Lenovo ThinkPad x131e Chromebook pitched at schools

 

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By Nicole Kobie

Posted on 17 Jan 2013 at 15:34

Lenovo has unveiled its own Chromebook, joining Acer and Samsung with laptops running Google's Chrome OS.

Lenovo has revamped its ThinkPad X131e, which is already targeted at schools, adding the Chrome OS as an option.

Unlike the Acer and Samsung devices, the ThinkPad X131e is ruggedised, to help it survive life at school, with reinforced corners, stronger hinges, and a rubber bumper around the laptop lid.

The 11.6in laptop features a 1,366 x 768 HD display, and has three USB ports as well as HDMI and VGA outputs. It weighs 1.7kg and Lenovo promises "all day" battery life; the previous edition offered 8.5 hours.

While the standard version of the ThinkPad X131e is offered running Intel or AMD, the Chromebook edition is only available with Intel chips.

Lenovo is also offering the ability to customise the colour of the laptop or to etch the school's logo into the case, for further personalisation. The Chromebooks will have an option for a built-in tracking tool to find misplaced laptops.

There are no prices available for the devices, as it's only available for bulk, institutional buying, but the standard ThinkPad X131e starts from $499, compared to the new Acer C7 Chromebook for $199.

The ThinkPad Chromebook is released 26 February in the US, but Lenovo has yet tell us if it will also be available in the UK.