers will be very happy to use that notebook. There is a price for excellence and that price is $3,000. Final note, the X300 comes with three years manufacturer warranty.
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Browsing Posts tagged weight
Overview It’s big news whenever Apple announces new products and now Apple’s bestselling consumer notebook receives the long rumored major redesign that is no doubt, another stunner. Just when you thought Apple couldn’t make the previous generation MacBook any better, they come around and offer this aluminum and glass beauty that is even thinner, lighter, and more powerful than before. Now that Apple has brought its renewed MacBooks ($1299 starting) and MacBook Pros ($1999 starting) even closer together by offering the same design, engineering, and -for the first time on the MacBook – aluminum body to both notebook lines, the once straightforward consumer and pro-line product differentiation is slowly fading away. Is this the best MacBook to date? Is it safe to call the MacBook, the MacBook Pro “mini”? Read on.
Design The new MacBook and MacBook Pro make some significant strides in the design department. First, the MacBook for the first time, joins the MacBook Pro in offering an all-aluminum body, ditching the white polycarbonate plastic that once defined the consumer line. In fact, both machines look pretty much identical to each other – offering a black glass bezel screen and black “chiclet-style” keyboards to reflect the new Apple design direction first introduced with the current iMac and iPhone. It’s a stunner for sure. The exterior borrows cues from the MacBook Air using tapered edges that trick you into thinking it’s even thinner than it already is. The magnetic latch opens and closes the display with buttery smoothness and without mechanical parts. Aa satisfyingly solid “thunk” can be heard when closed. Available in the more expensive $1599 model are LED backlit keys – a first for the MacBook. Aside from the switch to a fully aluminum casing that replaces the now-defunct white plastic and/or black matte finish of the previous generation, Apple is touting its new manufacturing process as a technological and engineering breakthrough. Using a full slab of aluminum to construct the MacBook and MacBook Pro, not only does this revolutionary process create a body and chassis that is much stiffer with no flexing, these new notebooks use less mechanical screws, parts and pieces to construct together, and thus allow Apple is able to achieve a lighter and thinner product. The result is a notebook that is so clean and so sleek looking in design, it’s devoid of any evidence of screws to piece it together and without any vents, confirms that this new design doubles as an effective heatsink.
While it’s nice to see the MacBook now offer the same look and materials as the MacBook Pro, Apple may now run the risk of cannibalizing sales of its own pricier MacBook Pros, as they both look almost identical to each other and features-wise, the line between the two is blurring. Call it the MacBook Pro mini if you will in appearance, Apple has revolutionized a new way to build quality notebooks that are also environmental friendly. Size and Weight Impressively, the new MacBook vgp-bps8b is even thinner and lighter than before, achieving a thickness of only .95 ” – the same as the new MacBook Pro. At 4.5 pounds, the new MacBook is 1.5 pounds lighter than the outgoing model with weight evenly distributed across thanks to its unibody construction (read: less parts). At 12.78″ x 8.94″, the new machines are pretty much identical in dimensions to the last generation models. Keyboard Love it or hate it, Apple has now transitioned its entire Mac lineup to the retro-looking “chiclet-style” keyboard with the new MacBooks. Rather than color match the keys with the aluminum body, Apple’s new design direction employs the use of black keys to give the notebook an interesting design contrast. The downside of having black keys is noticeable fingerprint smudging from oily fingers; At least it won’t look and get dirty like the older white MacBooks. Aesthetics aside, the full-size keyboard is a real pleasure to type on with very solid and satisfying clicks. The keys may be flat and spaced out, but it’s oh-so-comfortable to type on with just the right amount of key travel sony vgp-bps8 and spring action. The higher end model also offers LED backlit keys for the first time on a MacBook – once again, blurring the lines between the MacBook and MacBook Pro in features. Display With a gorgeous 13.3″ LED-backlit LCD screen fully encased beneath a black bezeled glass, the MacBook’s display is stunning to look at even when powered off. The glossy finish makes colors really pop and adds to its enhanced vibrance, but