Lenovo Introduces Ivy Bridge to ThinkPad Edge, B Series Laptops

Lenovo is enhancing its ThinkPad Edge S430 and E430/530 line, as well as its B series with Intel's latest Core i-processors, codenamed "Ivy Bridge."

These laptops run the gamut from bare-bones budget laptops to slim and sleek premium laptops, but each one is aimed at delivering productivity features for small to medium business (SMB) users.

The ThinkPad Edge S430 plays more toward the image-conscious business user, with its Mocha Black design and soft-touch finish, metallic accents, and 0.8-inch profile. It sports a 14-inch display, which allows for enough screen real-estate to work comfortably in one window with some room to spare. Consumers will have plenty of customization options, with choices of Intel's latest Ivy Bridge line of processors, integrated or Nvidia discrete graphics, a DVD burner or an extra hard drive for up to 1TB of storage space, and USB 3.0 port. A Thunderbolt interface will also be available, which up until now was only available on Apple's iMac and MacBook Pro line of laptops and desktops. The S430 will be available in June for a starting price of $749.

The ThinkPad Edge E430 (14-inch display) and E530 (15-inch display) laptops offer a wide variety of performance options in the form of Intel's Ivy Bridge processors to AMD's Fusion APUs with the added option of choosing between a discrete or integrated graphics solution. The E430 and E530 feature up to 1TB of hard drive space, which can be combined with a solid-state drive (SSD) for added performance and physically protecting your files (SSDs are less prone to cracking), USB 3.0 ports, and an HD Webcam for video chatting.

The E430 and E530 will come in an assortment of colors, including Midnight Black, Heatwave Red, and Cobalt Blue, and feature an aluminum shell with a similar soft-touch finish on the lid as the S430. The E430 and E530 will be available on April, provided that Intel's Ivy Bridge processors are released on time, and will have a starting price of $549.

The B series of Lenovo's laptop line aims to provide users with the bare essentials: the chassis is fairly plain and isn't quite as slim as the aforementioned ThinkPads, but it offers the same internal components as the above ThinkPad laptops. Consumers will have the choice between a 14-inch or 15-inch display, a 3rd generation Ivy Bridge Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 processor or AMD Fusion APU, and integrated graphics or discrete chipset for gaming.

The B series laptops can be configured with up to 1TB of storage space and USB 3.0 ports for faster data transfer speeds between same-interfaced external hard drives and the laptop. The B series line of laptops will be available on April, again, provided that Intel's Ivy Bridge processors are released on time, for a starting price of $399.