The VAR Guy

You may have heard of crossover vehicles, but you probably haven’t heard of the crossover PC. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 laptop is designed to blend business and play, while being thin and super-efficient. Lenovo is aiming the new laptop at the “business professional” who “demands the best in performance, mobility and entertainment.” Sound like your kind of PC? Read on for the tech specs and my personal hardware analysis …

Backlit keyboard, fast-charging batteries, stylishly thin, Gorilla Glass screen, 3G wireless options and Dolby Home Theater sound. What’s not to like about the X1? Weighing in at 3.7 pounds, it’s available with your choice of Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor, and features a built-in battery that charges to 80 percent in just 30 minutes. If you’re looking to get more than the rated five hours of battery life, Lenovo sells an “external slice” battery that plugs into the bottom, bumping you up to 10 hours of work time.

But the Lenovo goodies don’t stop there. The company has addressed some key complaints, including my own, about its keyboard layouts, and has removed the unneeded legacy buttons such as “SysRq” to make room for more useful multimedia buttons. HDMI is available, with Intel Wireless Display built-in. A fingerprint reader adorns the device, which compliments the multitouch trackpad. Of course, like all Lenovo computers, the X1 comes with the Lenovo Enhanced Experienced 2.0 for speedy startup and shutdown.

It’s a nice setup, with quality innovation. But there are a few hiccups.

The X1 is being billed as a super-thin workhorse, but Lenovo gets a bit disingenuous, claiming “… as the thinnest ThinkPad, the ThinkPad X1 laptop measures less than 17mm.” Wow. But, I could tell you at my thinnest, I measure the width of a human hair — and I’m not splitting hairs. (Even Engadget pointed out the X1 is actually thicker than a few older ThinkPads when the external battery is attached.)

Drawbacks for some may include lower resolution of the screen (1366×768), and the fact that it’s glossy, making reflections inevitable. Also, to reiterate, the device weighs 3.7 pounds. It’s a ‘crossover’ computer, so keep the size in mind if you’re shopping online and comparing.

If you’re ready to jump in and take the plunge, the X1 is available now, and starts at $1,399.

The X1 is available to resell and would be ideal for a C-level executive on the go, or a mobile worker in the IT department. For a good balance between mobility and muscle, the X1 delivers. Lenovo goes too far in calling the X1 an ultra ‘thin’ mobile machine, so if your highest priority is getting the thinnest computer you can, this isn’t the computer for you.

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