CNET Asia Review

Lenovo, the company that bought IBM's ThinkPad business last year, has developed an alternative brand of desktop PCs and laptops designed to "address the needs of small-business customers" at a cheaper starting price point than most ThinkPad models. The first two laptop offerings under the Lenovo 3000 umbrella include the C100 (starting at S$2,462.25 (US$1,783.08)) and the N100 (starting at S$2,006.55 (US$1,453.07)).

Our S$2,462.25 (US$1,783.08) C100 test unit delivered an average combination of components but solid performance for the price. The battery life was excellent, though the C100 isn't the most portable laptop around. That said, if we had S$2,500 (US$1,810.41) to spend on a laptop, we'd opt for a better configured Intel Core Duo-based Dell Inspiron 6400, which lists for S$1,447.95 (US$1,048.56). If you're set on a Lenovo 3000 laptop and have a few hundred dollars to spare, we recommend the N100: A S$2,567.25 (US$1,859.11) configuration includes a 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo processor, while our S$3,027.15 (US$2,192.16) test unit's 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo processor delivered considerably more power than the C100, though far less battery time.

Design
Silver on the outside, dark gray on the inside, the C100 is less sleek and a bit boxier than the N100. Depending on how you configure it, the C100 weighs about 2.8kg and runs almost 277.5mm deep, slightly more than 333.6mm wide, and 33.8mm thick; its very small AC adapter brings the total weight to 3.13kg. Like the N100, it strides the line between thin-and-light and midsize; many laptops are around that are more portable than either of these Lenovo systems, but the C100 is light enough for occasional travel and movement around the home or the office. The Inspiron 6400 also weighs 2.8kg and is a bit wider to accommodate its wider display.

ThinkPad laptops generally have excellent keyboards. The C100 isn't a ThinkPad, and it doesn't have a ThinkPad keyboard, but what it does have is pretty good. The keyboard is a bit more cramped than those on comparable systems, such as the Pavilion dv4000, but the keys are firm, wide, and very comfortable to type on. The touch pad is a bit small, though, and the touch-pad buttons don't give as much as we'd like; alas, it lacks the ThinkPad's red, eraser-head pointing stick. Above the keyboard sits a lonely mute button--the extent of the C100's dedicated multimedia controls--and one other button, which summons Lenovo's useful system-management and help utility. Both the Inspiron E6400 and the Pavilion dv4000 have dedicated multimedia buttons and full external volume controls.

Features
Our C100 test unit's 15-inch standard-aspect display, featuring a 1,024 x 768 XGA native resolution, looked unremarkable; we much prefer the wide-aspect displays that are found on many laptops, including the Pavilion dv4000 and the Inspiron E1505. The C100's stereo speakers are poor, delivering exceedingly tinny and soft audio.

When it comes to ports and connections, the C100 offers a standard assortment for the price. You get four USB 2.0 ports; one four-pin FireWire port; headphone and microphone jacks; a slot for a Type II PC Card; a 3-in-1 medi  card reader; and VGA and S-Video outputs. Networking connections include 10/100 Ethernet, modem, 802.11a/b/g wireless, and optional Bluetooth; a handy switch on the left edge turns all wireless radios on and off. Our unit came configured with CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive. About the only entry level connection missing is an ExpressCard slot, which is included on both the Pavilion dv4000 and the Inspiron E1505; the C100 also lacks those systems' capacity to play CDs, DVDs, and other digital media without booting Windows first. The C100's software bundle includes Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Symantec Norton Internet Security with 90 days of updates, a few disc-burning apps, and a number of homegrown connectivity and backup utilities.

Performance And Battery Life
Our S$2,532.60 (US$1,834.02) test unit, the midrange configuration of the C100, was equipped with a basic set of components, including a 1.5GHz Intel Celeron processor, 512MB of 266MHz RAM, integrated Intel graphics, and an 40GB hard drive spinning at 5,400rpm. A base configuration Inspiron 6400 included a latest-generation Intel Core Duo processor and 80GB hard drive for about S$1,000 (US$724.17) less. The C100 turned in a decent score on CNET Labs' benchmarks, performing as well as other laptops with similar Celeron processors. Our C100 test unit shipped with a standard, eight-cell battery that lasted more than 5 hours in our drain tests--very respectable and considerably ahead of other Celeron-configured systems we've seen.

Mobile application performance  (Longer bars indicate better performance)

BAPCo MobileMark 2002 performance rating

Acer TravelMate 2355

193 

Lenovo 3000 C100

186 

Battery life  (Longer bars indicate longer battery life)

BAPCo MobileMark 2002 battery life in minutes

Lenovo 3000 C100

313 

Acer TravelMate 2355

121 

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