Lenovo has unveiled an elegant, ultra-portable addition to its IdeaPad range. Along with the company's first 12.5-inch display, the 0.7-inch (18 mm) thin IdeaPad U260 features leather-like trim surrounding the keyboard and touchpad, a choice of ultra-low-voltage (ULV) processors to help extend unplugged usage and Dolby surround-sound to complement high definition movie capability.
Above the 1366 x 768 resolution, 16:9 widescreen display is an integrated webcam that works with Veriface face recognition software to keep out unauthorized users. An ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the brightness depending on the surrounding light and the U260 will even advise users to back away if they're too close to the screen.
The "classic leather-bound journal" design features a U-shaped outline and magnesium-aluminum alloy shell with stainless steel interior construction. Helping to conserve Li-polymer battery power is a choice of ULV processor configurations running up to an Intel Core i7, which is said to run for 8 hours between charges.
Up to 320GB HDD or 128GB SSD storage is available, spinning hard drives coming with Lenovo's Active Protection System. This protects from accidental drop damage by stopping your hard drive if the built-in accelerometer detects abnormal movement.
Up to 4GB of DDR3 memory is also on offer as well as a OneKey Recovery System that detects viruses, repairs, and restores data.
Typing comfort comes courtesy of scalloped, chiclet-type keys on a breathable, water-resistant keyboard with taller keys that have more space in between for ease of use. Cursor control is via a multi-touch, shatter-resistant glass touchpad with matte etching and the input area is surrounded by a faux leather palm rest.
To help users get the best from high definition visual entertainment, the U260 has Dolby Advanced Audio high-end JBL surround-sound speakers and sports an HDMI-out port.
A 5-in-1 media card reader, USB, Ethernet and VGA ports and a headphone jack complete the wired connectivity options with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR ticking the wireless boxes.
Weighing less than 3 pounds (1.3 kg) and coming with Windows 7 pre-installed, the IdeaPad U260 starts at a price of US$999.