Lenovo ThinkPad Links Laptop And Tablet

Lenovo is releasing its ultraportable ThinkPad X220 laptop and X220 convertible Tablet PC this April in Australia, aimed at business professionals.

The new 12.5 inch ThinkPads look to push battery life and portability for all day use on the go in the corporate environment, with 15 hours of battery life on the standard battery and 24 hours with a ThinkPad external battery added.

The convertible tablet weighs in at around 1.8 kg but can be lighter with a downgraded battery at the expense of battery life. If you're willing to sacrifice some portability with the bigger battery and external battery pack, the tablet can run for 16 hours.

Weighing more than typical consumer tablets, the X220 runs Sandy Bridge Intel Core i5 and i7 processors rather than smaller tablet- and smartphone-specific CPUs, increasing performance.

The business-centric functions like Lenovo Enhanced Experience 2.0 come stocked for quick boot-up and shut down for jumping in and out of work. Coupled with Instant Resume, users can keep their wireless connections active during PC sleep for up to 99 minutes.

Connectivity options are given a slight upgrade with USB 3.0 slots over the usual 2.0.

Durability, profile and utility are all upgraded on the latest ThinkPad models, with greater drop resistance and spillage resistance for the keyboard on the slimmer, lighter design.

These ThinkPad models start at $2749 and range up to $3699, coming in multi-touch tablet form or in an ‘outdoor' version that includes Gorilla Glass for durability and enhanced visibility.