By Michelle Thatcher
09/08/2007
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050488,41014946p,00.htm

In our minds, there are ultraportables such as the ThinkPad X61s, and there are "bulky ultraportables", laptops that incorporate the hefty feature set of a thin-and-light in a case bordering on ultraportable in size. The Lenovo 3000 V200 is one of the latter, and it's the first of the bulky ultraportables to incorporate Intel's latest Centrino Duo platform. With those fresh components, the V200 posted some modest performance gains over the previous generation, though it took a small hit on battery life. Otherwise, the Lenovo 3000 V200 is much like its V100 predecessor, providing all the features you'll need for work (and some play) in a highly portable package. Plus, it's still less expensive than the Dell XPS M1210, making it a solid choice for small businesses that want the benefits of Centrino Duo (including an 800MHz front-side bus) and also don't want to skimp on features.

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some of other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia. Please check directly with your local distributor for details.

Design
The Lenovo 3000 V200 is a bit larger than the Dell XPS M1210. There are certainly lighter laptops on the market (including Lenovo's own ThinkPad X61s), but the V200 is reasonably portable for regular travel.

Like the XPS M1210, the Lenovo 3000 V200 features a 12.1-inch wide-screen display with a sharp 1,280 x 800 native resolution. The screen includes a glossy finish that's great for watching movies but can become distractingly reflective in bright environments (there is no option for a matte finish). A 1.3-megapixel Webcam is built into the display bezel, making it useful for Web video conferencing from the road.

	The Lenovo 3000 V200 is not exactly the thinnest ultraportable in the market. (Click for larger image)

Corresponding to the V200's wide-aspect display is a wide comfortable keyboard that harkens back to the laptop's ThinkPad lineage. Like all Lenovo 3000 laptops, the V200's touchpad feels a bit small, though the touchpad buttons are amply sized. Next to the touchpad sits a tiny fingerprint reader, which lets you securely logon to your computer, network and favorite Web sites with just the swipe of a finger. Above the keyboard are three handy external volume controls and a button to launch Lenovo's MediaNow application (the extent of the V200's dedicated multimedia controls), plus a button that summons the useful Lenovo Care system management and help utility. Along the front edge, two speakers emit hollow but passable sound, while the right edge of the case holds a handy hardware on/off switch for the system's built-in Wi-Fi radio.

Features
In part because of its bulky size, the Lenovo 3000 V200 includes a few more ports and connections than you'd find on a typical ultraportable. The S$3,000 Dell XPS M1210, however, has one more USB port, an S-video connector, an extra headphone jack, and WWAN connectivity, making it a bit more well-rounded than the Lenovo when it comes to entertainment features.

Performance And Battery Life
The Lenovo 3000 V200 is available in two fixed configurations; our review unit was built on Intel's latest Centrino Duo platform and included a midrange 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 processor. The platform update produced modest gains on the Multitasking and Office productivity portions of CNET Labs' mobile benchmarks, where the V200 pulled slightly ahead of the Dell XPS M1210, as well as its predecessor, the V100. We were a bit disappointed that the V200 posted the same score as the XPS M1210 (and its previous-generation platform) on our Photoshop test, though it's more or less an academic distinction that we're willing to overlook considering the Lenovo's much lower price. For typical business use, the Lenovo 3000 V200 clearly packs an impressive amount of bang for the buck.









The updated platform gave the Lenovo 3000 V200 no boost in battery life. In fact, at 2 hours 16 minutes, the V200's battery life was 12 minutes shorter than that of its predecessor, the V100, and 3 minutes behind the Toshiba Satellite U205-S5057. Our DVD battery drain test is rather resource-intensive and you can expect longer life during typical Windows use. The Dell XPS M1210, equipped with a nine-cell extended battery, held out for 3 hours 49 minutes on our tests.


System configurations:
Lenovo 3000 V200
Windows Vista Business Edition; 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo T7300; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 128MB Mobile Intel 965GM Express; 120GB Hitachi 5,400rpm

Lenovo 3000 V100
Windows Vista Business Edition; 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo T7200; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 32MB Mobile Intel 945GM Express; 100GB Hitachi 5,400rpm

Dell XPS M1210
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition: 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 256MB nVidia GeForce Go 7400; 120GB Hitachi 5,400rpm

Service And Support
The laptop comes with one-year international carry-in warranty at the Lenovo service center. For Singapore users, an alternative to making a trip to the service center is to send it via the postal service for free during the warranty period. On Lenovo's support Web site, you can register your warranty after which the site will automatically detect your machine configuration and offer the appropriate support. A knowledge database is available for simple troubleshooting. Updated drivers, manuals and software upgrades can be downloaded as well. If the issue requires a professional assistance, a telephone helpline is available during working hours from Monday to Friday which will dispatch a technician onsite if required.