Lenovo launches 13 new laptops, including ThinkPad X200

By Nick Mansell on Wed 16 July 2008

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We were expecting a raft of laptop updates following the release of Intel's new Centrino 2 . Acer has two new models, Sony has four. Raising the stakes just a tad is Lenovo, with 13 new Centrino 2 releases, including the ThinkPad X200. 

The baker's dozen breaks down as four new IdeaPads, a trio of small-to-medium business ThinkPads, called the SL-series, and a further six ThinkPads of the R, T, X and W variety. Full details and a hands-on video of the ThinkPad X200 after the cut.

Much as we'd love to run down the specs of all thirteen, over cofee perhaps, we'll leave the details to the press releases and pluck out the highlights.

First up, you want colour? You got colour. The new IdeaPads come in, among other hues, Indigo blue, Bold black, Crimson red and Valencia orange. That last shade is reserved for the 'Game Zone' versions of the Y710 replacement, the Y730. A 13in utra-thin model, the U330, is also added to the line up along with two mainstream contenders, the Y430 and Y530. All get face recognition security software and other consumer goodies.

Moving on to the ThinkPads, the big news is the new SMB-aimed SL-series, which gets Lenovo's usual business touches, such as finger print recognition and Active Protection System for the hard drive, as well as LED backlit screens and a glossy cover design. The three début models are the 13.3in SL300, the 14.1in SL400 and 15.4in SL500. As an added sweetener, there's an optional service pack with on-line data backup and on-site warranty repair.

The rest of the ThinkPad range - the R400, R500, T400, T500, W500 and 12in X200 - see a smorgasbord of solid state drives, LED backlit displays and GPS options. Like the new Vaios, the T-series also get two graphics flavours built-in – low-power integrated and a more battery-intensive dedicated GPU for switching between as required.

The whole crop are set to start appearing on shelves in the US this autumn, sorry, 'fall'. Pricing and UK availability are all strictly TBA. In the meantime, here's a hands-on video of the X200 and we apologise in advance for the murky, shaky picture quality...

[IdeaPad press release] [ThinkPad press release]