Lenovo N100 Review (pics, specs)

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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.

Competition

The 15" segment is one of the most competitive of all notebook segments, which is a good thing. Being one of the few with a WSXGA+ glossy screen helps set the N100 apart from other notebooks in this class. I included some business and consumer class notebooks here as the N100 features indicate it has a foot in both worlds.

• Fujitsu N3530
• Sony FE & FS Series
• Acer Aspire 5672
• HP dv5000 & NX Series
• ThinkPad Z60
• Dell e1505 & D610
• Asus Z92f & Z70va
• Gateway NX560 & M465
• Toshiba Satellite

Specs of Notebook Being Reviewed

• 
  
Model: N100 0768-21U
• CPU: Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz T2400
• Chipset: Intel 945 Express
• Memory: 512MB DDR2 P5300
• Hard Drive: 100GB Hitachi(HTS541010G9SA00) SATA
• Screen: 15.4" WSXGA+ 1680x1050 Glossy
• Optical Drive: LG GMA-4082N DVD-/+R/-RAM
• 8x DVD-/+R
• 4x DVD-/+RW
• 2.4x DVD+R DL
• 3x DVD-RAM
• 24x CD-R
• 24x CD-RWX
• GPU: 128MB Nvidia 7300 Go
• Network/Wireless: Intel Wireless 3945A/B/G, Realtek 10/100 Ethernet Card, Modem and Bluetooth
• Inputs: 84 Key Keyboard with Two Button Touchpad with Scroll Bar
• Buttons: Power, Lenovo Care, Power Up and Down, Mute, and WiFi/Bluetooth On/Off Switch.
• Ports:
• Four USB 2.0
• Four-Pin Firewire
• 4-in-1 Card Reader
• Ethernet
• Modem
• VGA Out
• S-Video Out
• Microphone
• Headphone
• Security Lock
• Power Connector
• Slots: PC Card
• Battery: Six Cell
• Dimensions:
• Width: 14.2"
• Depth: 10.4
• Height: 1.7"
• Weight: 6.5 Lbs.
• Operating System: Windows XP Pro
• Warranty: Three Year Warranty With One Year Battery
• Price: ? Unknown, base configuration price will start at $999

Heat and Noise

There are three vents on the N100 to help dissipate heat from the notebook; one on the bottom, one on the left side and one in the back. The N100 got only warm under normal use. It was never uncomfortable to use, even while playing Half-Life 2. I didn't even adjust the power management software if there was any outside of control panel. The fan came on sporadically under normal use. The fan would come one for 10 seconds or less then go off for a while. While gaming or running benchmarks, it was on close to all the time. One area that did warm was right side wrist rest which is located directly over the hard drive. I found this peculiar considering its thickness and the hard drive sits at the bottom of the case.

Ports

Lenovo has covered all the bases in terms of connections. It has a 4-in-1 card reader on the left side.

Left side (view large image)

I carry around a card reader for use with my ThinkPad. After using this for a few days, it became painfully obvious how much I wish I had one. In addition to the card reader on the left side there is an Ethernet port, PC Card slot, four pin firewire port, a usb port and security lock. Of the right side there are three USB ports, line in and out jacks, and a VGA connector.

Right side (view large image)

The back on the notebook has a S-video connector, modem port and power connection.

Back side (view large image)

Keyboard and Touchpad Area

The keyboard on the N100 is good. It is not up to the ThinkPad standard, but still pretty good. The first thing that makes you aware that it is not a ThinkPad keyboard is the lack of a red eraser and UltraNav buttons. It feels a little cozy considering it is a 15.4" wide screen notebook. There is a bit of movement on the next key if you are really clacking away on it.

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Key travel and feel are good. One thing I did not like about the keyboard on the N100, it does not have dedicated keys for home and end which I frequently use. You have to hit the function key in conjunction with one of the arrow keys to get the desired result. There are a few keys like the Windows key or the Alt key which are undersized, but it personally did not bother me very much. Lenovo chose orange for the function key which I thought stood out nicely against the black key. Ports are conviently marked along the edge of the keyboard.

The touchpad sits on center beneath the space bar. It works fine like most other touchpads I have used. The buttons sit farther away from the edge than I am used to. I was often pushing the plastic beneath them. I think if this were your regular notebook, you'd adapt quickly.

Networking

The N100 has the Intel 3945 A/B/G wireless card and Realtek Ethernet card. It also has a modem for those still using dial-up. Wireless/Bluetooth can be turned on or off using a switch on the front of the notebook. For the most part the wireless card worked well. I was having some problems when I first got it, but I uninstalled Norton and it worked better.

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After that, I did have the occasional drop-out, but if I disconnected and then reconnected it would work. I took it to my neighbors about 100 feet away. It saw the network, but failed to connect.

The N100 also has Bluetooth 2.0 with support for Bluetooth Audio. My Kensington Bluetooth Pocket mouse worked well. I don't have any Bluetooth headphones so I could not test that. My only thought on it is more batteries to carry around.

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