Lenovo says the X1 exceeds Intel's ultrabook specifications using a carbon-fiber cage to provide a level of durability that also consistently exceeds certain military specifications. With a military sounding name like X1 and weighing in at only three pounds, there is no need to put this unit behind enemy lines; just put it out front and let it take its best shot at impressive presentations on a 1600 x 900 resolution, 14-inch, matte display.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon ultrabook will even lead the charge, with a rapid-charge feature that brings the battery up to 80% of capacity within half an hour. That comes in handy at the airport or airbase between flights, before being air-lifted out.

As a special-ops over-achiever this thin-and-light fighter stays alive for almost ten hours on a battery charge, bringing the action to the front with an Ivy Bridge CPU, up to 8GB of integrated DDR3 RAM, USB 3.0, TPM (Trusted Platform Module), fingerprint reader, DisplayPort, SD card reader, and its 64-bit Windows 7 Pro operating system. The vPro enterprise-manageability technology keeps the IT commandos back at HQ ready to deploy at a moment's notice.

Equipment to Engage Adversarial Environments

Whether working in a noisy airbase environment or behind the lines, the dual-microphone, Dolby Home Theater v4, combined with the 720p front-facing camera with face-tracking, will filter out background sounds, using noise cancellation. That makes it possible to report to headquarters using the ThinkPad X1's 3G connectivity, even when a usable Wi-Fi connection is not available.

When a low silhouette is needed, the X1 can lay flat by folding its LCD screen open almost 180 degrees.

Like any other good field equipment, a laptop should come to hand with precision and comfortable ergonomics. The entire ThinkPad series is rightfully famous for impeccable keyboards. The X1 is faithful to its comrades, but also goes the extra mile with a slightly redesigned, spill-resistant, backlit, gracefully sculpted, "precision" keyboard. Everyone thought the ThinkPad series keyboards were the best in the industry, and they were correct. Everyone also thought that keyboard could not be improved, and they were wrong.

Secret Numbers

Pricing and a release date have not been announced. Expect winning the battle, with top-notch equipment that Lenovo says "consistently exceeds military specifications", to cost a "pretty-penny". The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon ultrabook should arrive on the front lines in the summer of 2012.

Field Assessment

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptop is the tough kind of fighter Intel had in mind when it put hundreds of millions of dollars into the ultrabook initiative.