Lenovo has an attractive thin-and-light notebook on its hands with the IdeaPad U330, a 13-inch system that takes some design cues from the 11-inch IdeaPad U110, released earlier this year. Like the U110, the U330 offers both touch-sensitive media controls and facial recognition. However, the glossy black U330 adds a more comfortable keyboard and switchable graphics (for summoning additional battery power or graphics muscle when needed). We wished the U330 lasted longer on a charge, but it offers a good mix of features and performance for $1,199.

Design and Build

Measuring 12.5 x 9.3 x 0.9 inches and weighing 4.4 pounds, the U330 provides excellent balance between screen size and portability, with a heaping dose of eye candy. The machine features a glossy Bold Black lid and a subtle pinstripe pattern on its base that begs to be touched. Unfortunately, doing so leaves behind a fair share of fingerprints, so you may want to keep a cloth at hand if you want to maintain its pristine appearance.

Despite the fact that this is a consumer notebook, Lenovo didn’t skimp on the durability. It features a magnesium alloy frame and Lenovo’s Active Protection System, which gives the U330 extra endurance courtesy of a shock-mounted hard drive.

Keyboard and Touch Controls

Unlike the U110, whose keyboard layout we found to be a bit slippery, the U330 has a firm, responsive keyboard. It is nearly identical to that on a ThinkPad, which is a good thing, but the business-like layout clashes a bit with the surrounding glossy deck. The touchpad worked well, and it has a dedicated scrolling area. The two touchpad buttons were responsive but a little mushy.

Located above the keyboard is a glossy touch strip that enables you to control various aspects of the notebook. By pressing an orange, touch-sensitive button, you can cycle between multimedia controls and audio equalizers (normal, classical, dance, pop, jazz).

The far left of the strip houses touch-sensitive keys for tweaking Dolby Home Theater bass levels, customizing shortcuts to launch applications or Web sites, and muting audio (pictured to the right). The virtual buttons recognized our inputs without a hitch. The lone physical button (besides the power key) launches the Lenovo OneKey Recovery 6.0 software for backing up and restoring the system.