at the cost of massive glare, making outdoor viewing difficult. Indoor viewing is not as bad, but reflections abound so be mindful of viewing angles and tilt adjustments. At first glance, the display seems identical to the previous MacBook screen with the same 1280×800 native resolution, but thanks to the new LED-backlighting, the display is evenly lit across the screen and noticeably brighter than the previous generation models. Watching movies was a real treat even though you’ll find yourself seeing your own reflection in lighted areas. But when compared to the MacBook Pro’s larger screen, the MacBook’s picture quality is still inferior and you’ll notice the contrast and blacks drop out when viewed from an angle – The MacBook Pro’s, on the otherhand, looks great at any angle. This is a big reason why Apple would like for you to pay the extra money to go Pro for the better screen. A built-in iSight camera is included as well like before on the top of the display. Buttonless Glass Trackpad Apple once again leads the competition by offering zero buttons…no really! Apple has created the first “buttonless” trackpad built entirely of glass that also includes multi-touch technology. The entire trackpad is essential a button in itself where pushing down creates a solid click to confirm depresses. While it takes getting used to at first, the trackpad actually turns out to be very intuitive with a smooth glossy feel. The MacBook Air introduced 3-finger scrolling and the MacBook and MacBook Pro now offer 4-finger multi-touch scrolling for calling upon Expose and Spaces functionality. While quirky, you’ll soon appreciate the wonders the new glassy trackpad’s buttonless design provides. Connectivity Apple has shrewdly and neatly moved all ports to the left side of the notebook (the right side now occupies the lone optical drive), giving it a very clean and organized look so there’s no cluttered wires coming out of either side. With the MacBook, you get 2 USB 2.0 ports, gigabit ethernet port, audio in/out jacks, MagSafe charge port, and the new mini DisplayPort that replaces the old mini-DVI out in an effort to save precious component space. Also of convenience is the battery meter on the same side. In a surprising move, Apple has curiously decided to omit FireWire in the new MacBook that was previous made standard across the entire Mac lineup. Now, the only way for media heads to take advantage of FireWire connectivity is to shell up the $700 for the MacBook Pro or buy a pricey adapter. While most people can argue that FireWire’s adoption is dwindling in favor of USB, one of the unique things that made FireWire so special for Macs is the target disk feature, allowing the computer to boot OS X off any FireWire external drive. Call it cost-cutting or the death of FireWire adoption, we call it a disappointment. The DisplayPort is another interesting move on Apple’s part to capitalize on a new standard that not only saves component space from the larger DVI and mini-DVI ports, but transitions across all future Macs. Unfortunately, Apple is skimping on the accessories as you’ll have to shell the hefty $99 for the mini DisplayPort adapter kit to connect an external monitor. Harsh. For the common consumer, the MacBook provides just enough of what you need and nothing you don’t in terms of available ports. Trimming the fat, Apple still doesn’t offer any built-in digital card reader into the unit when compared to the competition and ExpressCard is a feature you’ll only find on the MacBook Pro. Limited but more than sufficient.
Upgrading One of the pains of owning an Apple notebook before was the difficulty in upgrading the basic hardware components. It took a few dozen tiny screws just to get to the harddrive! Not so with these new notebooks. Apple clearly did it’s homework when redesigning the MacBook and MacBook Pro, making it very easy to open and upgrade. Only 2 aluminum plates pieces hold the base together, providing easy access into the harddrive compartment and RAM slots through a simple flip of a latche. The big news is the removable battery, now tucked neatly beneath one panel next to the hard drive. Upgrading is limited to your standard harddrive upgrade (SATA or SSD) and adding more RAM (up to 4GB max).
Features:
The MacBook laptop battery is a real engineering marvel. It’s stunning good looks compliment the bevy of new advanced technology and engineering features. The Intel Core2Duo 2.0Ghz model ($1299) we received proved plenty capable of handling most common computing tasks and comes with a 160gb harddrive and 2gb of RAM (with the 1066Mhz FSB). A 2.4Ghz model is available as well for an additional $300 sticker price and includes a 250Gb SATA drive. Both models offer the option of the pricey but fast SSD drive.
