Lenovo’s unveils the ThinkPad Edge and the ThinkPad X100e for the SMB market
In a move to capture more of the SMB market, Lenovo today, has unveiled two new laptops. In a press conference where they talked about their strategy for the SMB sector, they declared their intent to fill the holes in their range of offering to get better traction in India.
One of their new laptops will form the first of a newly announced series – the ThinkPad Edge will cater to this SMB market, and will lie in between their consumer and enterprise offerings. The other newly launched model, the ThinkPad X100e is targeted towards business users.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Edge
Lenovo believes that to gain a good foothold in India they need to capture more of the SMB market, and the Edge series is a stepping tool towards that.
The Edge series unfortunately does not come with anything innovative to grab attention. While it does fill the gaps it doesn’t bring anything new to the table vis-a-vis its competitors. That said, it may still play out to be a successful series since it brings more choice to the table from Lenovo.
The series starts at Rs. 34,000 for a computer running Windows 7 Starter — one would have expected the Business version — and with an AMD Turion X2 processor. It will offer a range of connectivity options, with WiFi, and optionally Bluetooth, 3G, WiMax and a GPS.
The first model to launch will have a 13. 3-inch screen, with 14-inch and 15-inch models to follow; 4GB of RAM, 250GB to 500GB HDD and a 4- or 6-cell battery giving it a life of 3.7 to 8.9hrs (depending on the combination of battery and processor). The bigger screen models of ThinkPad Edge will also feature an illuminated keypad for those late night reports.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X100e
This new laptop targeted towards business users, will come with a choice in AMD processors, 4GB (maximum) RAM, 160/250/320 GB HDD with 3- or 6-cell battery giving you two or five hours respectively.
This is an ultraportable laptop with an 11.6-inch screen and wireless connectivity with WiFi and optionally Bluetooth and 3G as well.
Both these laptops feature a multitouch touchpad to go with Windows 7, and a new keyboard layout which eliminates keys which are barely used (such as SysRq) and offers a full-size keyboard in the limited form factor. The keyboard is also spill resistant.
While the new offerings might offer a good package overall, their pricing is still not very competitive. Especially considering that the laptops come with the functionality challenged Starter edition. After they showcased a slew of products during CES this year, we were expecting better.