CNET Editor's rating: 6.4 out of 10
Reviewed by
Michelle Thatcher
Review date: 11/29/06
Release date: 9/19/06
The good: Inexpensive; high-end components, including Core 2 Duo; decent performance for typical office tasks; comfortable keyboard; impressive assortment of ports and connections; robust system-management and help utility.
The bad: One-year warranty is short for a business model; small touch pad; lousy speakers; few dedicated multimedia controls; lacks ExpressCard slot.
The bottom line: This Core 2 Duo version of the Lenovo 3000 N100 combines decent performance with the features and connections a small-business user will need, all at a competitive price.
Description:
This configuration of the Lenovo 3000 is a 5.5-pound, mainstream notebook computer.
Compared to other consumer level notebooks on the market, it is relatively inexpensive at around $900.
Has Wi-Fi (wireless connectivity) built-in.
Pros:
None noted, given available product data.
Cons:
Has only 512 MB RAM, which is considerably less than some similarly priced notebooks.
For example, the
Dell Inspiron 1420
, a 5.5-pound notebook at around $900, has 4 GB RAM.
Also, this notebook has a CD-RW/DVD-ROM removable disc drive, which is considerably less favorable than some similarly priced notebooks.
Graphics-intensive applications (such as texture-rich games, DVD playback, and video editing) will hinder performance on a system that relies on shared video RAM.
Suitability:
A consumer level notebook, suited for general mobile computing.
Comes with a DVD player for watching movies.
Share pictures with offline friends: put them on a disc with the CD burner in this notebook.
Comes with office-grade word processing software -- fine for most serious business or academic document authors.
Make your home movies sing by using the bundled video software to edit material uploaded from a digital videocam.
If you have a
wireless network
at home, wirelessly browse the Internet from any room in your house with this Wi-Fi enabled notebook.
Value:
In view of its relatively inexpensive price, this notebook has good features for the money.
For example, when it comes to screen size, the average price of general-purpose products with a similar screen size is considerably more -- in fact around $1,279.
Generally, it should be considered by serious bargain hunters.
Suggestions:
(1) Given this device's Wi-Fi capability, you may want to get a
wireless access point
for your home, so that you can browse the Web more conveniently from any room.
(2) To get the most out of this computer's Bluetooth capability, you could have a Bluetooth-enabled headset, handheld or other device, and be able to link it wirelessly to your computer within a range of 20-or-so feet inside the same room.
15 out of 15 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular
Nice laptop
I did a lot of research before purchasing this for my small business, and I am glad I did. Even... Read more
by qres1 (see profile) -
December 29, 2006
10 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
Ethernet,
Bluetooth,
IEEE 802.11a,
IEEE 802.11b,
IEEE 802.11g,
Fast Ethernet
Networking standards
IEEE 802.11a,
IEEE 802.11b,
IEEE 802.11g
Expansion / Connectivity
Expansion Bays
None
Expansion Slots Total (Free)
1 ( 1 ) x CardBus - Type I/II,
2 ( 0 ) x Memory - SO DIMM 200-pin
Interfaces
1 x Display / video - S-video output - 4 pin mini-DIN,
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) - 4 pin FireWire,
4 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A,
1 x Display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15),
1 x Modem - Phone line - RJ-11,
1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45,
1 x Microphone - Input - Mini-phone 3.5 mm,
1 x Headphones - Output - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
Miscellaneous
Features
Power-on password,
Hard drive password,
Administrator password,
Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
Compliant Standards
CE,
CCC,
CER,
NOM,
BSMI,
RoHS,
SASO,
MPR II,
UL 60950,
IEC 60950,
FCC Part 15 B,
CISPR 22 Class B,
CSA 22.2 No. 950,
VCCI Class B ITE
Power
Power device form factor
External
Voltage Required
AC 120/230 V
Battery
Technology
6-cell Lithium ion
Installed Qty
1 / 1 (max)
Battery capacity
4400 mAh
Mfr estimated battery life
3.2 hour(s)
CNET Labs Battery Drain Test: DVD Playback (min)
146
Operating System / Software
OS Provided
Windows XP Professional
Microsoft Office Ready
Includes a preinstalled image of select 2007 Microsoft Office suites. Purchase a Medialess License Kit (MLK) to activate the software.
Software
PC Doctor,
Lenovo Care,
Diskeeper Lite,
Google Desktop,
Google Toolbar,
Google Picasa 2,
Softex OmniPass,
InterVideo WinDVD,
Adobe Acrobat Reader,
Roxio DigitalMedia LE,
Lotus SmartSuite license,
InterVideo WinDVD Creator,
ThinkVantage System Update,
Corel Small Business Center,
Corel WordPerfect Office 12,
ThinkVantage Access Connections,
ThinkVantage Rescue and Recovery,
Lotus Notes Stand-alone Client license,
Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware (90 days subsc)
Windows Vista ready
The Windows Vista Capable logo identifies hardware that delivers the Windows Vista experience at a minimum.
Environmental Standards
EPA Energy Star Compliant
Yes
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support
1 Yr Warranty
Service & Support Details
Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year,
Limited warranty - Battery - 1 year
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