| Lenovo launched the Lenovo 3000 C100, a stylish | | | | like; alas, it lacks the ThinkPad's red, eraser-head |
| widescreen notebook combining popular features | | | | pointing stick. Above the keyboard sits a lonely |
| at an attractive price. The N100 will be available in | | | | mute button--the extent of the C100's dedicated |
| 14.1-inch- and 15.4-inch- wide models. All Lenovo | | | | multimedia controls--and one other button, which |
| 3000 PCs include Lenovo CareSM, a software | | | | summons Lenovo's useful system-management |
| application that helps your computer recover | | | | and help utility. Both the Inspiron E1505 and the |
| from viruses at the touch of a button, update | | | | Pavilion dv4000 have dedicated multimedia |
| itself and enable it to easily connect to wireless | | | | buttons and full external volume controls. |
| networks. | | | | Lenovo 3000 C100 notebook also sports standard |
| Open things up and you really get a feel for how | | | | DVD/CD-RW combo optical drive and has |
| dated this notebook appears. If it wasn't for the | | | | integrated 802.11/b/g wireless network |
| rounded corners, I'd have trouble telling the | | | | connection, a 10/100 Ethernet adapter, built-in 56 |
| difference between this and a six year old | | | | kbps fax/modem and 3-in-1 media card reader. |
| machine. The 4:3 ratio, 1,024 x 768 screens is the | | | | Instant On feature of Lenovo 3000 C100 |
| first indication of this. The quality isn't bad, but it | | | | notebook allows playing MP3s, music CDs, and |
| actually feels like a panel from an old notebook, | | | | DVDs or look at digital photos without having to |
| possibly due to the slightly poor contrast ratio. | | | | boot into Windows XP, and the Express Card 54 |
| Perhaps panel manufacturers are only | | | | slot offering more 'future-proof' upgrades than a |
| concentrating on the widescreen panels now and | | | | traditional PC Card slot or an Express 34 slot. |
| haven't updated 1,024 panels in the past few | | | | Wi-Fi ready Lenovo 3000 C100 notebook PC |
| years. 1,024 x 768 is fine if this is only a | | | | offers four-pin FireWire, four USB 2.0, 3-in-1 digital |
| secondary machine, but if I was using this all day | | | | media reader (SD/MMC/MS), Audio/S-video in, |
| everyday, I would want a little more desktop real | | | | External Display (VGA), External Microphone |
| estate to play with - that said, many notebook | | | | Line-In, Headphone/Line out, IEEE 1394, RJ-11, |
| manufacturers maintain that a large portion of the | | | | RJ-45, and TV/S-Video Out port. |
| customer base still wants this resolution in a large | | | | Lenovo 3000 C100 Features:- |
| physical screen. | | | | * Intel Celeron M Processor 370 * 1.5 GHz, 1 MB |
| The plastic used for the rest of the chassis is a | | | | L2 cache, 400 MHz front-side bus (FSB) * Intel |
| finely pitted dark grey, much like you'd see on the | | | | 915 GM Chipset * 256-MB DDR2 SDRAM, 533 |
| inside of a budget mid-80's car or on a canteen | | | | MHz * 40-GB 5400 rpm 2.5-inch HDD * DVD |
| chair. Despite this apparent roughness, it's actually | | | | CD-RW Combo Drive * 15-inch XGA TFT display, |
| fairly smooth to the touch. The optical drive is | | | | 1024 x 768 resolutions * Intel Graphics Media |
| decorated to match. This is a contrast to the lid | | | | Accelerator 900 (GMA 900) * Integrated 802.11/b |
| which has a smooth silver finish. | | | | g Wireless Network Connection * 56 kbps V.92 |
| ThinkPad laptops generally have excellent | | | | modem/fax * 10/100 Ethernet LAN adapter * |
| keyboards. The C100 isn't a ThinkPad, and it | | | | 3-in-1 media card reader * One ExpressCard/54 |
| doesn't have a ThinkPad keyboard, but what it | | | | slot * Bluetooth 2.0 (optional) * Ports: 4 USB 2.0 |
| does have is pretty good. The keyboard is a bit | | | | ports, 4 pin FireWire, VGA and S-Video ports, |
| more cramped than those on comparable | | | | PCMCIA slot * 8-cell Li-Ion battery, 4.5 hours |
| systems, such as the Pavilion dv4000, but the | | | | backup * Dimension: 265 mm x 360 mm x 32.2 |
| keys are firm, wide, and very comfortable to | | | | mm * Weight: 2.90 Kg |
| type on. The touch pad is a bit small, though, and | | | | Read about Digital Camera Reviews and Mobile |
| the touch-pad buttons don't give as much as we'd | | | | Phone Reviews. |