Lenovo gives MacBook Air a run for its money with a skinny new laptop, the ThinkPad X301. This latest Lenovo offering features both a built-in DVD drive and ethernet jack and a fast low-voltage Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.2GHz processor that make it a strong contender in the ultra-portable space. This sub-3-pound notebook is a direct successor to Lenovo's X300 model, delivering improved performance and a hefty price of $2600.
By comparison, the MacBook Air lacks an optical drive, and to connect to a network via ethernet, you must purchase a $29 USB adapter.
Lenovo will start taking orders for the new ThinkPad X301 on August 26.
The X301 features a 13.3-inch LED backlit display, a one-inch thick frame (MacBook Air is 0.75-inch-thick), and the fast Intel Core 2 Duo processors with 6MB L2 cache and 1066Mhz front side bus.
Lenovo's X301 can support up to 2GB of DDR3 RAM memory and comes in two sizes of solid state drives (SSD), 64GB or 128GB. ThinkPad X300, the previous model, only supported a maximum storage capacity of 64GB.
The ThinkPad X301 includes an additional DisplayPort alongside the existing VGA connection and supports digital output resolutions of 2560x1600 on two external monitors.
Besides the built-in WiFi, the X301 can be customized with built-in HSPA-based 3G modems for AT&T customers, while WiMAX connectivity (probably using Sprint's Xohm network) will be available later on this year.
