Lenovo Goes Thin-And-Light With CULV-Based 14" U450p

While netbooks are certainly garnering the majority of the notebook spotlight these days, thin-and-light machines such as Acer's Timeline series and MSI's X-Slim family are making a move for the forefront. Just this week, Lenovo also introduced its first significant foray into the segment, and we have to say, it should provide some solid competition in the burgeoning market.

The 14" U450p is a perfect in-between for folks not happy with a cramped ultraportable and not able (or willing, as the case may be) to lug around a full-size 15" notebook. Boasting an expected Intel CULV (Consumer Ultra Low Voltage) platform, the machine can be ordered (and then customized) in two main flavors. The first offers up a 1.30GHz Pentium SU2700 CPU with Intel X4500 integrated graphics, Vista Home Premium, 3GB of DDR3 RAM, a 14" antiglare panel (1366 x 768 resolution), a traditional touchpad, 250GB 5400RPM hard drive, DVD Recordable w/ X6 Ultrabase, a 6-cell battery, Wi-Fi module and a one-year warranty for $799.


The second option ups the CPU to a Core 2 Solo SU3500 at 1.40GHz; not a speed demon by any stretch of the imagination, but a small and appreciated upgrade regardless. The $899 rig also adds an extra gigabyte of RAM, utilizes the 64-bit version of Vista Home Premium and snags a 320GB hard drive. Both machines currently show a four week lead time, so if you're in the market but have time to spare, the U450p just might fit the bill.