by Cisco Cheng
Lenovo's ThinkPad series has clung to the same corporate look longer than any other in the business, but it could only go so long before customers get the impression that they're buying the same thing over and over again. So how do you redesign something that's considered blasphemy to redesign? Well, you take baby steps. Case in point: the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 ($899 direct). In terms of industrial design, the ThinkPad Edge 13 is a compelling makeover for a laptop that bears the sacred ThinkPad seal. It even dared to alter the prized keyboard while keeping its signature Trackpoint and mouse buttons. As a category, the Edge 13 is a CULV laptop, meaning it carries Intel's ultra low voltage processor and gets you at least 7 hours of battery life. It's a decent entry-level laptop for a small business.
Design
Aside from the black color and the familiar ThinkPad logo, the Edge 13 bears little resemblance to the ThinkPad X301. The lid is trimmed with silver and it's glossy, destined to be laden with finger prints and smudges. A matted black and a red version will be available as well, paring down the unsightly marks. Overall, though, the new design lacks the luxurious appeal of aluminum metals, which can be found in lightweight laptops like the HP ProBook 5310m and ASUS UL30A-A1.
Lenovo's ThinkPad series has clung to the same corporate look longer than any other in the business, but it could only go so long before customers get the impression that they're buying the same thing over and over again. So how do you redesign something that's considered blasphemy to redesign? Well, you take baby steps. Case in point: the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 ($899 direct). In terms of industrial design, the ThinkPad Edge 13 is a compelling makeover for a laptop that bears the sacred ThinkPad seal. It even dared to alter the prized keyboard while keeping its signature Trackpoint and mouse buttons. As a category, the Edge 13 is a CULV laptop, meaning it carries Intel's ultra low voltage processor and gets you at least 7 hours of battery life. It's a decent entry-level laptop for a small business.
Design
Aside from the black color and the familiar ThinkPad logo, the Edge 13 bears little resemblance to the ThinkPad X301. The lid is trimmed with silver and it's glossy, destined to be laden with finger prints and smudges. A matted black and a red version will be available as well, paring down the unsightly marks. Overall, though, the new design lacks the luxurious appeal of aluminum metals, which can be found in lightweight laptops like the HP ProBook 5310m and ASUS UL30A-A1.
At 3.9 pounds, the Edge 13 weighs about the same as the ASUS UL30A-A1 (3.9 lbs) and HP 5310m (3.8 lbs). The Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T (3.6 lbs) and Dell Vostro V13 (3.6 lbs) are lighter and measure less than an inch thick (the Edge 13's dimensions are slightly thicker at 12.9-by-9-by-1.1 inches, HWD). A 13-inch widescreen is the common denominator among this group, and the one on the Edge 13 is generic at best in that its resolution tops out at 1,366-by-768—like the rest of them. Upgrading to a class-act like the Lenovo ThinkPad X301, on the other hand, bumps the maximum resolution to 1,440-by-900.
Features
The keyboard is perhaps the ThinkPad's most celebrated feature, and changing it would be considered sacrilegious to some. Apparently, that's exactly what Lenovo did with the Edge line, although the actual typing experience might surprise you. The Edge 13 adopts the island-style layout made popular by the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch, and used in consumer ultra-low voltage (CULV) CPU-equipped laptops like the Acer AS3810T and ASUS UL30A-1—and it's the best one yet.
The keys are isolated from one other, but they're large enough so that it doesn't feel like typing on little squares. Each key cap is curved and raised high enough so that the ThinkPad "feeling" is still there, once you get past the new look. The transition is made even easier by bringing over the original ThinkPad navigating experience. So, yes, the signature red pointing stick and soft mouse buttons are present, as well as the additional touchpad and another pair of mouse buttons.
The Edge 13's feature set isn't better or worse than any other CULV or small business laptop. Like its peers, it doesn't have an internal optical drive, which isn't necessarily a flaw. I'm a big proponent of getting of rid it in lightweight form factors. The Lenovo X301, if you choose to upgrade, has one built-in. The three USB ports, VGA, Ethernet, and multimedia card reader are all present. The HDMI-port lets users stream their presentations and videos to an external display that supports the format. It also has an option for WiMax through Intel, and embedded 3G, with Qualcomm's Gobi wireless.
Features
The keyboard is perhaps the ThinkPad's most celebrated feature, and changing it would be considered sacrilegious to some. Apparently, that's exactly what Lenovo did with the Edge line, although the actual typing experience might surprise you. The Edge 13 adopts the island-style layout made popular by the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch, and used in consumer ultra-low voltage (CULV) CPU-equipped laptops like the Acer AS3810T and ASUS UL30A-1—and it's the best one yet.
