Lenovo’s Thinkpad series of notebooks are known for their built in quality and reliability. When Lenovo bought the Thinkpad from IBM they improved on an already excellent laptop designed for business users. Personally I have been using Thinkpads since I got my first one, an A30, in 2000 and still use one today.

The latest version the X1 fells like a new slimmer version of a Thinkpad weighing in at only 3.7 pounds. It still has a solid construction with a rigid chassis and the familiar rubbery coating.

It comes with the following features:

• 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-2520M
• Integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics
• Windows 7 Professional (32-bit)
• 4GB of RAM
• 320GB 7, 200RPM hard drive.
• 13.3 x 9.1 x 0.65-0.84 inches size
• Roll Cage construction
• 13.3-inch, 350-nit display fashioned out of edge-to-edge Gorilla Glass
• 1366 x 768 resolution
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• USB 2.0 ports
• 20V AC port
• USB 2.0-eSATA combo
• USB 3.0 port
• HDMI-out
• Display Port
• Covered SIM card slot for optional 3G connectivity
• 720p webcam
• Six-cell / 38.4 Wh fast charging battery (5.2 hours)
• Chiclet (and backlit!) spill-resistant keyboard
• Buttonless touchpad
• Skype 4.2 for Business
• Microsoft Office 2010 Starter
• Norton Internet Security 2011
• Windows Live Essentials
• ThinkVantage suite of utilities,
• 3 year warranty

This new Thinkpad is chock full of goodies and if you add a slice battery you can almost double the battery lifetime. Even without the battery slice which is an add on that make the machine thicker, the fast RapidCharge technology can go from 0% to 80% in 30 minutes. The only downfall is that the battery is sealed, which for most people means that you won’t be able to replace the battery yourself.

If you have bought one of these new notebooks, let us know how you like it.