Just when you were starting to think that all Ultrabooks looked alike, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon has landed on Aussie shores.
And that landing involves a gentle glide, as befits its 1.36kg weight – just one of the advantages of its carbon fibre cladding.
Lenovo is touting the ThinkPad X1 Carbon as the world’s lightest business-grade 14-inch Ultrabook, but without sacrificing robustness and putting the X1 at the mercy of The Gods of Fate, Drops, Clumsiness and other moments when you wish that real life came a 'Ctrl+Z' undo button.
"The X1 exterior cover act as an extra strong roll cage, protecting internal components and the entire chassis from damage" Lenovo asserts. "Similar to previous ThinkPads, the X1 Carbon has passed eight military grade spec tests for heat, cold and dust etc. ensuring it is robust and suitable for a range of environments."
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon also features a backlit spill-resistant keyboard, although the shift towards modern island-style 'chiclet' keys instead of the traditional ThinkPad keyboard will demand some adjustment from loyalists.
Battery life is listed as up to 6.5 hours of battery life with fast recharging to get you back on the road sooner.
Other features include a multi-gesture glass surface touchpad, HD face-tracking webcam, dual array microphones for a better VoIP and videochat experience and claimed 'Dolby-tuned audio for crisp and clear sound'.
IT managers will be more impressed by the standard three-year warranty and the inclusion of Intel vPro technology for corporate-level security and manageability, which helps catapult the X1 into business-class compared to the majority of consumer-oriented Ultrabooks.
On the options menu: a third-generation Intel Core i7 powerplant, up to 8GB of RAM, 3G mobile broadband and a USB 3 dock to boost expansion capabilities.
Prices kick off at $1,589 for the consumer series running Windows 7 Home Premium with a one year warranty, and $1,999 for the business series fitted with Windows 7 Professional and backed by a three year warranty. For more details, head to www.lenovo.com.au.
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
22 Jul 2011
Total posts 96
Nice laptop - shame about the price gouging (compared to US)
Qantas
10 Sep 2011
Total posts 162
To be made redundant by Windows 8? If it doesn't come with a touchscreen now, what's the point?
04 Nov 2010
Total posts 670
Maybe the point is that Windows 8 is not all about touchscreens, that not everyone will want a touchscreen on their laptop, that the target audience is unlikely to care much for the fancy stuff like touch and Win8's new 'Metro' UI, and the fact that very few businesses will jump straight to Win8 anyway, most will stick to 7 if they're not still sitting on Vista.
Qantas
10 Sep 2011
Total posts 162
In the era of BYOD, I would have thought that the attraction of the latest tech, while still being able to the mundane office stuff (invariably over Citrix).
Don't underestimate the combination of touch and keypad. Once you've experienced it, it is hard to go back!
Of course, if management says, "Here's your laptop," that's a completely different story.
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