Lenovo ThinkPad X300
Like any ultra-portable notebook, there are a few compromises in the design which is meant to enhance battery life at the expense of all-out power, and is a typical trade-off in this category. It starts with the CPU, which is a low-voltage Core 2 Duo running at 1.2GHz. It also comes with a 64GB solid-state hard drive, and unfortunately there’s no option to configure it with a higher-capacity mechanical drive.
Aside from those specs, the rest of the notebook is as full-featured as you would expect a flagship notebook to be. Lenovo hasn’t skimped one bit on features and includes three USB 2.0 ports, headphone and mic jacks, a Gigabit Ethernet port, optical drive, VGA-out, 1.3MP webcam and a switch to disable all wireless radios. There are no expansion slots however, such as an ExpressCard port, nor are there any slots for removable media.
Wireless Coverage
Speaking of wireless, it seems Lenovo shares Apple’s vision of a wireless future, but Lenovo has taken it to the next level by including every possible wireless option known to man, including onboard Intel Wi-Fi that supports legacy G speeds as well as the faster N standard. The system also supports Bluetooth, and has an internal Verizon Wireless broadband card as well. The wireless broadband isn’t free of course, and you have to sign up for 2 years paying either $39.95 a month for 50MB of data usage or $59.95 for 5GB.
Ultra-portable
Tipping the scales at a mere 2.9lbs., the X300 is certainly very light, but that doesn’t mean it’s a feathery notebook that will crack the first time it falls out of one’s laptop bag. Lenovo has designed the X300 to not only be easily portable but also rugged enough to withstand the rigors of frequent travel. It uses a roll-cage that wraps around the chassis, and features a magnesium chassis for increased strength. Internally it features carbon and glass fiber to reduce weight without sacrificing ruggedness.
