When you think about crossover vehicles, they typically fit somewhere between a standard sedan and a larger SUV. With the recent leak of the ThinkPad X1 from Lenovo, we find a notebook PC that’s try to straddle between the consumer and business markets.

Does that really work? Well, the average business user probably still enjoys some consumer-friendly features. With the ThinkPad X1, you get that corporate black styling that we’ve come to expect from the ThinkPad line, along with an encrypted hard drive, hardware-based password manager, and fingerprint reader.

But on the consumer side, you also get Dolby audio, a super thin profile that rivals the MacBook Air, HDMI output, and backlit keyboard. You can configure the X1 with a range of Core i5/i7 processors, along with Windows 7 Professional, a USB 3.0 port, DisplayPort, a single RAM slot with support up to 8GB, and a 160GB SSD. As is the case with competitors like the Samsung Series 9, there is no optical drive here.

When you walk into a business environment, you can’t exactly do it with a cherry red laptop. That just won’t demand the same kind of serious respect that a regular black ThinkPad can demand. That said, the X1 offers a slim and svelte package (along with a button-less trackpad and that signature red nub of a TrackPoint) that shows you’ve got style too. Prices start at $1,399 and go up with your upgrades.

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There’s so much more to the thin notebook market than the MacBook Air. Taking a swing down South Korea way, you’ll discover that LG has just unveiled a pair of additions to its Blade Series of skinny laptops: the LG P430 and the LG P530.

Both of them make use of Super Slim LED LCD displays, as well as the recently released set of Intel Sandy Bridge processors. The P430 is a 14-incher (4.3mm thick screen), while the P530 rocks out with 15.6-inches (4.7mm thick screen) of screen real estate. The new Blade laptops (or at least their thin displays) are said to be about 50% thinner than any other notebook in their class.

Not surprisingly, LG is offering a broad range of SKUs to give you the spec sheet you desire. These include Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors, as well as Nvidia GeForce GT520M or Intel HD Graphics 3000. All models come with Bluetooth 3.0+HS, HDMI-out, 1366×768 resolution (kinda low for a 15.6-incher, don’t you think?), 1.3MP webcam, DVD SuperMulti drive, and HD Audio. Keeping with the skinniness, they’re thinned out the body and the bezel too. The 14-inch P430, for example, has the same outer dimensions as a conventional 13.3-incher.

Expect the P430 to launch at the end of May with the P530 following a month later. They’re limiting them to Europe, Middle East, South America, and Asia for now, so North America is out of luck unless you find an importer.

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Just because you want a skinny laptop doesn’t mean that you have no choice but to buy a MacBook Air. The latest PC alternative in this realm is the Samsung Series 9, joining the ranks of laptops like the Dell Adamo.

Except, I think, it looks better. I had the opportunity to see this laptop, along with the Slider PC7, in person while at CESand it’s about as skinny as it gets. Think of it as a MacBook Air, only with Windows and a black exterior. The Series 9 measures 0.64-inches at its thickest point. It’s also a hair lighter than the MBA.

I’m not completely convinced that these super thin notebooks are worth their premium, but there is a market for them. The Series 9 has a 13.3-inch HD LED backlit display (only 1366×768, though), Core i5 processor, HD GT2 integrated graphics, 1.5W subwoofer, and up to 128GB SSD and 4GB DDR3 RAM.

Pricing starts at $1,599 and goes up with upgrades. Considering that, with the exception of the SSD, you can get an equivalently equipped laptop for less than a third of that price, it’s clear that the Series 9 is a niche product.

The choices seem to come down to the MacBook Air running Mac OS X or a Samsung 9 Series with Windows 7, which one do you choose?

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