Mainstream ThinkPads Getting Sandy Bridge CPUs
ThinkPads getting refreshed in April.

Lenovo has launched its AMD Zacate-based ThinkPad X120e, which is a great low-cost roadwarrior machine.
For those looking at a more full-sized affair, however, Lenovo also announced teo new laptops for small-to-medium business users (and those who just love ThinkPads) that are packing the new Sandy Bridge family of CPUs.
The 12.5-inch E220s measures less than one inch thick and weighs less than 3.5 pounds. The slightly larger 14-inch E420s starts at just one-inch and four pounds. They both feature metal accents that frame the black, soft-matte exterior.

The ThinkPad Edge E220s and E420s laptops have a new feature called Enhanced Experience 2.0, which Lenovo boasts is an exclusive technology for rapid boot up times into Windows 7. The technology speeds up boot time by 30 percent on select models with Rapid Drive, which uses an SSD for faster boot speed. Lenovo also optimized the preload, drivers and BIOS for speedy start up.
The ThinkPad Edge E220s and E420s will be available beginning in April at approximately $899 and $749, respectively.
I might grab one when the time is right, haven't made a review in ages..
It still rated for military use due to design. Still has the light, the liquid pass-thru for the keyboard (protects the computer), crash-cage on the inside and crash-cage on 14" and smaller notebooks.
The Edge is their "modern" mid-range series, no crash cage - semi-island style keys. The L-series (Lame) still has an old-style keyboard, but not the ThinkPad layout.
This is only true for desktops, for the mobile space the stuff already announced is the best available.
That's a pretty dumb statement considering there are Sandy bridge CPU's in the i7 line...
Besides that, performance wise SB CPU's beat similarly priced Nehalems across the board, and trades blows with the top of the line i7-980x's.
ThinkPads are not built like HPaqs, Gateways, Acers... The pricing in this article is typical of a low-mid range Model. You can still easily spend $2000~4000 for a top end model (Quad core CPU, Drawing pad built in, dual-screens, etc).
The $700~800 HPs at Best buy are okay... but I'd rather spend the extra $200 on a much tougher notebook, Win7Pro, vastly enhanced WIFI (trust me - there a places where a typical notebook won't work, but a high end ThinkPad does), Crash cage and very important... the KEYBOARD. But I'm refering to a T or W series keyboard.
L Keyboards have a fine shape, but not the serious layout... Edge has somewhat modernized keys...
I *HEAR* you on that one. Lenovo vastly improved the ThinkPad layout, but they went OLD-SCHOOL on the CTRL-Fn keys in order to "not upset the older customers"?! The fn-CTRL layout has ALWAYS sucked. There have been worse! Until recently, Toshiba stuck the CTRL key at the top, near the + key... while the stupid Fn was in the left corner.
At least, all new ThinkPads have a BIOS switch for the CTRLFn... the only thing that throws me off on that, is my own ThinkPad is a few years old and using someone elses new model requires I remember... but its worth it.
Editing Fail.