The Lenovo ThinkPad X100e which many expected to be yet another netbook has turned up to be something a little bit different. The 11.6-inch AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 powered notebook does actually have some rather interesting features and it might just be appealing enough for those that are looking for a netbook alternative.

Although the CPU isn't exactly a power house, combined with the 780G chipset the AMD platform does have some clear advantages over Intel's current Atom platform. Not only can this system play back HD video, but it also have enough graphics power for some casual 3D gaming.

Other features include up to 4GB of RAM and 320GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, a card reader, a high-sensitivity webcam, a D-Sub connector and three USB 2.0 ports of which one offers extra power for the optional external optical drive.

Lenovo also offers Bluetooth as an option, but what is like to be more appealing is the optional Qualcomm Gobi based 3G data option with a built in GPS receiver. The X100e also comes with a chicklet style keyboard and a multi-touch trackpad and a trackpoint. It's available with either a 3- or a 6-cell battery, although the 3-cell only gives you 2.2h of usage, so we'd opt for the 5.1h 6-cell unit straight away.

The X100e measures 282x189x29.5mm (WxDxH) and weighs in at 1.36kg with the 3-cell battery, while the 6-cell unit adds 20mm on the depth and increases the weight to 1.5kg. In terms of operating system, the X100e will come with either XP Home, XP Pro, Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium or Pro depending on the market and configuration. Pricing should start at $449 (€302) which puts the X100e up against a wide range of netbooks.

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