Those old enough to have owned IBM Thnikpad notebooks in the 90s will recall that IBM, the owner of the brand in those days, managed to create a couple of the most creative innovations to hit the laptop scene. Their butterfly keyboard, that used a mechanical system so that the small laptop could boast a full-sized keyboard was a wonder of design and engineering (that model, from the 701 series in on display at New York's Museum of Modern Art). There was even a model that allowed the back of the LCD to be removed so that it could be placed on an overhead projector so that the screen display could be shared to an audience.

When IBM sold their PC business to Lenovo in 2005, there was some concern that the innovation that was a hallmark of the ThinkPad brand under IBM's stewardship might fade away. After all, the price of PCs was falling in real terms meaning that the R&D dollars would be drying up. PCs were a commodity business with innovation a likely victim of tightening margins.

However, it's a big "hats off" to Lenovo. Rather than become just another box mover, they've kept innovating and have built upon the ThinkPad foundation.Take a look at two new units they've announced.

The IdeaPad S10-3t isn't the first swivel screen netbook on the market (we suspect that Asus garners the first to market honour with the Eee PC T91). However, the spec sheet reads impressively and it looks to be a real stunner. There's a new Atom N470 CPU and a 10.1-inch screen. Storage is covered with up to 320GB hard drive and there's either a four or eight cell battery. Unlike most touchscreens, the S10-3t lacks a pressure sensitive display. Instead, it ships with a capacitive display.

The new IdeaPad U1 Hybrid is another case. While most tablet-style units go for the swivel to convert from tablet to notebook-style, the U1's display actually comes off. Each component, the main body and the display can run their own operating system with Windows 7 for the body and a custom Linux for the screen when it's running independently. If Lenovo can get this device right it will seriously cramp Apple's style when the iPad is finally released. Battery life is estimated at 10hrs in notebook mode or 8hrs in slate mode.

The spec sheet reads impressively with 3G standby, WiFi (although no 802.11n at this stage), Bluetooth, ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports, a combo USB/eSATA, VGA and HDMI, and a card reader. Storage is up to 128GB SSD in the notebook and 16GB of flash in the tablet, with up to 4GB for the notebook and 512MB in the slate. It's a little heavy at the whole thing weighs 3.7 pounds as a notebook but the slate is just 1.6 pounds. 

I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on these units when Lenovo makes them available later this year.

By Anthony Caruana