Given a name like the ‘Edge’ you wonder whether Lenovo really does have the upper hand over its competitors. The previously IBM-owned line ThinkPad still has a loyal fan-following but here’s more proof on whether Lenovo will be able to take this brand forward, further.

Looks
Lenovo has pretty much stuck to the design of the original ThinkPad but has revamped certain traits in the new Edge series.
 First impressions are definitely important, and Lenovo has taken this into consideration with the previously matt/metallic look for the upper lid being done away with and a sleek, glossy new finish having taken its place.
 The Edge has a 13.3 inch screen, three USB ports, a card reader, HDMI, Ethernet and VGA ports and a combined headphone and microphone slot. With (surprisingly) no optical drive there to take up the space, Lenovo could have included more USB ports or an eSata port. It’s usually in netbooks that optical drives are tossed aside to cut costs and space. This Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage (CULV) laptop probably tries to do the same to make it power-efficient. But given the price of the laptop, we feel that the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge might as well have included an optical drive. Positioned as an ultraportable, the Edge, at around 1.7 kg, weighs slightly less than a full-fledged notebook, but is thicker than others in the market.
 The Edge comes in several configurations. The one we reviewed was Model 019622U, with an Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor, pre-loaded with Windows 7 Professional.
 The screen lives up to the Lenovo brand image, and is bright and comfortable to view. The 16:9 aspect ratio is ideal for watching movies.
 Lenovo is known for its excellent keyboards and the one in the Edge is no different. The keyboard is spill-resistant and neatly spaced out. The function key is the last one at the bottom left instead of the usual ‘Ctrl’ key. The Home, Insert, End and Delete keys are in the F-series row. The Page up and Page down keys and direction keys are narrower than the other keys on the notebook. Overall, the keyboard is a pleasure to type on, with good tactile feedback.

Touch
The trackpad is one of the better features of the Edge. It supports multi-touch so you can use it to zoom in on Web pages and photographs.
 That apart, the trackpad also supports single-finger scrolling as you don’t need to move both fingers to perform the functions mentioned above. Keep one finger stationary and move the other one away to zoom in. We found the trackpad quite comfortable to work on.
 Right above the trackpad, you will find three TrackPoint dedicated buttons; one each for right and left clicks, and one at the centre for TrackPoint scrolling and magnifying. All three are quite convenient to operate and are responsive as well. The TrackPoint button responded well to touch, albeit a firm one. The palm rest was also large and comfortable.

Responses
From time to time however, the cursor was quite unresponsive, freezing in between functions, especially when we switched between programmes or browser windows or even used it after the laptop went into hibernation. It takes about 5-6 seconds before it swings back into action again. We couldn’t figure out why this happened, given the decent configuration of the laptop.

Acoustics
For an ultraportable, the speakers sound quite good, considering that even some high-end laptops that had branded speakers are not up to the mark. They are good enough for watching video clips or listening to music. We tested it in a quiet, small room and the quality of sound was impressive although the decibel levels were not. If you are watching a movie or playing a game then you might want to plug in your earphones for a better experience. A downside is the location of the speakers at the bottom of the laptop. Given the fact that it’s meant to be portable, the sound getting muffled when it’s not placed on an even surface is a negative.
 A small but very common feature we found missing were the indicator lights. Except for the tiny red light on the ‘i’ of the ThinkPad logo that lights up when the laptop is in use, there is little else to indicate hard drive, wireless or Bluetooth activity. Here too, we have no idea why Lenovo would leave them out, except for the sake of aesthetics.
 The battery last us close to six hours of constant use as opposed to the eight hours being claimed by Lenovo. However, this is good enough battery life for a CULV ultraportable.

Our Verdict
We don’t exactly know what Lenovo had in mind while positioning the Edge. It is a segment in itself, somewhere in the grey area between a netbook and a laptop. On one hand it is a tad bit expensive for an ultraportable while on the other it can run basic computing tasks slightly better than netbooks, but can come nowhere close to competing with higher-end notebooks - it doesn’t even have an optical drive. You can opt for the Edge if you want more computing power. Apart from the better processor, the Edge has a 4GB RAM (while netbooks have just 1 or 2GB) and a larger screen than a netbook. The Edge scores in terms of the quality of the keyboard, large track pad and good screen.

Love: Multi-touch trackpad, large RAM
Hate: No optical drive, expensive

Ratings:
Aesthetics & design: 4/5
UI: 4/5
Features: 3/5
Value for money: 3/5

Rs. 49,990

SPECIFICATIONS

Processor: AMD Turion™ Neo X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor, AMD Athlon™ Neo X2 Dual-Core Processor (AMD™ M780G, RS780/SB710) Intel® ULV SU4100, SU7300, Intel® GS45
Operating System : Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit), Windows 7 Professional (32-bit), Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
Display/Resolution: 13.3 inch widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) high definition, (1366×758) LED backlight
Memory: 4 GB maximum (2×2 GB) DDR2 667 MHz
Storage: 250 GB/320 GB/500 GB HDD 5400 RPM, 320 GB HHD 7200 RPM
Audio: HD Audio, 2 x 2 watts stereo speakers, built-in mono microphone
Ports and Slots: 3 USB 2.0 (1 x powered), VGA out, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, Mic jack/Speaker jack, 5-in-1 card reader (MMC, SD, MS, MS-Pro and xD)
Included Software: Software options include: Norton® Internet Security, Adobe® Acrobat® Reader, Adobe® Flash® Player, Microsoft® Office 2007 Ready, Microsoft® AutoCollage, Microsoft® Windows Live™ Essentials, Skype™ for Business, Rescue & Recovery® 4.2, Password Manager 3.0, System Update, ThinkVantage® Utilities

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