Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds

Quad-core CPU, dual screen, built-in Wacom tablet, Blu-ray drive, built-in colour calibration

Lacks eSATA, no full sized ExpressCard/54 slot, not all keyboard keys are full sized

If you're a designer or graphics artist who needs plenty of screen space and processing power, and the ability to take that power easily to a remote location, the Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds is worthy of consideration.

Lightweight, for such a large notebook Excellent drawing tablet

Angle of view on LCD is pretty narrow Enormous power brick

The second screen doesn't add much functionality, and it consumes an inordinate amount of battery life. It's a pretty big waste of money, too--it adds $420 to the cost of an otherwise-comparable W700. For that money, you could buy a 24-inch desktop...

Lightweight, for such a large notebook ; Excellent drawing tablet

Angle of view on LCD is pretty narrow ; Enormous power brick

The idea of a second screen latched onto a huge desktop replacement notebook sounds good on paper, but it's not fully-baked.

Secondary screen is a novelty of breathtaking proportions. Loaded with ports, including five USB, full-size DVI out and HDMI out. Unmatched performance in a laptop. 94 minutes of battery life isn’t bad for a machine this big

If you got room for two displays, is it wrong to think you ought to have room for three? Gargantuan size, weight, price. Smells like burning

Quad-core CPU, dual screen, built-in Wacom tablet, Blu-ray drive, built-in colour calibration

Lacks eSATA, no full sized ExpressCard/54 slot, not all keyboard keys are full sized

If you're a designer or graphics artist who needs plenty of screen space and processing power, and the ability to take that power easily to a remote location, the Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds is worthy of consideration.

Robust chassis ; Extensive connection options ; 3 year warranty ex-factory ; Win XP and Vista available ; User-friendly touchpad/trackpoint combination ; Integrated graphic tablet available ; Bright display with good contrast ; Integrated colorimeter...

Typing behavior needs getting used to ; Mediocre display illumination ; Mediocre performance in single applications benchmarks ; Low battery life

With a good business image: HP EliteBook 8730w, Dell Precision M6400; possibly the flossy barebones, for instance from Nexoc, Schenker Notebook, or Deviltech

Desktop-like performance in a notebook – now with two screens ; Build quality still as good as always ; Very good primary display with built-in color calibrator ; Keyboard is as good as the one on my desk

Built-in calibrator doesn’t support second display ; Small onboard digitizer features a terrible pen ; Multimedia performance doesn't quite cut it ; Performance upgrades will elevate the price significantly

In the time since our first W700 review, though, I’ve also had the chance to spend a lot more time with the original W700, and to get to know the W700ds seen here as well. And out of this experience, the general consensus around the NBR office seems to...

Stay tuned to NotebookReview.com for our full review of this notebook