In 2008, Lenovo launched its first small business line, the SL series, which offered a less conservative riff on the classic ThinkPad design. Now comes the Edge series, designed to blow the doors off of ThinkPad’s time-honored design aesthetic while providing cost-conscious small-to-medium–sized businesses with plenty of performance and strong battery life at value prices. Though there’s room for improvement, the 13.3-inch Edge 13 ($899 as configured) delivers on these promises in a big way.

Design

While clearly inspired by nearly 20 years of ThinkPad design, this is a brand new look for a new decade. For the first time ever on a ThinkPad, the lid is available in three colors: glossy Midnight Black, matte Midnight Black, and Heatwave red. The sides are adorned with a silver trim, which adds a nice touch of color, but would be even more attractive if it were metal. The deck, bottom, and display bezel are made out of attractive smooth plastic, rather than the rubberized or grainy black material most ThinkPads have.

Best of all, the lid and the deck feature a glitzy ThinkPad logo with a bright red light that serves as the dot over the letter I. The light fades in and out when the notebook is asleep.

At 13.1 x 9.0 x 1.2 inches (with the standard 4-cell battery) and weighing 3.8 pounds, the Edge 13 is easy to carry. It’s also similar in size and weight to the HP ProBook 5310m (12.9 x 8.7 x 0.9 inches, 3.8 pounds) though the ProBook has a flat bottom, while the Edge’s 6-cell battery adds about 0.3 inches of thickness to the back. Like many ultraportables, the Edge saves weight by eschewing an optical drive.

Quick Specs :

CPU: 1.3-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit)
RAM/Expandable to: 2GB/4GB
Hard Drive Size/Speed: 320GB/5,400rpm
Display Size/Resolution: 13.3-inches/1366x768