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Lenovo's ThinkPad T61 is one of several notebooks known to have an error-prone battery.

(Credit: CNET)

Lenovo on Friday said it will replace batteries on several of its ThinkPad laptops that show error messages.

Some users are reporting batteries are displaying error messages that read "Irreparable damage" or "Battery cannot be charged," and others are reporting their battery runs only for a very short time or experiences a sudden drop in its fuel gauge. It's known to occur on these ThinkPad models: T60, T61, R60, R61, X60, and X61.

Though it does not pose a safety risk, and it is not a product recall, Lenovo said, it will give those affected a replacement battery.

Lenovo gets budget stylish: the Y450

(Credit: Lenovo)

Formerly known for the iconic, if boxy, ThinkPads (which the company still does well: see our review of the T400s), Lenovo has also begun branching into more stylish consumer products, loosening up its slightly uptight design aesthetics along the way.

The recent IdeaPad line reflects the change most starkly: we looked at the 16-inch IdeaPad Y650 awhile ago, and were impressed by the thin, sturdy feel and bolder touches, including texture-patterned lids and glossy materials used in the interior.

While the IdeaPads retain Lenovo's comfortable keyboard and some of the same custom software, the prices are also more reasonable, making them, by some measures, budget-friendly notebooks bearing a better-than-average design.

The $799 Y450 is a smaller-screened relative of the Y650, with an extremely similar design on the inside and out. While the 14-incher is also thicker than its 16-inch big brother, the overall feel and performance of the Y450 make it a worthwhile alternative for those who want a little more portability.

Read the full review of the Lenovo IdeaPad Y450.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y450

The T400s: it may not look exciting, but it sure feels nice to use.

(Credit: Lenovo)

Although Lenovo has been reinventing itself as of late with its IdeaPad and Netbook lines, it's still a company known for boxy, business-end ThinkPads. There's no shame there: the ThinkPad was revolutionary in its time, and the iconic (if plain) design defined the modern business laptop. It also put Lenovo on the map after taking the brand over from IBM.

Despite having similar looks to its predecessor, the new 14-inch T400s is markedly thinner and lighter than the original T400, creating a highly portable machine that still packs a full-powered Core 2 Duo processor under the hood, unlike the ultrathin X301, which uses an ultralow-voltage (ULV) version.

Lenovo claims that the T400s can withstand a truck running over it (or so the company has advertised in some viral videos). While we haven't run over our test unit, we can say that it feels great in a backpack, is thinner than it looks, and if it weren't for its lack of discrete graphics, it could be one of the best all-around mainstream laptops we've encountered.

One major drawback, though, is price; starting at $1,599, it's about twice the price of other ThinkPads, and makes MacBooks seem like budget laptops by comparison: the $1,199 13-inch MacBook Pro has superior graphics and a few more ports for a lot less. Of course, the T400s does include Lenovo's suite of business and security-minded software and hardware--which is a must for many business buyers (and often rules out consumer-level laptops from consideration).

Read the rest of our review.

Lenovo ThinkPad T400s

The new Lenovo ThinkPad T400s

(Credit: Lenovo)

(For more hands-on impressions, make sure to check out our review of the T400s.)

ThinkPad laptops from Lenovo (formerly made by IBM) are among the most ubiquitous PCs found in offices around the world. Of course, most of those systems are boxy 14- and 15-inch models, which aren't usually the sharpest-looking machines in the coffee shop.

To keep up with the increasingly design-conscious consumer, Lenovo is taking some cues from its own popular X300 laptop --a slim, upscale 13-inch--and incorporating them into the new ThinkPad T400s, a reasonably svelte 14-inch mainstream business laptop that's 0.83 inches thick and starts at less than 4 pounds.

Helping keep the size and weight down are an LED display, solid-state hard drive, and carbon-reinforced fiber frame. Making it a viable choice for a wide range of business environments are configuration options that seem more flexible than what we're used to seeing in ultraslim systems (which are often limited to low-voltage CPUs and no optical drives). According to Lenovo, the new T400s will offer:

• Choices of Intel 2.4GHz and 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo processors (standard voltage)
• Choices of solid-state drive storage up to 128GB, or 250GB hard drive storage
• 9.5mm slim DVD burner or Blu-ray player
• Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and optional WiMAX3, WWAN, Bluetooth and ultrawideband connectivity
• 34mm Express Card slot or 5-in-1 multimedia card reader
• Support for Lenovo's ConstantConnect and Protect technology that allows users to maximize integration of their BlackBerry smartphone and ThinkPad laptop
• Nearly six hours of battery life
• Supports up to two monitors via a display port and VGA connector
• Meets the Energy Star 5.0 criteria for energy efficiency
• Built-in USB/eSATA port

A few other promising-sounding tweaks went into the T400's design. Lenovo claims internal studies have shown that the Esc and Del keys are the most used, at 700 hits each per week, so the company simply made those keys a little larger. Spaces between keys were minimized to keep food and debris out, and the touchpad is now flush with the wrist rest, delineated by a textured surface. For Webcasting and VoIP use, the onboard speakers are louder than the previous (nonslim) T400, and there's a physical mute button above the keyboard that can mute just the built-in mic.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T400s is available now, starting at $1,599.

(Credit: Lenovo)

It's difficult for external portable hard drives to stand out against the competition since they're judged mostly on cost per gigabyte, connectivity, and aesthetics. Lenovo jumps into the game by making a case for onboard security.

