Centrino 2 ThinkPad Leak

Much of Lenovo's upcoming ThinkPad line has been slipped late yesterday through Engadget. An escaped presentation reportedly confirms the existence of the X200 ultra-slim notebook and suggests Lenovo will offer much faster performance even a smaller system than the X300. The 12-inch X200 is set to use Intel's full-speed but low-power Core 2 Duos at speeds up to 2.4GHz; a combination of solid-state drives (up to 64GB) and an optional nine-cell battery pack will boost battery life up to 9.6 hours. The system will have a DisplayPort connection and options for 3G data, GPS, ultra-wideband, and WiMAX.

Three more conventional notebook lines are also receiving the update to Centrino 2 at or shortly after Intel's launch, according to the report. A new ThinkPad SL line will ship in 13.3-inch (SL300), 14-inch (SL400), and 15.4-inch (SL500) examples with either a DVD or Blu-ray drive as well as the option of GeForce 9300M GS video in place of the Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics. The system will be large enough to fit an ExpressCard slot and a FireWire port along with normal USB.

The ThinkPad R and T series will round out the upgrades. The R400 (14 inches) and R500 (15.4 inches) will use both unspecified new Centrino 2-era processors as well as GMA 4500MHD or Mobility Radeon HD 3470 video. Matching T400 and T500 systems will be thinner but also faster: the highest-performing systems will run their Intel chips at up to 2.8GHz while coming standard with as much as a 512MB ATI Mobility FireGL V5700 for workstation-level video; it will also have 3G and WiMAX options as well as an optional 64GB solid-state drive.

Information about the X500 and other ultra-slim notebooks, as well as other Lenovo systems and the launch dates of all of them, are unknown; the systems are unlikely to be available until August following Intel's confirmed delay of its notebook platform refresh.

By Electronista Staff