Lenovo may not be in the good graces of the U.S. State Department at the moment, but it hopes to earn some points with small business users with its new Lenovo 3000 V100 ultraportable laptop system. Starting at just $1,099, the slim 3.9-pound portable will offer a 12.1-inch 1200 by 800 VibrantView reflective widescreen display and either an Intel Core Solo (up to 1.67 GHz) or Core Duo (up to 2.0 GHz) CPU.
The V100 is intended to appeal to small (and very small) business users who don’t normally consider Lenovo’s higher-range ThinkPad models, and combined features normally found in business computers with niceties found in consumer models. For instance, the V100 spots a 5-in-1 multicard reader supporting SD, MMC, XD, MemorySticka and MemoryStick Pro media, along with an Instant-On functionality which enables users to view video and images off removable media without booting into Windows. And on the business side, and optional integrated optical fingerprint reader helps protect confidential data even if the laptop is lost or stolen.
Under the hood, the V100 will support up to 2 GB of RAM, offer hard disks ranging from 40 to 100 GB in capacity, and feature built-in 802.11 a/b/g and 100Base-T Ethernet networking, plus optional Bluetooth wireless technology. The V100s will use Intel’s GMA 950 integrated graphics and they’ll all feature IEEE 1394, VGA output, and three USB 2.0 ports, dual stereo microphones and speakers; select models will also sport an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera. Also on board: built-in 56K V.92 fax modem, mic and headphone jacks, a wireless on/off switch, and either a CD-RW/DVD Combo or DVD Recordable (Dual Layer) optical drive. Again, appealing to the business users: Lenovo Care’s one-button system recovery and automatic updating (can you hear the Feds getting twitchy?) along with the same IBM service and support offered to ThinkPad customers.
