While he may not have invented the Internet, Al Gore has played a major role in bringing the issue of Global Warming to the masses. In his book and movie "An Inconvenient Truth", Gore made a compelling case, and whether his message convinced you or not, one thing is certain, it's clear people were listening. Today, there is increased research and development searching for innovative solutions to energy conservation in virtually all areas of our lives. Technologies are being improved to collect solar, wind, geo-thermal and water power, while alternative technologies are under development as well. Regardless of your position on the topic, the benefits are obvious, as energy costs continue to increase.
Today, the computer industry is no different, developing products with ever increasing efficiency. AMD, Intel and VIA are all pushing low power processors while computer manufacturers are working to develop systems with energy efficiency in mind. Processor and GPU manufacturing processes continue to shrink, lowering power demands, while system builders are working energy efficiency into their product designs and marketing. With many homes having more than one computer, this makes sense as computers become increasingly intertwined into our daily lives. One product designed to be environmentally friendly is the new ThinkPad X300 from Lenovo. This ultraportable notebook was designed to be the most efficient notebook Lenovo has ever offered, with claims of a 25% reduction in power consumption compared to previous X-Series models. To achieve this, Lenovo attempted a balancing act with low power components while working to ensure that system performance is up to par with more powerful notebooks. With a low power Core 2 Duo CPU, Solid-State Hard Drive and LED backlit monitor, Lenovo is off to a good start. The question is, has the focus on low power consumption come at a price in both dollars and performance? In the pages ahead we will work to answer that very question as well as spotlight a number of impressive features that make the Lenovo ThinkPad X300 ultraportable notebook a compelling choice for mobile computing.