The keys are isolated from one other, but they're large enough so that it doesn't feel like typing on little squares. Each key cap is curved and raised high enough so that the ThinkPad "feeling" is still there, once you get past the new look. The transition is made even easier by bringing over the original ThinkPad navigating experience. So, yes, the signature red pointing stick and soft mouse buttons are present, as well as the additional touchpad and another pair of mouse buttons.
The Edge 13's feature set isn't better or worse than any other CULV or small business laptop. Like its peers, it doesn't have an internal optical drive, which isn't necessarily a flaw. I'm a big proponent of getting of rid it in lightweight form factors. The Lenovo X301, if you choose to upgrade, has one built-in. The three USB ports, VGA, Ethernet, and multimedia card reader are all present. The HDMI-port lets users stream their presentations and videos to an external display that supports the format. It also has an option for WiMax through Intel, and embedded 3G, with Qualcomm's Gobi wireless.
Performance
The Edge 13 is one of the few laptops that are not launching with Intel's latest "Arrandale" platform, which will have processor names like Core i7, Core i5, and Core i3. Instead, it uses a previous generation CULV platform, complete with an Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 (1.3GHz), 4GB of RAM, and integrated graphics. These processors are slightly slower, but what you lose in speed, you'll gain back in battery efficiency. The UL30A-A1, Dell Vostro V13, and Acer Timeline AS3810T follow the same processor principles, as they use similar Ultra Low Voltage processors.
The Edge 13 fared the worst in PCMark Vantage, an overall performance benchmark test, scoring just 2,338 points. Its video encoding and Cinebench R10 scores were in line with that of the ASUS UL30A-A1, but trailed the Acer AS3810T by a significant margin. The ProBook 5310m, on the other hand, uses a standard voltage processor (Intel Core 2 Duo SP9300), so it took the middle ground, favoring both speed and battery life and therefore dominated in speed tests.
With CULV laptops, battery life is the biggest claim to fame. Although the Edge 13's 63WH (6-cell) scored almost 7 hours (6:58) in MobileMark 2007 tests, it came up well short against the ASUS UL30A-A1 (10:27) and ASUS A3810T (8:39). The Edge 13 did beat the 5310m (5:18), though, since it uses a more energy efficient processor and a bigger battery.
Since Lenovo's acquisition of the ThinkPad brand, it hasn't launched another line with the ThinkPad moniker until now. The ThinkPad Edge 13 lives up to its namesake's typing and navigating experience, though its shiny plastics aren't as classy as the metals found in the HP ProBook 5310m and the Asus UL30A-A1. And while 7 hours of battery life is commendable, other CULVs are scoring in the 8-10 hour range and selling for less. It's still a solid buy, though, if you can snag it for less than its listed price ($899). Otherwise, go with the HP 5310m or ASUS UL30A-A1.
The Edge 13 is one of the few laptops that are not launching with Intel's latest "Arrandale" platform, which will have processor names like Core i7, Core i5, and Core i3. Instead, it uses a previous generation CULV platform, complete with an Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 (1.3GHz), 4GB of RAM, and integrated graphics. These processors are slightly slower, but what you lose in speed, you'll gain back in battery efficiency. The UL30A-A1, Dell Vostro V13, and Acer Timeline AS3810T follow the same processor principles, as they use similar Ultra Low Voltage processors.
The Edge 13 fared the worst in PCMark Vantage, an overall performance benchmark test, scoring just 2,338 points. Its video encoding and Cinebench R10 scores were in line with that of the ASUS UL30A-A1, but trailed the Acer AS3810T by a significant margin. The ProBook 5310m, on the other hand, uses a standard voltage processor (Intel Core 2 Duo SP9300), so it took the middle ground, favoring both speed and battery life and therefore dominated in speed tests.
With CULV laptops, battery life is the biggest claim to fame. Although the Edge 13's 63WH (6-cell) scored almost 7 hours (6:58) in MobileMark 2007 tests, it came up well short against the ASUS UL30A-A1 (10:27) and ASUS A3810T (8:39). The Edge 13 did beat the 5310m (5:18), though, since it uses a more energy efficient processor and a bigger battery.
Since Lenovo's acquisition of the ThinkPad brand, it hasn't launched another line with the ThinkPad moniker until now. The ThinkPad Edge 13 lives up to its namesake's typing and navigating experience, though its shiny plastics aren't as classy as the metals found in the HP ProBook 5310m and the Asus UL30A-A1. And while 7 hours of battery life is commendable, other CULVs are scoring in the 8-10 hour range and selling for less. It's still a solid buy, though, if you can snag it for less than its listed price ($899). Otherwise, go with the HP 5310m or ASUS UL30A-A1.
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