New ThinkPads; X200s And X200t Tablet PC

By Steve Seguin
published

Two new ThinkPads have been announced by Lenovo Thursday- the lightweight X200s and the X200t tablet PC.

Lenovo officially announced two new ThinkPads Thursday, introducing the X200t and the X200s notebook. The X200t is a convertible tablet PC and it will be replacing the older ThinkPad X61t. Although the X200t is claimed to be lighter than the X61t, it still manages to be a bit heavy weighing in at 3.6-pounds.

The ThinkPad X200t features a WXGA 12.1-inch display with an LED-backlit option. The screen can be swiveled in both directions and can be used along with a digitizer pen, which is included. Touch input is available as an option, although it is not a capacitative touch one. The system uses Intel’s GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics, which should be enough for most users. As for processing power, the X200t is available with Intel’s low-voltage and ultra-low-voltage Core 2 Duo processors, maxing out with the 1.86 GHz SL9400. The system is limited to 4 GB of DDR3 RAM and has an optional 128 GB SSD option. Battery life is rather impressive, with the four cell battery reaching 4.4-hours and the eight cell battery achieving 10.3-hours.

The X200t is available with a host of communication features, such as gigabit Ethernet, integrated WWAN, GPS, UWB, Bluetooth 2.0 and WiMAX. An optical drive is available with the use of the X200 UltraBase, also newly announced by Lenovo. Unfortunately for some, there is no trackpad on the X200t, having instead that famous little red nub in the center of the keyboard. The ThinkPad X200t will have a price starting at $2,323 and it should be available sometime next week.

As for the X200s, it is about as thin as a ThinkPad X300 notebook, weighs a light 2.43-pounds and can achieve 13.2-hours of battery life with the optional eight cell battery. System specifications are similar to that of the X200t, including a choice of Intel low-voltage and ultra-low-voltage processors, a maximum of 4 GB of RAM and a 12.1-inch display. An LED-backlit option is available, as well as a higher WXGA+ resolution display. The ThinkPad X200s has a price starting at $2,242 and it will be available next week.

Steve Seguin
5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • ossie
    "capacitative touch"
    TH writers come up with new and innovative techie terms.
    Touch my capacitator... please
    Reply
  • SrSketch
    I noted the "... a bit heavy weighing in at 3.6-pounds" comment wondered what full capacity Tablets he has found or personally used which were significantly lighter. The author obviously simply picked up the news feed and is regurgitating information with little real world experience in this topic. I expected more from Tom's. At slightly more weight, the X61 was considered lightweight for what it is, comparing favorably with the Fujitsu equivalent models and even the Motion LE 1600/LE 1700 slates. Yes, it would be wonderful if they could all be thinner and lighter, but for whatever reasons, it seems that the others in this field are all running neck and neck. Why can't they (whoever "they" is, LOL) come out with something like the Toshiba Portege R500 which starts at 2.4 lbs with a true transflective screen but with the better "business class" build quality found in the Lenovo products. Allowing for some extra weight to stiffen it up, something svelte like that at (say) 2.5 lbs. would be welcomed. Still, for the current crop, the X200t is a move in the right direction, embracing the new Intel SSD, Centrino 2 and the other improvements meant to address the concerns of real world users - reasonable processing power, reliability in the field and considerably better battery life. Bravo to Lenovo from a long time Tablet PC user, developer and reseller! For more info on mobility type products, sites like GottaBeMobile and jkOnTheRun are recommended. No, I do not work for them, LOL.
    Reply
  • theyre good but arent they a bit expensive

    http://www.mobile-computing-news.co.uk
    Reply
  • kittle
    expensive yes.
    but you get what you pay for. My think pad is 6 years old and still runs fine.
    Reply
  • deceneu
    @ SrSketch

    you said: "the better "business class" build quality found in the Lenovo products"

    on what planet do you leave mate? quality build in LENOVO?????????
    they build ABSOLUTE RUBISH, and after they bought the IBM laptop division they are also ruining the thinkpad series, what a shame, I have worked at work with numerous old school Thinkpads, made by IBM, and I finally bought a personal thinkpad, a NEW one made by Lenovo, what a disappointment, everything is DOWN, going from the materials used, like VERY CHEAP PLASTICS, to the lack of ruggedness; those lenovo bastards are ruining the best brand for laptops, someone PLEASE shot them.

    @ kittle
    please dont compare 6 years old GOD-like hardware made by IBM with the current rubbish made by Lenovo.
    Reply