Lenovo 3000 V100: an affordable ultraportable

Lenovo. First it's sprucing up a few ThinkPads, next thing you know the company's adding to its Lenovo 3000 line of low-cost computers for small businesses. The new V100 ultraportable weighs 4 pounds (a bit on the heavy side for an ultra-p) and features a 12.1-inch wide-screen 1,280x800 display. For a so-called "budget" laptop, the V100 offers some nice perks, such as an integrated optical drive (with a dual-layer DVD burner option), an InstantOn media player, and an ExpressCard reader.

Additional specs:

Core Solo and Duo processors from 1.66GHz to 2GHz

Integrated Intel graphics

5,400rpm hard drives from 40GB to 100GB

Up to 2GB of memory

Integrated CD-RW/DVD or dual-layer DVD burner

Full-size, ThinkPad-like keyboard

Optional fingerprint reader

Optional built-in 1.3-megapixel Webcam

After spending a bit of time with the machine, I'm feeling pretty hopeful. Its wide screen is a welcome feature, and it includes the system utilities and support package that we've come to expect from the company that makes ThinkPads. It's not the thinnest or lightest laptop on the market (those honors go to the svelte Gateway NX100X, the Fujitsu LifeBook Q2010, or Lenovo's own ThinkPad X60s, among others), but the Lenovo 3000 V100 has a leg up on the competition when it comes to price: the baseline configuration costs just $1,099. We look forward to putting it through the paces in CNET Labs and posting a full review soon.