The widescreen (1366 by 768) LED-backlit display looked good, too, with solid off-axis viewing from side to side (though less so from above or below). I only wish that Lenovo had offered a Blu-ray Disc option so that I could enjoy the higher video resolution that the notebook supports. In fact, Lenovo offers relatively few configuration options for the Z370: You can save $30 by going with a Core i3 CPU, but then you'd have to forgo the cool, shiny, iridescent turquoise patterned case, which is only available with the Core i5. (You can get either CPU with a charcoal brown case.)

The same smooth blue plastic (but without the pattern) frames the keyboard, which like most Lenovo keyboards features beautifully sculpted keys with a fine-grained matte surface. Unfortunately, there's no backlight, though Lenovo does embed several backlit touch-sensitive icons--for audio and sleep features--to the left of the right speaker.) The Z370 also omits a joystick. On the other hand, the multitouch-enabled Synaptics touchpad has an almost pebbled feel that I prefer to the smoother surfaces of other models; it was quite responsive and precise, to the point where I almost didn't miss the wireless mouse I usually use with notebooks.

Aside from the case and CPU options, all Z370 models offer the same hardware: three USB 2.0 ports (one of which also supports e-SATA); 10/100 ethernet; VGA and HDMI ports; a five-in-one card reader (located on the front edge); and separate headphone and microphone jacks. Lenovo includes an external switch for the 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi--a nice feature for travelers--plus Bluetooth 2.1 support. I was disappointed, though, not to have the option to pay extra for 5GHz Wi-Fi or mobile broadband.

The Z370 comes with a fairly standard IdeaPad software bundle, a mix of potentially and questionably useful apps and utilities with a consumer bent (ThinkPad bundles tend to be far more minimalist). In this case, Lenovo's OneKey Recovery software is definitely a plus: It works with a hardware button located next to the power-on button above the right side of the keyboard to help you create a disk image that you can use to restore your system if need be.

I also liked the Lenovo DirectShare utility for syncing files between other computers and USB drive on your local network. CyberLink's Power2G disc-burning utility is certainly useful, and I enjoyed fooling around with the CyberLink YouCam software, which lets you experiment with different effects on video captures using your webcam, and then helps you upload videos to YouTube or Facebook, or attach them to email messages.