ThinkPad Edge Reviewed: Best ThinkPad Keyboard Ever?

This week, in addition to its X100E and new T and W ThinkPads, Lenovo is unveiling a line of small business notebooks called the Edge series. Available in 13,14, and 15-inch sizes, the Edge offers a choice of low voltage processors from AMD and Intel, with a starting price of just $549, a stylish new design, and the standard suite of optional small business services we’ve come to expect from Lenovo (priority support, damage protection, hard disk retention, etc). The Edge 14 and 15 won’t launch until Q2, but the Edge 13 launches this quarter.

The most radical — and potentially polarizing — things about the Edge series are its colorful new design and its island-style keyboard. Like the ThinkPad X100E, which was also announced today, the Edge series will be available in a choice of colors (glossy black, matte black, or heatwave red). Also, like the ThinkPad X100E, the Edge will eschew the traditional ThinkPad keyboard for an island layout with one fewer row of keys.

Will ThinkPad fans take to the new keyboard and design? We had a chance to review an Edge 13, and our answer is a resounding yes. Our review unit lasted nearly 6 hours on a charge, had a beautiful bright screen, was extremely light in our hands, and its keyboard was even more comfortable and responsive  than those on most other ThinkPads we’ve used. Check out our full review for all the gory details.