The Lenovo ThinkPad x220 is a new 12.5″ ultraportable notebook that will be available for purchase in April. We’ve had a chance to use the ThinkPad x220 as our primary notebook for the past several weeks and we have been blown away by what this 2nd Gen Core i5 powered ultraportable can do all while delivering up to 15 hours of real world battery life!

Lenovo ThinkPad X220 Ultraportable Notebook

The x220 is the update to the popular ThinkPad X201 ultraportable, which incorporates several new design changes and features that really complete the user experience. There is also a Lenovo ThinkPad X220t, convertible tablet coming with similar spaces and pricing.

You should head over and check out our full ThinkPad X220 Review, where you’ll learn why we gave this ultraportable our Editor’s Choice award, but in short this is one of the first ultraportable notebooks we have used that could work as the only notebook you have — and with a starting price of $889 you’ll be amazed at what it can do.

This was one of the first Sandy Bridge systems we have had a chance to use and we wanted to test out the integrated graphics so we loaded up Just Cause 2 and were surprised to find a playable game on medium settings. The X220 wouldn’t be our first choice for a gaming notebook, but it is able to transition from work to play without any trouble.

The keyboard is, like on all ThinkPads, really great with a nice feel and layout of keys, but the mouse stole the show on the x220. It’s not that the mousepad si perfect, but it is 45% larger than the x201 and is a clickable surface so you can click anywhere on the upper portion for a left click, much like on a MacBook. The integrated buttons are curved at the base to fit the lid’s slight curve and delivers a passable two finger scroll.

The ThinkPad X220′s battery life, with the optional 19-cell slice battery, was also impressive. When we combined the standard 6-cell battery with the $179 slice battery, we were able to get 15 hours of battery life while surfing the web. The standard 6-cell was able to get just under 8 hours of battery life. If you opt for the 9 cell battery and 19-cell slice battery you can reportedly achieve 20 hours of real world use.

If you’re looking for a great new ultraportable, that weighs in at under 3 pounds with  12.5″ IPS display and a starting price under $900, you need to read our in depth Lenovo ThinkPad X220 review.

ThinkPad x220 Review – Editor’s Choice Ultraportable w/ 15 Hour Battery is a post by Josh Smith from Gotta Be Mobile.

It looks like Apple may refresh the ultra-portable MacBook Air notebook–available currently in 11- and 13-inch screen sizes–to accommodate Intel’s second-generation Core processor, known as Sandy Bridge according to the latest Internet reports. Our own Josh Smith had written over at Notebooks.com that the move will deliver for Apple and to consumers better graphics performance:

The new 2nd Generation Core i processors from Intel have a graphics solution built right into the same piece of silicon as the processor which has allowed for much better graphics performance from the integrated graphics processors than on previous generations.

It is speculated that the first-generation MacBook Air–the current shipping models–had eschewed the first-generation Intel Core processors as Intel had required that manufacturers like Apple utilize Intel’s integrated GPU, though computer-makers can also add a discrete GPU from another vendor if needed, like on the MacBook Pro series.

Given the tight space constraints, and what many believe that Apple sees as an inferior GPU from Intel compared to an NVIDIA solution, Apple had chosen to utilize a less-restrictive, but older Core 2 Duo chip from Intel so that it can place an integrated NVIDIA GPU into the Air rather than having to increase cost and valuable space to use a discrete GPU and a first-gen Core CPU on the already space-confined and slim Air.

That said, with Intel having ramped up the GPU performance by placing the graphics component into the same silicon as the CPU, graphics performance has increased for the second-generation Core Sandy Bridge chips, which would perhaps make it more acceptable to vendors who are more selective and particular, like Apple.

An updated MacBook Air with Sandy Bridge CPU will be more competitive with Samsung’s competing 9 Series laptops, which were introduced a month ago at CES. The 9 Series boasts an equally slim form factor and comes in the same 11- or 13-inch screen sizes. As a Windows 7 MacBook Air competitor, it boasts some impressive specs and design, and was awarded a Best of CES 2011 award from Notebooks.com.

