????過度曝光的所謂“超極本”已經不再是什么新鮮事。如今，這種纖薄質輕的筆記本魚龍混雜，層出不窮。“超極本”的叫法也被濫用，很難再激起消費者的興趣。既然如此，聯(lián)想（Lenovo）ThinkPad X1 Carbon超極本問世后還能受到熱捧，應該有它的道理。

????來自中國的PC巨頭聯(lián)想集團在這款筆記本上煞費苦心。這款筆記本并沒有采用更重的鋁制材料，而是使用了常在法拉利跑車中使用的碳纖維，這在普通商品中極為少見，而X1 Carbon也是唯一一款使用碳纖維的超極本。這款筆記本近距離看上去非常普通，但這款配有14寸屏的筆記本只有3磅重，與蘋果公司（Apple）的13寸Macbook Air相當。（超極本的概念最初由英特爾提出，目的就是為了與熱銷的蘋果Air系列產品對抗。）

????就像行駛在曼哈頓市中心的林肯城市汽車，看起來并無亮點，同樣，之前的ThinkPad筆記本在外型上一直以求穩(wěn)著稱。而X1 Carbon采取圓形邊緣設計，超薄的外形更勝之前的產品。該款超極本保持了許多ThinkPad的獨有特色——全黑色的外殼，配以精妙的紅色與淡藍色。雖然它算不上萬眾矚目，但確實比之前的ThinkPad系列更加精致。

????親身體驗X1之后便能體會到它的與眾不同之處。這款筆記本更加輕巧。大部分超極本均采用13寸屏，分辨率通常為1366 X 768，而X1則配備了14寸屏，屏幕分辨率則提升至1600 x 900。在同時運行多個應用和窗口時，這一配置的優(yōu)勢便凸顯出來。雖然屏幕的亮度仍有提升空間，但通過無光表面處理，即便在當?shù)乜Х葟d中工作時，也能有效減少反光。

????與最近上市的多款筆記本類似，X1也搭載了英特爾最新款Ivy Bridge芯片。我們手中的X1屬于標準型號，售價1,329美元，配置1.7 GHz i5處理器，4GB RAM，128GB固態(tài)硬盤，并預裝微軟Windows 8操作系統(tǒng)高級版。我們模擬普通商務旅行者的情況，連續(xù)幾天對這款筆記本進行了測試，打開了多款應用，數(shù)十個窗口，欣賞音樂、觀看視頻，設備運行并未受到太大影響，運行依然十分順暢。唯一的缺點是，在登陸網(wǎng)飛（Netflix）或Hulu觀看視頻時，筆記本的風扇會發(fā)出輕微的響聲。但即便如此，鍵盤和周圍區(qū)域并未出現(xiàn)過熱的現(xiàn)象，這在筆記本中并不多見。

????這款ThinkPad的鍵盤或許是有史以來最舒服的一款鍵盤。X1鍵盤更大，配以波形按鍵，讓手指的觸感更加清晰，按鍵距離適中，因此只需輕輕敲擊便可完成輸入。而其觸摸板，應該是我們在PC上見過響應效果最佳的多點觸控觸摸板。多年以來，PC制造商一直尋求設計一款能夠與蘋果筆記本觸摸板相媲美的同類產品。結果卻以失敗而告終。但在X1上，不論是滾動、放大還是捏動等動作，表現(xiàn)都非常出色，沒有任何延遲。（ThinkPad老用戶也可以根據(jù)個人愛好，選擇使用紅帽指點桿。）

????So-called Ultrabooks risk overexposure. The selection of these thin, lightweight notebooks is so varied now, the moniker used so loosely, it's hard to muster much excitement. So when an Ultrabook like Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon comes along and generates real buzz, it's probably for good reason…right?

????The Chinese PC giant, for one, has made a big deal out of this particular laptop. it's the only Ultrabook that uses carbon fiber -- a material more commonly found in Ferraris than plebeian gizmos -- instead of heavier aluminum. Up close result is understated, but impressive: a laptop with a 14-inch screen that comes in at a hair under 3 lbs., similar to Apple (AAPL) 13-inch MacBook Air. (The entire category of Ultrabooks was created in part by Intel (INTC) to counter the popularity of the Air line of products.)

????In the same way a Lincoln Town Car might cut an innocuous profile whizzing across the streets of Midtown Manhattan, previous ThinkPad notebooks have made a virtue of playing it safe looks-wise. The X1 Carbon is somewhat more appealing, however, with rounded edges and a much thinner profile than its predecessors. It carries many ThinkPad hallmarks -- the stark black case and subtle red and light blue accents. It's not exactly a head-turner, but certainly more refined than ThinkPads past.

????Picking up the X1 really exhibits the difference. This laptop is lighter than it should be. Most ultrabooks stick with a 13-inch screen and a 1,366 by 768 resolution, but the X1 packs a 14-inch display with a higher 1,600 x 900 resolution. That is a welcome feature that pays off when multiple applications and windows compete for limited real estate. And although the screen could have been brighter, its matte finished reduces glare even when working outside at a local café.

????Like many recent laptops, the X1 packs one Intel's latest Ivy Bridge chips. Ours was the standard base $1,329 model with a 1.7 GHz i5 processor, 4 GB of RAM, a 128 GB solid state drive, and Microsoft (MSFT) Windows 8 Premium. We put the laptop through its paces over several days -- use cases the average business traveler might go through -- with multiple apps open, tens of windows going, music and video streaming, and the machine zipped along unfazed. The only giveaway was a fan that quietly hummed when watching Netflix (NFLX) or Hulu. Even then, the keyboard and its surrounding area was never hot to the touch, something that can't be said of many other laptops.

????This ThinkPad may have one of the most comfortable keyboards ever made. The X1's keyboard is spacious, with keys gently contoured to conform to your fingers and just the right amount of "travel," so keys press down with a soft, satisfying click. As for the trackpad, it's probably the most responsive multitouch trackpad we've ever tried on a PC. PC makers have struggled over the years to design a trackpad that rivals the ones Apple includes in its laptops. The results have often fallen short. But scrolling, zooming, and pinching worked just fine on the X1 with no delay. (ThinkPad veterans can, of course, revert to using the red nub if they prefer.)