Ditching the weak integrated graphics chipset from Intel, the MacBook finally offers a dedicated true graphics engine in the form of the nVidia GeForce 9400M making for better handling of 3D graphics and video. The results, are quite noticeable in speed and video performance throughout the system. Another great feature with this card is that it results in lower heat generation as the CPU no longer has to work so hard in processing these tasks. However, don’t expect the GPU to bowl you over in graphics-heavy applications though (read gaming). But, the 9400M certainly does pack a good amount of 3D punch to your videos, media, and gaming sessions, especially with the likes of the new Adobe Photoshop utilizing thus features.
Wireless-N, Bluetooth, SuperDrive and iSight are all standard features as usual.
Heat and noise wasn’t much of an issue with the new MacBooks thanks to the entire aluminum unibody acting as a giant heatsink. The notebook runs warm but not quite as hot as older models and a soft hum can be heard only when the fan kicks in intermittently. No issues here. In our battery tests, watching a DVD yielded about 2:40 of juice, and in basic tasks such as web browsing and word processing, a respectable 4:30 of life.
Conclusion Overall, we found the new MacBook a real pleasure to use as with all Mac products we’ve tested. It’s a gorgeous, sexy piece of machinery and certainly the best MacBook yet. But we do question Apple’s decision to make the MacBook so closely identical in looks and features to the MacBook Pro… Anyway, at $1299 starting, it’s a tad more expensive than we had hoped it would be, but you do get a lot for your money namely the aluminum casing, glassy multi-touch buttonless trackpad and of course, the revolutionary unibody “brick” construction and for a whole $700 cheaper than the cheapest MacBook Pro model. Nonetheless it’s a excellent buy for one of the best notebooks around on the market. Some may not like Apple’s new design direction (myself included) utilizing black keys to contrast the aluminum, but there’s no denying this is one of the best looking laptops available. Bottom Line: With a dedicated GPU and aluminum body, it might be “safe” to call the MacBook the “true” successor to the highly heralded Powerbook 12″. Well…almost – the lack of FireWire is a serious hit and it’s still a tad too big. What about calling it a MacBook Pro mini? Not quite but its darn close. A better display and graphics card, Firewire, ExpressCard slot, and LED keys are all that gets in the way of the $700 difference, features wise. Yet, the lines between the consumer and pro models are fading away ever so slightly…Suddenly $1299 feels like a great bargain.
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The addition of the new generation of Apple notebooks to Mac computers is here. This time, however, the “new generation” tag doesn’t just refer to upgrades – it heralds outstanding changes to design and technology.
Design
To construct the casing for a standard laptop, you need a lot of different parts. In the process, you increase the weight, the size, and the potential for problems. To address these points, Apple set itself the challenge of building the casing from just one part.
This goal may have appeared far-fetched at first, but Apple was convinced the effort was worth the trouble. The result is the new MacBook’s unibody, a casing created from just one piece of solid aluminium.
The unibody has transformed the look of the MacBook. More than ever, it gives the impression of a sophisticated and brilliantly engineered laptop. The unibody also feels incredibly robust. Furthermore, the use of aluminium helps the new MacBook weigh in at 0.23 kg (0.5 pounds) less than the previous model, and shave 0.34 cm (0.13 inches) from its height.
Different manufacturing techniques
Moulding such a casing, as you would with plastic, is a thing of the past. Instead, Apple makes the unibody by milling it with computer numerical control (CNC) machines.
These machines are some of the most accurate manufacturing tools on the planet. Apple has grasped their potential and employed them to the fullest extent. The sleep indicator light on the new MacBook, for example, appears to shine from behind the aluminium. Apple has achieved this by thinning the metal and drilling tiny holes through it.
