Lenovo N100

The Lenovo N100 is a new mid-sized offering from Lenovo in the 3000 series line of notebooks. The N100 will come in 14.1" and 15.4" widescreen sizes. Prices will start at $999 for Core Duo based models. Lenovo is positioning the notebook as one for small business and mobile professionals. To me it looks more like a consumer notebook with the silver skin, glossy screen and plastic case. There are plenty of people who are mixing business with pleasure today or people who use business notebooks for personal use, like me. The fact that Lenovo is going after both segments with this notebook makes sense. The N100 has lots to offer and a few less worthwhile qualities, all of which we will get into in more detail in this review.

Build and Design

When I first saw the N100 on NotebookReview.com, I thought it would be black being from the new maker of ThinkPads, but the pictures I saw of it only showed the inside. When I opened the box I found, much to my surprise, the outside is almost all silver with a strip of black along the sides and on the front. I prefer darker colored notebooks so the N100 didn't do a lot for me. I like the color scheme on something like the Fujitsu N3530 better, but it is a personal preference. Aside from the color, I found the shapes and curves to be pleasing. One thing I noticed about it right away is how thick it is, coming in at around 1.7" including the feet on the bottom.

Conclusion

The N100 has lots to recommend about it. From my vantage point, it looks more like a consumer notebook with the glossy screen and plastic case. A dash of the business side has been thrown in with the fingerprint reader, DVD-RAM and more extensive software bundle. I think the $64,000 question for the N100 is going to be price. If Lenovo can keep the price down for N100, it should do well. If the price starts to go too high, like over $1500, it is going to be a harder to justify the N100. At that price point there are notebooks, even Lenovo's own Z60, which will have better construction and features for the same price. It will be interesting to see when the Z60 gets Core Duoized how it stacks against the N100.

Pros and Cons

• Pros
• Speedy Performance
• Glossy WSXGA Screen
• Excellent Burn Quality From LG Drive
• Decent Battery Life
• Cool & Quiet
• Software Bundle
• Easy To Upgrade(Not The Video Card)
• Bluetooth
• Cons
• Scratchable Case
• WiFi Card Dropouts
• Poor Speakers
• Thickness
• Missing Home/End Keys