Lenovo Announces the ThinkPad X301. They Can Built It --- Better, Stronger, Faster.

The Lenovo Thinkpad X300 is cool, but now it's been surpassed. Lenovo has announced a better, stronger, faster laptop, the X301 (go figure). The X301 ups the ante with, according to Lenovo, on average nearly 20% better performance over the X300 by adding DDR3 RAM and "the latest Intel Core 2 Duo ultra low volt processor."

That CPU would be the as-yet-unreleased Intel Core 2 Duo ULV (ultra low voltage) U9300 (1.2GHz) and U9400 (1.4GHz) models, both with a 6MB L2 cache and 1066MHz FSB.

SSD size will rise to the occasion, with the same 64 GB SSD available, but also a 128 GB option. The laptop will include a DisplayPort jack, GPS, and up to 250% better mobile broadband. A WiMAX version will appear later this year.

Much of the rest of the laptop will remain as is, with a 13.3" LED backlit display.

Pricing? Starts at $2,599. Availability? August 26th, but the 128 GB SSD option won't show up until September.

In an emailed press release, Sam Dusi, vice president, worldwide notebook product marketing, Lenovo, said:

"Lenovo continues to push the technology envelope by giving road warriors the latest enhancements in solid state drive storage and digital display technologies with the new ThinkPad X301 notebook PC. This announcement extends our commitment to blending ultraportability and functionality, and equipping today’s business users with the most advanced, highest-performing computing tools."

Their latest MacBook Air challenger, right? And it has plenty to take on the MBA with, except that it has to overcome Apple's perceived mojo.

Additional info from the press release:

Like its predecessor, the industry-acclaimed ThinkPad X300 notebook, the ThinkPad X301 notebook offers cutting-edge features and technologies in a thin and light form starting at less than three pounds and one-inch thin. The notebook offers even greater storage capacity with choices of either 64 GB or new 128 GB solid state drive storage available in September. The ThinkPad X301 notebook provides on average nearly 20 percent better performance over the ThinkPad X300 notebook due to the latest DDR3 memory and the latest Intel Core 2 Duo ultra low volt processor.

New support for DisplayPort makes viewing high definition content easy and ideal for models with the ultra-thin DVD burner. With support for both DisplayPort and VGA, users can even watch high definition content on multiple displays. Designed for maximum options for wireless connectivity, the ThinkPad X301 notebook offers models with high-speed mobile broadband3 and WiFi to connect wirelessly to the Internet, and also with Bluetooth and Ultra-Wideband technology to connect wirelessly to other devices. Lenovo offers improved uplink performance by up to 250 percent for models with AT&T mobile broadband over previous ThinkPad notebooks with AT&T mobile broadband4. Models supporting WiMAX will be available later this year. Additionally, GPS on notebook models with high speed mobile broadband allow travelers to more easily navigate to the office or airport.