Environmental standards
The new MacBook will last for years, but it’s good to know the aluminium unibody is recyclable. This reflects the seriousness with which Apple views its environmental responsibility. The company has applied stringent standards to every aspect of the new MacBook, insisting that manufacturing techniques go hand in hand with the most demanding eco principles.
Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are absent from all the internal components of the new MacBook; none of the internal cables have PVC; the glass of the screen doesn’t contain any arsenic; and the display behind it is mercury-free. The new MacBook is setting a benchmark for the complete removal of toxins from computers.
In terms of energy efficiency, the new MacBook has a double victory to celebrate. Not only does it meet Energy Star requirements as previously, it has also acquired an EPEAT gold rating. EPEAT is the foremost environmental evaluation system for desktops, laptops, and monitors. To obtain a gold rating is a significant achievement.
Other features
Further outstanding features of the new MacBook are the trackpad, the screen, and the Mini DisplayPort. The trackpad immediately catches the eye because it’s almost 40% larger than before. When you start to use it, you also appreciate its extra functions. The trackpad now has full Multi-Touch capability that includes pinching to zoom in and out; three and four finger swiping; creating a right click area for shortcuts; and using any part of the trackpad’s surface as a button.
The new MacBook’s screen has changed to a thinner LED backlit display that provides full brightness the moment the MacBook comes on. A frameless glass front complements this and makes the widescreen appear larger than its 13.3 inches.
A Mini DisplayPort replaces the Mini DVI and FireWire 400 ports. The Mini DisplayPort provides an easy, plug-and-play connection for an Apple LED Cinema Display, and can show images on both the MacBook and the Cinema Display at the same time. Mini DisplayPort adaptors for VGA, DVI and dual-link DVI connections are available should you need them.
The 2.4GHz MacBook also has another bonus. It now boasts the illuminated keyboard so admired on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
Technology
The new aluminium MacBook is available in two models, the 2.0GHz and the 2.4GHz. Both processors use Intel Core 2 Duo technology with 3MB on-chip shared L2 cache.
The standard models of the previous generation were 2.1GHz and 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duos with the same L2 cache. Both new versions, however, have a 1066MHz system bus, compared to 800MHz. In addition, 2GB of memory is now a standard feature (with the capacity to accept 4GB if you prefer). The hard drives are 160GB Serial ATA at 5,400 rpm for the 2.0GHz, and 250GB for the 2.4GHz. You can increase storage to 320GB or 350GB, and there’s an option of a 128GB solid-state drive.
As for the optical drive, the new MacBooks no longer offer a Combo. Apple has passed this over in favour of the superior 8x slot-loading SuperDrive on both models.
Graphics
The features and technology of the new MacBook all deserve your attention, but one in particular is creating both interest and excitement.
The old MacBook had an Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with the main memory. The new MacBook has an integrated processor that provides up to five times better performance. This graphics powerhouse, the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, is the result of development work between Apple and NVIDIA. It has 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM, and contains 16 parallel processing cores. The result is 3D images that are fast, responsive, and more detailed. The MacBook is now a highly desirable laptop for game players.
Battery
With all these extras to cope with, particularly the graphics processor, you might expect the MacBook’s battery to suffer. On the contrary: the official life of the battery has increased from four and a half to five hours.
Apple has accomplished this by keeping the principle of energy efficiency to the forefront of its thinking. From the MacBook’s screen to the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M processor, the design has incorporated the lowest energy use possible.
Innovation
The developments the MacBook represents are profound. This is a laptop that introduces impressive design, manufacturing, performance, and environmental innovations. It also throws down a gauntlet for other companies to pick up if they choose. In the meantime, the MacBook remains exceptional.
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Im planning on buying a Macbook Air because of its light weight so i can take it everywhere.
But someone was telling me it doesnt have internet connect. Is this true??
And if it is do i have to buy like a broadband connection
Any information about this will be appreciated!