Its ThinkPad "Vault" USB Portable Secure Hard Drive is protected by the "128-bit advanced encryption security standard" and is actually built into the hardware, similar to the Maxtor Black Armor drive. The Lenovo ThinkPad hard drive also has a built-in USB 2.0, as well as a physical keypad built into the face of the chassis, allowing up to 10 users and one administrator to access the drive using unique keychains.

The drive isn't cheap, though, as the company's asking $179 for the 160GB drive and $219 for the 320GB model. Ninety cents per gigabyte is a tough pill to swallow, especially when you consider the Iomega eGo Helium external hard drive only costs 45 cents per gig. Both versions will be available later this month--would you pay double the price just for the peace of mind that your data is totally safe? Let us know in the comments section!

Acer Aspire 6930, now with 4G wireless.

Baltimore residents looking to take advantage of Sprint's brand-new Xohm WiMax data network can now choose among several laptops with built-in WiMax compatibility from such major manufacturers as Acer, Toshiba, and Lenovo.

On Wednesday, Acer announced that it would be bringing WiMax radios to two Aspire models, the 14.1-inch Aspire 4930-6862 and the 16-inch Aspire 6930-6771. Both laptops cost $899 and are built on Intel's Centrino 2 platform, with a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7350 processor, 3GB of RAM, integrated graphics, and a 320GB hard drive.

Meanwhile, Toshiba has announced the WiMax-ready Satellite U405-ST550W. The 13-inch laptop will also be based on Centrino 2, with 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. Internal components aside, its case will be identical to the Satellite U405-S2830 we reviewed earlier this summer.

And finally, Lenovo takes the launch crown with four WiMax-ready ThinkPads. The WiMax option is available on the SL series, aimed at small and medium businesses, as well as the mainstream T series and the ultraportable X series. Specifically, you can now opt for WiMax connectivity on the ThinkPad SL300, SL500, T400, and X301.

Of course, Baltimore won't be the only market to be interested in these laptops; Sprint is planning to expand its WiMax service to Chicago, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., and Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.

We focus primarily on consumer laptops at CNET Reviews, but this week I looked at two well-designed models that target small businesses: the 13-inch Toshiba Satellite Pro U400 and the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad SL400.

Each configuration clocks in at just north of $1,000, stripping out some enterprise features that a small-business owner buying one laptop or even a handful probably doesn't need and definitely doesn't want to pay for. The Toshiba offers an interesting configuration, one that I feel cries out for more memory, which is an easy add. And the Lenovo includes a couple features not seen previously on ThinkPads.

Read the full review of the Toshiba Satellite Pro U400.

Read the full review of the Lenovo ThinkPad SL400.

About a month ago, Lenovo refreshed the 13.3-inch ThinkPad X300 (a CNET Editors' Choice winner) by incorporating one of Intel's new ultra-low-voltage Core 2 Duo CPUs, adding a DisplayPort connection, and rechristening it the ThinkPad X301.

As the product name indicates, it's an evolutionary step. The ThinkPad X301's Centrino 2 components helped it post better performance scores than its predecessor without taking a huge toll on battery life.

Despite its high price ($2,920 for our review unit, which included a few upgrades) the ThinkPad X301 remains one of our favorite laptops for travelers, thanks to its stellar assortment of top-of-the-line features and excellent balance of portability and usability. Find out more in our full ThinkPad X301 review.

At Thursday's Pepcom press event in New York, Lenovo showed off an updated ultraportable Tablet PC and an even lighter version of the ThinkPad X200.

The ThinkPad X200 Tablet finally brings the wide-screen format to Lenovo's tablet line, with a 12.1-inch display and up to WXGA resolution. Buyers can opt for an LED-backlit option that not only reduces the tablet's weight but should also make for better visibility outdoors. Lenovo also lets you choose between a passive touch-screen that lets you use your finger to navigate menus or an active digitizer that only accepts input from the included stylus.

Another key enhancement with the X200 Tablet is a bi-directional display swivel, meaning you can twist the screen in either direction to convert the laptop into a tablet. This seems like a minor feature, but we always appreciate not having to remember which way the screen turns every time we want to switch modes. We also appreciate that, like the X-series laptop, the X200 Tablet incorporates the same broad ThinkPad keyboard found on Lenovo's 14- and 15-inch models.

With a starting weight of 3.6 pounds, the X200 Tablet is still rather portable, if not exactly designed for taking handwritten notes on the run, clipboard-style. And it incorporates all the top-of-the-line features that have become a ThinkPad hallmark: Intel Core 2 Duo processors (the low-voltage variety), an integrated Webcam and dual-array microphone, a 128GB solid-state drive option, and connectivity options that include WWAN, GPS, and (later this year) WiMax.

Also on display Thursday evening: the ThinkPad X200s, a lighter version of the CNET Editors' Choice-winning X200. Though it shares many of the same features as its larger sibling, the X200s includes a new top cover roll cage made of carbon and glass fiber that helps bring the system weight down to a highly portable 2.4 pounds. The 12.1-inch screen is available in resolutions up to 1,440x900; the case can be stocked with the full range of hard drive and solid-state drive options as well as a variety of low-voltage and ultra-low-voltage Core 2 Duo processors. Those power-efficient processors, the company claims, will achieve a maximum battery life of nearly 13 hours.

The ThinkPad X200s starts at $2,242 and will be available this month; expect to see the ThinkPad X200 Tablet, which starts at $2,323, in October.