Lenovo IdeaPad U110 review

The supersvelte Lenovo IdeaPad U110 is about as flashy as ultraportable PCs get.

As alluded to up top, you can't help but covet the machine's stylish layout. With an 11.1in screen at 1366 by 768 resolution (we'll get back to that in a second), we'd expect a scrunched-up keyboard with inhumanly small buttons. Not the case. In fact, the buttons are huge by ultraportable standards. The wide, flat keys take a little getting used to, but. We had no problem tapping out this review on the Lenovo IdeaPad U110. Trying to get all those fingerprint smudges off, though, is another story.

Good thing this lacks a fingerprint scanner because any CSI fans could lift the smudgy prints. Oh, sure, the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 ships with a chamois, but do you really want to continually swab down the deck? We don't think so. Thanks to that glossy coating, you might not even notice the four shortcut keys. Run your fingers along the top of the keyboard for the faintly-lit - and stylised buttons - to appear. Good luck seeing 'em in broad daylight, though.

Like the IdeaPad Y510, that glossy treatment creates a lousy glare. Even with the brightness set all the way up, we could check our hair (and maybe shave) with the reflection. At least you'll be fine indoors. Lenovo, if you're listening, please ditch the glossy screens and go for a backlit LED!

We're also wondering why there is such a disparity between the software in the ThinkPad and IdeaPad lines from the same company. The ThinkPad's ThinkVantage Suite is smartly executed while the Lenovo IdeaPad U110's Shuttle Center II entertainment hub borders on useless bloatware. It's slow and groups together the entertainment programs that are on the start menu (photos, music, video - you get the idea). It'd be nice to see Lenovo's different departments share some of that software.