CONSUMER
Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X300
23-05-2008
by Emmet Ryan
Lenovo's ThinkPad X300 may be durable and lightweight, but could it beat the ENN coffee challenge? Check out our exclusive video to find out.
The Chinese PC and laptop maker told this reviewer in Paris in February that the X300 could withstand a coffee spill. ENN decided to put this to the test at a secret location in deepest Ranelagh.
As you can see, it's Coffee 1, ThinkPad 0. But there's more to a laptop test than just pouring liquids over it. These machines have functions too. In the fortnight before the ENN test model of the X300 fell at the final hurdle, it was put through its paces in a series of other examinations.
This version of the ThinkPad promised a maximum battery life of 7 hours; an alternate model without a DVD drive promised up to 10 hours of battery life.
Those figures can only be reached if users treat the machine really, really well and have no power-intensive applications open. So rather than go all frugal, we decided to run it at the normal Energy Star setting and to see how far into the 'Bourne' trilogy, which has a total runtime of around six hours, it could get.
'The Bourne Identity', runtime of 1 hour 59 minutes, was a breeze. Most laptops would be dead before a movie of this length rolled unless set to the optimum power saving setting, so this part of the performance was impressive.
The party ended 15 minutes into 'The Bourne Supremacy', however. Despite this premature failure the battery performance has to be deemed a success. (In case you're wondering, yes, the trilogy was finished eventually, with the help of the plug.)
On a portability scale the laptop is second to none. The term lightweight is not fair as it understates the awesomeness of the X300. Put it this way, with a normal laptop, the odds are that a good blow to the head would concuss the victim. With the X300 such an attack would be unlikely to merit so much as a slight yelp of "Ouch". A laptop this light isn't so much suitable for business users that travel a lot as it is mandatory.
Usability is a matter of taste. The keyboard is necessarily small considering the light weight of the X300. For business users that have experience with fun size keyboards it shouldn't be an issue, but first-time entrants in the business laptop market will definitely need a few days to get used to the size.
The Lenovo ThinkPad has an RRP of EUR2,520 including VAT. It's durable and it's lightweight, but it's best kept away from cappuccino.
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