Lenovo Announces V100 Ultraportable

By Geoff Duncan Published May 30, 2006

Lenovo Announces V100 Ultraportable

Lenovo may not be in the good graces of the U.S. State Department at the moment, but it hopes to earn some points with small business users with its new Lenovo 3000 V100 ultraportable laptop system. Starting at just $1,099, the slim 3.9-pound portable will offer a 12.1-inch 1200 by 800 VibrantView reflective widescreen display and either an Intel Core Solo (up to 1.67 GHz) or Core Duo (up to 2.0 GHz) CPU.

The V100 is intended to appeal to small (and very small) business users who don’t normally consider Lenovo’s higher-range ThinkPad models, and combined features normally found in business computers with niceties found in consumer models. For instance, the V100 spots a 5-in-1 multicard reader supporting SD, MMC, XD, MemorySticka and MemoryStick Pro media, along with an Instant-On functionality which enables users to view video and images off removable media without booting into Windows. And on the business side, and optional integrated optical fingerprint reader helps protect confidential data even if the laptop is lost or stolen.

Recommended Videos

Under the hood, the V100 will support up to 2 GB of RAM, offer hard disks ranging from 40 to 100 GB in capacity, and feature built-in 802.11 a/b/g and 100Base-T Ethernet networking, plus optional Bluetooth wireless technology. The V100s will use Intel’s GMA 950 integrated graphics and they’ll all feature IEEE 1394, VGA output, and three USB 2.0 ports, dual stereo microphones and speakers; select models will also sport an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera. Also on board: built-in 56K V.92 fax modem, mic and headphone jacks, a wireless on/off switch, and either a CD-RW/DVD Combo or DVD Recordable (Dual Layer) optical drive. Again, appealing to the business users: Lenovo Care’s one-button system recovery and automatic updating (can you hear the Feds getting twitchy?) along with the same IBM service and support offered to ThinkPad customers.

Topics

Lenovo

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

Lenovo ThinkPad deals: Save over $1,000 on the classic laptop

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 3 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

Lenovo is considered one of the best laptop brands out there, and along with the likes of Dell and HP, it offers one of the widest ranges of laptops out there. That said, one of its most well-known lineups is the ThinkPad, which is geared towards business and academic use but still often shows up in our roundups of the best laptops on the market. Luckily, there are some great budget-oriented options that you can check out, which is why we've gone out and collected some of our favorite Thinkpad laptop deals for you below.

That said, if you cant quite find what you're looking for, then be sure to check out the rest of Lenovo's lineup with these Lenovo laptop deals.
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 (Gen 5) — $790 $920 14% off

Computing

Snag Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 laptop with a $1,602 discount

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

While there are a lot of great business laptops on the market, one of the most iconic probably has to be Lenovo's ThinkPad lineup. Of course, they tend to be quite expensive, but luckily, this ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 has a substantial discount of $1,602 directly from Lenovo. That brings it down to $1,957 from its original $3,559, which is substantial, but it is also worth noting that Lenovo tends to overstate the estimated value of the ThinkPad X1 Carbons. That means that the real discount isn't really that high, although the price you end up with is still pretty solid for one of the best laptops on the market when it comes to business needs.

Why you should buy the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 comes with a 14-inch screen, which makes the overall package very small, and with the 2.48-pound weight, it's pretty easy to carry around with you if you travel a lot. The screen runs a solid 1920 x 1200 resolution, but can hit 400 nits of peak brightness, so you can use pretty much anywhere that doesn't include direct sunlight. You'll also appreciate the 1080P FHD IR camera, which is perfect for those who need to have meetings regularly on the go or when working from home.

Computing

Lenovo’s cheap Surface Pro alternative is down to $270

A Lenovo Chromebook Duet at an angle on a white background.

While Microsoft Surface laptops are great, they tend to be quite pricey, especially if you're looking for something a bit more robust, like what some of the best laptops offer. That applies to the Surface Pro as well, and if you want something that's a bit more affordable while offering a similar experience, then this Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 is a great option. In fact, you can snag it for just $270 from Lenovo instead of the usual $420, which saves you a solid $160 in the process.

Why you should buy the Chromebook Duet 3
One great thing about Chromebooks is that they run on ChromeOS, which is a lot lighter than Windows, meaning you don't need as powerful hardware to run it, and that's where the Chromebook Duet 3 shines. In fact, when we got our hands on it, we felt that "this little Chrome OS tablet can handle a surprising range of tasks, falling short of only the most demanding productivity and creative workflows." A lot of that is due to the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor under the hood, which is powerful enough to run this little device while also allowing for pretty much any productivity and day-to-day tasks.