Hasta La Gadget!

If you need evidence that the Ultrabook fad isn’t impressing everybody, look no further than our inboxes. More than a few of you have been inquiring about the Lenovo IdeaPad U400, the 14-inch big brother to the IdeaPad U300s. And we think we understand why. Starting at a more palatable price of $800, it offers the same understated design as the U300s, except it brings an extra inch of screen real estate, along with an optical drive and discrete graphics. The best of both worlds, right? Beauty and a little more brawn? Not exactly. Though it looks the same, the U400 trades various components, starting with the storage disk and continuing on to the touchpad drivers. (Specs, schmecs, are we right?) So how much of a difference does this new set of innards make? Meet us past the break to find out.

Continue reading Lenovo IdeaPad U400 review

Lenovo IdeaPad U400 review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Raymond, who seems to have the ultraportable itch. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“Hey, what’s the best thin 11- to 13-inch laptop for portability? I need to bring it everywhere but it has to be light!”

Light. Light like that question. The world of ultrabooks is about to crack itself wide open, but if you’re not looking to wait, what’s the best non-netbook in the 11- to 13-inch category? Anyone have a particular rig that they’ve fallen for? Chime in below!

Ask Engadget: best ‘real’ 11- to 13-inch laptop, with a focus on thin? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Sep 2011 22:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Strip out the old E-350 Zacate APU from MSI’s thin-and-light X370, replace it with a brand new 1.65GHz E-450 Llano engine with around 20 percent higher CPU and graphics benchmarks, and what do you get? The X370-205US, that’s what, or equally the 206US white variant. The 13-incher just popped up at Amazon and Newegg with exactly the same $579 price tag as its vanquished predecessor, the same 1366×768 resolution, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, up to ten hours’ stamina and an easy-going 3.11 pound weight that will only hurt your chiropractor.

MSI X370 with AMD E-450 upgrade arrives stateside originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 06:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The unchallenged reign of the MacBook Air on the thin-and-light domain is nearing an end — the Ultrabooks are coming, and the Lenovo U300s looks to be one of the strongest competitors we’ve yet seen. It’s a new entry to the IdeaPad lineup, the thinnest and lightest of a redesigned and reborn U Series that will also include the slightly stockier 13.3-inch U300 and the even bigger but even more serious 14-inch U400. All three are shipping in October, and we recently got a chance to try out the tiny trio. Read on for full details and our full impressions.

Continue reading Lenovo announces U300s Ultrabook, U300 and U400 IdeaPads, we go hands-on (video)

Lenovo announces U300s Ultrabook, U300 and U400 IdeaPads, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We didn’t have a great deal of info about this ultraportable when we went hands-on at Computex 2011, but we knew we liked its thin bezel and Air-like (though plastic) design. LG has now revealed the final specs and also announced it’ll launch the P220 in Korea this month and in Europe shortly afterwards. The Core i7 that powered the model we saw previously has been switched out for a Core i5, but unfortunately this doesn’t seem to have done a great deal for battery life, which LG says is around the 5.5-hour mark. In terms of ports, there’s nothing faster than USB 2.0, and the color range will put some people off too: white pearl, pink pearl or blue pearl, and definitely no lobster red. There is some good news though: that slimline bezel surrounds a full 12.5-inch IPS widescreen display despite the smaller chasis, with a claimed viewing arc of 178-degrees. Crucially, weight comes in at just under three pounds and the waistline is a mere 0.82-inches. LG hasn’t revealed pricing yet, but the company will need to keep a close eye on the forthcoming Ultrabook range if it’s to stand a fighting chance.

LG P220 ultraportable specs and shipping date revealed, still no price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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