Lenovo touts ThinkPad X1 Carbon lineup

Lenovo has debuted a thin and uber-lightweight notebook lineup powered by Microsoft Windows 8. Dubbed the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, the devices boast a chassis made from carbon fiber.

The most interesting (and probably worthwhile) version of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is actually the Carbon Touch which boasts a 14-inch touchscreen.

Interestingly, the standard X1 Carbon lacks touch interactivity. However, both versions of the notebook are equipped with a touchpad that supports Windows 8 gestures. The carbon fiber frames of the notebooks allow the ultrabook to weigh under 3.4 pounds while being only 20.8 mm thick. The touchscreen supports 10 finger multitouch and HD resolution.

Shoppers can configure the machines with Intel Core i5 or i7 processors. The computer also supports Dolby Home Theater v4 sound and features an SSD for storage. Lenovo says the Carbon is the first ultrabook optimized for Microsoft Lync, as it features a HD face tracking camera and dual array microphones for high-quality voice and video – without the need for peripherals.

“Bringing touch gesture control to our best ThinkPad ever is a natural evolution of the portfolio and a big step towards fulfilling our promise to bring computers into a new PC+ era,” said Lenovo rep Peter Hortensius.

Lenovo is also offering an optional slim 65 W AC adapter along with the notebook that is 17 mm thick and weighs 53% less than the standard AC adapter offered with the computer.

Pricing for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch starts at $1499 (with a base of 4GB of RAM) and scales up depending on the selected processor and other options.