Lenovo 3000 C100 Notebook Announced - Starts at $599 With ThinkPad-Feel Keyboard (pictures)

Lenovo has officially announced their first global release of a self-branded notebook geared toward the value-oriented buyer, who still desires strong quality and support. The Lenovo 3000 family includes both notebooks and desktops; the C100 is the first of severalnotebooks to be released, a 15" XGA model with Intel processors offered in five configurations from $599 to $999.

Lenovo 3000 C100 Notebook Front (view larger)

Lenovo 3000 C100 NotebookBack (view larger)

The Lenovo 3000 C100 doesn't wear the ThinkPad badge, but make no mistake about it, ThinkPad design and quality is evident throughout. The most obvious feature being the keyboard, definitely the best of any system in this price range. The notebook also comes with Lenovo Care Tools that make owning and operating a C100 worry-free. The tools offer such things like single button access to system recovery tools, an automated critical software update application, and easy Internet connection setup.

The C100 is available for order starting February 23rd on the Lenovo site.

Lenovo 3000 C100 Configurations and Specs

Model	CPU	RAM	Disk	Screen	Graphics	Optical	Wireless	Battery	OS	Price
0761-22U	Celeron M370 1.5GHz	256 MB	40GB / 5400RPM	15" XGA	Intel 915 GM	DVD/CDRW	ThinkPad a/b/g	8 Cell	XP Home	$599
0761-2BU	Celeron M370 1.5GHz	512 MB	80GB / 5400RPM	15" XGA	Intel 915 GM	DVD Multiburner	ThinkPad a/b/g	8 Cell	XP Home	$699
0761-23U	Celeron M370 1.5GHz	512 MB	80GB / 5400RPM	15" XGA	Intel 915 GM	DVD/CDRW	ThinkPad a/b/g	8 Cell	XP Pro	$749
0761-25U	Pentium M 740 1.73 GHz	512 MB	80GB / 5400RPM	15" XGA	Intel 915 GM	DVD/CDRW	Intel a/b/g	8 Cell	XP Pro	$899
0761-26U	Pentium M 740 1.73 GHz	512 MB	80GB / 5400RPM	15" XGA	Intel 915 GM	DVD Multiburner	Intel a/b/g	8 Cell	XP Pro	$999

 

hi brian! know if lenovo will introduce anything with a dedicated GPU stateside?

 

Not at the moment, though there will be other form factors in the Lenovo 3000 notebook lineup.

 

Nifty. I'm a dork. I can't spot an optical drive in the photos. Is that it on the left side on the front?

 

Glad to see that the bar is being raised in the value sector.

I wonder if they will be avaliable in any stores to see, that would certainly get the word out.

 

yup, its in the front with the orange button

 

I see. Lets put and Orange button on the optical dirve and call it unique.

Maybe Office Depot will carry them to.

 

Been a long time i haven't seen a laptop with a front loading tray optical drive.

 

not bad except the GPU sucks for gaming or any other graphic intensive tasks!

 

My Toshiba has a front loading tray except it was on the right. I actually liked it there better.

 

It's disgusting to me that all notebooks don't have top-notch keyboards. Can it really add that much cost to the machine? For that matter, I don't see how a significant boost in build quality can really cost that much either. It's nice to see a budget machine with a great keyboard.

 

Just when you thought ThinkPads were ugly! At least ThinkPads have a (somewhat) cool industrial look to them.

 

Well there trying. They got the grey on the lid.

 

It's always good to see another competitor that might up the bar on standards of notebooks at a lower price point, I think this is a good thing and it doesn't water down the ThinkPad brand. I'll be handling one of these notebooks tomorrow and will post some thoughts on it -- we handled a pre-production version in January and it was quite nice, albeit a bit heavy. I really liked a mock up of a 12" version they had.

 

will it also be available in EMEA ??

 

waiting for review from abaxter.

 

the simple lines reminds me a little of the iBook.

 

i would buy iBook anytime over this

 

Thinkpads are awesome looking laptops, its jet black looks with the IBM logo, RED trackpoint and stuff turn heads even when I place it right amidst powerbooks in my univ .

But the looks of this Lenovo species is really unfortunate... I was expecting they will experiment and try to compete with Sony and others... well I guess with the new X-Dell employee as CEO, you can only expect systems atleast just as ugly as a Dell. He knows that its not looks, but COST that will sell in the end.

On the positive side, the ThinkVantage tools are just amazing and will be a key selling factor for the enlightened buyers.

 

I think Lenovo 3000 is close competitor to Dell B1300 series.

 

I'll stick with the R51e that will be on my doorstep in a few days, thanks.

Note the lack of TrackPoint, and the screwed keyboard layout.

 

Noted, don't worry.

But have you noticed that somehow trackpoint and proper keyboard layout almost always seem to go together?

 

IIRC the Dell XPS computers have a decent keyboard layout, but no trackpoint

 

Somone asked about Lenovo incorporating a dedicated GPU into this lineup and the answer is yes.

At least two models that are now available have the Nvidia GeForce Go 7300 Turbo Cache processor, one is a 64MB and the other is 128MB. Both models are in the higher end of the N100 series wide screen notebooks.

The lower cost model is the 0768-22U at $1,199 list. The other is the 0768-2CU for $100 more. The difference between them is the GPU memory and the Core Duo chip clock being higher on the more costly model.