Lenovo Thinkpad and IdeaPads

The IBM legacy lives on with the Lenovo line of Thinkpads (business models) and IdeaPads (consumer models). Clearly the most "famous" is the Thinkpad line, which Lenovo is trying to keep to the forefront.

Thinkpads

The Thinkpads have a number of different product lines, which are summarized below, and then expanded upon in detail:

+ W-series: mobile workstations
+ X-series: thin and thinner
+ X-series tablets: tablets!
+ T-series: performance business
+ R-series: mid-range business
+ SL-series: affordable small business

Thinkpad W-series
The line starts with the "affordable" W500, with a high-res 15.4" screen. But the jewels of the W-series crown are the W700 and the W700ds with 17" widescreen. In fact the W700ds has spawned a second screen, a "frankenstein screen", a 10-inch display on its side.

Tablets
Lenovo currently has two tablet models, the X61 and X200, both featuring the de-factor standard 12.1" widescreen display.

X-series
This is the "Jenny Craig" line of laptops, with the headline-grabbing super-thin X300 and X301 with their 13.3" widescreens, and the smaller and more affordable X200 and X200s. For those who prefer the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio instead of the ever-present widescreens, they offer the Thinkpad X61s. The "s" are part of the model name, not the plural, which is why we discourage manufacturers from using a small "s" as the last letter in their model name.

T-series
After many years it seems, Lenovo has decided to reboot the model numbering scheme for their T-series models. The 14.1" models are now the T400 models, and the 15.4" models are the T500 series.

R-series
The R-series is "targeting" enterprise-class cost-savers (whatever that means), essentially it is their mid-range line, with the R400 and the R500, named with the same philosophy as the T-series above.

SL-series
This is their affordable line, which they also call the "small business" line. It's their "Vostro" essentially. They offer the three popular screen sizes, with the SL300, SL400 and SL500, with the SL300 being at 13.3" widescreen and of course the most expensive of the three lines.

IdeaPads

The IdeaPads are the consumer (home) lineup and they are divided in three distinct sub-groups:
+ U-series: small but powerful
+ Y-series: entertaintment laptops
+ S-series: the netbooks

IdeaPad U-series
The U-series consists of small and lightweight but fully powered notebooks. These are by no means netbooks, even if the U110 has an 11.1" widescreen and weighs around 2.5 pounds. This is the definition of small and powerful. And for those who prefer a more traditional 13.3" widescreen laptop, they offer the U330 models.

IdeaPad Y-series
The Y-series encompasses the entertaintment and fun laptops, which come in two flavors, the 15.4" Y530 and the 17" Y710 and Y730 models.

The Netbooks: S-series
The IdeaPad S10 is Lenovo's entry in the world of netbooks, available with Windows XP amd 10.2" displays.