Given that the integrated solution saves space inside the notebook, Smith speculates that slimmer, smaller MacBook Airs, and perhaps even MacBook Pros, will arrive when Apple makes the transition to Sandy Bridge. If the notebooks don’t slim down, it may bulk up on other features–such as accommodating an SD card reader, which the 13-inch Air has but the 11-inch Air doesn’t because of space constraint. Another potential feature would be to accommodate a bigger, heftier battery inside the extra freed up space.

MacBook Air Getting Second-Gen Intel Core CPU in June? is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Gotta Be Mobile.

Earlier at the Consumer Electronics Show, Samsung had announced a thin and light ultra-portable professional notebook running on Microsoft’s Windows 7 OS that will give the OS X MacBook Air a run for its money. The 9 Series ultra-portable class from Samsung will come in either an 11.6- or 13.3-inch screen size, challenging the similar-spec’ed 11.6- and 13.3-inch Apple MacBook Air.

Like the Apple ultra-portable, the Samsung machines will have an island-style keyboard arrangement, aluminum metal shell, and sleek, thin construction. But the similarities, hopefully, end there as Samsung is trying to best the Air on a number of fronts.

The Korean-electronics maker is saying that its laptop is the slimmest and lightest of them all–the 13.3-inch model clocks in at approximately 2.8 pounds and the 11.6-inch model will be at just 2.2 pounds. Moreover, the screen is said to be among the brightest displays with 400 nits of brightness, which Samsung claims to be 40 percent brighter than competing models.

Utilizing what Samsung calls a “dura-aluminum” shell, the company says that the laptop is twice as strong as regular aluminum on competitors.

With a 128 GB SSD, up to 8 GB RAM, and a number of ports with a cover that slide down to reveal them, the 9 Series will feature a very sleek design with curvy lines.

While Samsung is not releasing firm details, the company is giving a lot of speculative information on the design. For one, the 11.6-inch model may not make it to the U.S.–Stateside, only the 13.3-inch model will see a release. The 11.6-inch model will get either an  Intel Core i3 or i5 CPU, according to reps, though the 13.3-inch is said to come in i5 configurations though the display units are shown reportedly with an Intel Core i7 Sandy Bridge processor. Graphics is said to be driven by an Intel integrated GPU, unlike the Air which uses a Core 2 Duo CPU and discrete NVIDIA GPU. Moreover, while the keyboard on the model we saw did not have backlighting, the release model should come with a backlit keyboard.

Lighter, sleeker, and with a more capable processor that will last you for up to 7-8 hours on a single charge, the 9 Series from Samsung was also awarded a Notebooks.com Best of CES Award for the Thin and Light category.

Samsung 9 Series Ultra-Portable Challenges MacBook Air with Intel Sandy Bridge Processors (Video) is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Gotta Be Mobile.

The folks at Liliputing, who seem to keep an eye out for German news, report a new ultraportable from Lenovo is on the way. Though it should pack more punch than the standard netbook, the starting price tag for the X100e is well within reach at $449.

Display: 11.6″ 1366 x 768 screen

CPU: AMD Athlon Neo MV-40

OS: Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Pro (32 bit or 64 bit)

Memory: Up to4GB

Storage: 160/250/320GB 2.5″ 5400rpm HDD

I/O: 3 USB ports, VGA output, 4-in-1 card reader

Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n WiFi, optional Bluetooth, 3G

Input: Trackpoint and multi-touch touchpad

Camera: 0.3MP

Battery: 3 cell (2.2 hour) or 6 cell (5.1 hour)

Dimensions: 11.1″ x 82.” x 11.2″ (w/6 cell battery)

Weight: 3.3 pounds (w/6 cell battery)

Price: Starting at $449

The same German story also reports a new ThinkPad called the Edge will offer a selection of AMD and Intel processors, a multi-touch trackpad, and options that include a UMTS/GPS module, external DVD burner, and 4- and 6-cell batteries.

Via Slashgear

New Lenovo ultraportables leaked is a post by Sumocat from Gotta Be Mobile.