Thanks for your help
Business travelers know that there are two essential factors that need to be considered whenever one is purchasing an ultraportable laptop. The first is that an ultraportable laptop should be small enough to carry around whenever one is traveling, and it should be light enough not to cause physical pain at the end of the day. The second consideration is functionality. Most ultraportable laptops get stripped down to the minimum features as a sacrifice to size and weight, but they should nonetheless help the business traveler work whenever he or she is mobile.
Of all the Apple MacBooks available in the market today, there is no doubt that MacBook Air is the thinnest, sleekest and lightest laptop they have at the moment. Any Apple MacBook enthusiast would find the MacBook Air tempting enough at first glance to shell out a couple of thousand dollars. But if you are thinking of getting yourself one, consider reading first the list below of the ten essential things you need to know before you buy a MacBook Air.
First five on the list are the pros of the MacBook Air.
Core 2 Duo processor. The MacBook Air comes with a repackaged 1.6 GHz Core 2 Duo processor specially made by Intel for the MacBook. Sure, it is visibly slower than most desktops, but it is fast enough to satisfy and it will not cause the MacBook Air to burn your lap.
Backlit LED screen. The MacBook Air may be slim, but you would not have any problems with the width of its LED screen. At 13 inches, this screen is bigger than those of most ultraportable laptops.
Full-sized keyboard. Many laptops have keyboards that are too small to be used. This ultrathin Apple MacBook thankfully did not sacrifice the pleasure of typing on a full-sized keyboard just to shave off a few inches in size.
Fast wireless access. With a good router, the MacBook Air can transfer up to 4 MBps of data, enough to satisfy even speed crunchers.
The Leopard OS. The Apple Macbook’s Leopard OS is considered to be a breakthrough by MacBook users, especially since it supports multi-finger gestures on the touchpad.
Now, for the cons.
Ports. The MacBook Air has only three ports – a USB 2.0 port, a micro-DVI and an input for the headphone.Battery. The MacBook Air does not have a user-replaceable battery, which could be a problem if the user has no access to a main power source. With minimum use, the battery life of this Apple MacBook is only less than three hours.
Disk drive. The disc drive is a slow 80 GB 1.8 inch unit. You can upgrade it to a 64 GB SSD one, though.
Remote Disk. This MacBook does have a Remote Disk to replace an actually drive, but it is only good for installing software, downloading data and reinstalling the OS in case of problems.
Separate SuperDrive. The MacBook Air does have its very own optical USB SuperDrive, but it is sold separately.
Considering buying a MacBook Air? Think on these ten things first before you do and decide for yourself if this Apple Macbook is indeed a good buy.
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The second incarnation of the Apple MacBook Air 13.3 Laptop has changed little since its predecessor was first released in January 2008. It still lacks some essential features like an optical drive and Ethernet port among others. Still, the machine comes with some major positives like its extremely thin profile, the powder-silver finish, the low weight and outstanding build quality.
But don’t dismiss it just yet; the new version of the MacBook Air—like all others in the new MacBook line—now comes with an Nvidia chipset, giving it a significant edge over version 1.0 with its superior graphics capabilities. Although this addition slightly affects the black Macbooks battery time as well as its noise and heat output, it’s a price most techies are willing to pay for this beauty.
Along with that is the Apple MacBook Air 13.3 Laptop’s backlit keyboard with the usual split keys featured on all MacBooks, making it a breeze to type on the device.
You also get Apple’s super-wide multi touch trackpad. Users will find it pleasing to use – having the capability of using a double finger swipe to scroll, tapping two fingers for a right-click and a four-finger swipe for Expose. Applications bundled with OS X are a delight to use with this trackpad.
The bottom line is that the Apple MacBook Air 13.3 Laptop is by no means a desktop replacement. It was never meant to be anyway, so don’t except robust features. There isn’t any optical drive and Ethernet port, only one USB port, a fixed battery and no 3G support. However, aesthetics come at a price and the new MacBook Air 13.3 Laptop certainly does not disappoint. Again, Apple manages to combine elegance and functionality with grace. With its super slim look it’s a must have for every Apple fan and fashion conscious techie out there. Interested? Head down to our Macbook review right now.
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