Lenovo 3000 V100 Notebook (2GHz Core Duo, 1GB DDR2, 100GB, DVD?RW DL, Windows XP Pro, 12.1" TFT)

Lenovo 3000 V100

3000 V100 Notebook (2GHz Core Duo, 1GB DDR2, 100GB, DVD?RW DL, Windows XP Pro, 12.1" TFT) Review, by Carla Thornton July 25, 2006

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• Reviewed by: mandjvollbrecht

  Strengths: Thin and light, great display, packed with just about every feature imaginable, powerful, great Lenovo Care tools

  Weaknesses: As far as I'm concerned, absolutely no weaknesses, but if I must list one, some users that need WWAN technology might wish that it was integrated like in the ThinkPad T60 and others

  Overall: I have used many different laptops (I have owned laptops since 1995), and this one is, without a doubt, the absolute best I've ever had! It is light weight at under 5 lbs, and yet it is powerful enough to do anything from basic productivity to internet browsing or even the most graphics hungry applications. It's nothing for me to have 5 or 6 programs open at one time on a regular basus and not restart for days. We have made movies and burned them to DVD, designed logos, and so much more--everything with complete success. Not only are the specs such as processor, memory, and hard drive excellent, but it has the duel layer DVD burner and every kind of connectivity option you can think of other than WWAN--it has the dial-up modem, the ethernet port, bluetooth, and 802.11 A+B+G. I have seen some people comment on the fact that the graphics chip is integrated Intel rather than something dedicated, but I have absolutely no complaints at all, and the video is more than enough to even run the ultimate version of Windows Vista. Of course, I love the fact that the computer has a digital media reader that supports five of what i consider to be the most common digital formats. It also has the IEEE1394 port which is great. The touchpad is pleasant and easy to use. The display quality is outstanding, and the images always look great! Some people say they wish that the V100 had more USB ports, but again I have no complaints. Three USB ports do the job, and they are all spaced around the notebook, so one USB device never gets in the way of another as they could if the USB ports were directly on top of each other. One of the most exciting things for me is the built-in fingerprint reader which, as another user also similarly commented, once set up, is amazingly easy to use. The provided fingerprint software is great too. It lets you store all your passwords and convert them into one master password and/or one fingerprint. You can profile more than one finger and even more than one user. You can also encrypt files and folders. Regarding the webcam, the integrated camera is very nice; I've used the V100 with the built-in camera and have no complaints about it. However, the model I own does not have the camera built-in, but I have an external webcam. My reason for this is simply that we have more than one computer that we use regularly and this way I can take the camera to multiple systems. Nevertheless, either option is wonderful, and the V100 has great speakers and mycrophones (yes there are two mycrophones). This model also has a separate media environment which you can start with the touch of a button without having to boot into Windows. From this environment which uses Intervideo Instant On, you can play CDs, watch DVDs, view pictures, and listen to MP3 files on your hard drive. The software that comes with the system is great, the battery life is excellent, and the machine is built very, very well. Of course, the suite of Lenovo Care Tools is second to none. There are tools which make it easy to connect to any kind of network, back up and restore data, perform updates automatically, and much more. The on-board help system is also great. Finally, no review of a Lenovo system would be complete without agreeing with what everyone says--the keyboard is excellent. Regarding price, you can definitely find notebooks priced lower than this, but the price is still very reasonable--right in line with other notebooks of this size, and it's worth it! Whether you're a consumer, a business person, a traveler, or anything else, this notebook would be great for you! One other note: I know that this exact model has been discontinued, but the newer models are very similar and, from what I have seen, work just as well.

• Reviewed by: janO2007

  Strengths: The price vs specification is obviousely attractive. That is why I got fooled.

  Weaknesses: Quality and warranty is crap beyond beleif.

  Overall: After 4 weeks of usage th screen brokes by itself. I then learns that the warranty does not cover it and I am offered a new screen for £380, US$760. This is a scam. Lenovo are not at all serius with this cheap product line. Dont buy it.

• Reviewed by: daweing

  Strengths: Portable! Great build! Light! Only 4 pounds! Great screen! FAST!

  Weaknesses: Needs more USB ports. Currently it has only 2. 512mb ram is a bit slow, graphics are weak.

  Overall: Overall this is a great laptop. This is my first, real portable laptop. I previously owned the Compaq V2000. This laptop blow the V2000 away. The build quality is great! It is light. I travel a lot so having a very light laptop is very appealing to me. Although the graphics are a bit weak, it can still run World of Warcraft on it. It lags a bit but I bet 1gb of ram will fix it. It was very reasonably priced. In fact I thought I got a steal. I also bought an additional 6 cell battery since the 3 cell battery lasts about 2 hours depending on what you're doing.

• Reviewed by: dng1

  Strengths: Light, looks professional, Duo core, fast, very good price, all the necessary ports

  Weaknesses: Only 2 USB ports, graphics isn't too appealing to gamers,

  Overall: This is a wonderful notebook. I've used the Dell 700m and saw the M1210 both 12.1" notebooks, but they don't compare to the build quality of the Lenovo 3000 V100. I think the Lenovo looks better. And as of lately, Dell hasn't been offering any good deals on its light notebooks. The V100 weighs only 4 pounds so it is good for traveling and anything on the go. It comes with all the necessary ports and an SD card reader. I wish it came with more USB ports. It is a great product! I highly recommend it! Don't forget to upgrade the ram to at least 1gb and also upgrade to a 6 cell battery if you travel a lot!

• Reviewed by: metalcoat

  Strengths: Performance, Very Portable, Fingertip Scanner Perfection, SD Card Slot, Built in Bluetooth and DVD+-RW, external switch for BT and WIFI

  Weaknesses: Only 2 USB Ports and a 3 and 1/2 hour Battery Life

  Overall: The fingertip scanner erases all needs for remember passwords and encrypting folder and files. The Laptop is incredibly light and small (Smaller and lightier than most of my college books). For Business productivity this is top-notch. Most consumers shouldn't even look at this cause all they care about is ports and card readers which this isn't meant for. Fingerprint scanner is a bit hard to use at beginning because you must scan the way you think you would scan all the time, but once figured out it works like a charm apon signing on and onto websites as it remembers all.