Complementing their consumer notebook launch today, Lenovo is also announcing several refreshed desktop models. On the IdeaCentre side of things, we have updated all-in-ones with the A700 and B305, as well as the Q150 nettop. For those who are on more of a budget, the H320 desktop gets a mild refresh as well.

All-in-ones for everyone

Out of Lenovo’s four IdeaCentre product lines, two are all-in-ones and a third is the ultra-small nettop form factor. Clearly all-in-ones are important and these new models not only bring in the new Intel processors, but also some other changes.

A700

• Full range of Core i3, i5, i7 mobile processors
• 23-inch Full HD 1080p LCD (up from A600 21.5-inch); multitouch optional
• Intel HD integrated, ATI Radeon HD 5450 512MB or 5650 1GB graphics
• Slot-loading Blu-ray drive (appears standard!)
• Up to 8GB DDR3 RAM, 2TB hard drive
• 6 USB 2.0, eSATA, 6-in-1 card reader, Firewire, HDMI in & out; optional TV tuner
• Bluetooth keyboard & mouse, b/g/n WiFi standard
• Available late June starting at $999

B305

• AMD Athlon II X2 processors, from 235e (2.7GHz, 2MB cache) to 250e (3.0GHz, 2MB cache); triple & quad core processors coming later
• 20-inch HD+ (1600×900) or 21.5-inch Full HD (1920×1080) with optional multitouch
• ATI Radeon HD 3000 integrated graphics or HD 5450 512MB
• Up to 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD
• Tray-loading DVD burner, b/g/n WiFi
• 6 USB 2.0, 6-in-1 card reader, 0.3MP webcam; available TV tuner
• PS/2 (???) keyboard & USB mouse standard; Bluetooth optional
• Available in June starting at $699

While Lenovo’s literature touts the B305 as a more “performance” machine, if you crunch the numbers the A700 is definitely where it’s at. The A700 has Intel’s newest quad-core processors, a larger Full HD screen, more powerful graphics, Blu-ray drive, greater RAM support, more multimedia features – you get the point. Of course all of that comes at a price, with the A700 starting $300 more than the B305.

It looks like the A700 will be an outright replacement for the A600, what with the newer processors and larger screen while keeping the same overall design and features. The B305, however, will likely complement the existing B500, which is targeted as a high performance all-in-one with faster processors and graphics.

Q150: new chips, simplified name, nothing more

Lenovo’s first nettop, the Q100/Q110, was first introduced last August and looked like an interesting box, especially with NVIDIA Ion graphics. Lenovo has simplified the naming structure, announcing a single Q150 model that can be configured with Intel GMA 3150 integrated or NVIDIA Ion graphics. The processors get upgraded to the new Intel Atom chips, available in single-core or dual-core form at 1.6GHz.

RAM is limited to 2GB DDR2 via a single SO-DIMM slot, but as a net-only PC or HTPC, you likely wouldn’t be doing as much multitasking that you need more anyway. 802.11b/g/n WiFi is standard, but a keyboard and mouse are not!

I would expect to see two Q150 configurations: a lower-end single-core, 1GB RAM, Intel graphics model with a smaller hard drive at the $249 starting price point. $349 is where you would likely find the dual-core, 2GB RAM, NVIDIA Ion model with a larger hard drive. The Q150 will be available in late June.

H320 – not as sexy, but the clear value

Not constrained by the sexy, curvaceous cases of the all-in-ones and nettops, the relatively bland “essentials” H320 desktop has similar options and even more performance than its siblings. Full-power, desktop-version Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors are offered. The top-tier chip is the i7-860 quad-core that runs at a blistering 2.8GHz, with Turbo Boost up to 3.46GHz and 8MB cache. Take that A700!

Surprisingly, the graphics card wasn’t forgotten about with choices between two DX11-compatible ATI chips (5450 512MB or 5570 1GB), a DX10-compatible NVIDIA GeForce 310 512MB and of course the Intel HD graphics. Four DIMM slots are available to support up to 8GB RAM and you have your choice of hard drive sizes, as well as optical drives.

HDMI output is included with discrete graphics models and a TV tuner is available. While the keyboard and mouse are standard, a monitor is of course not.

The Lenovo H320 will be available in late June starting at $549.

Catch your interest? Then don’t miss out on the entire awesome review at thinkpads.com

Lenovo has officially announced their ThinkPad L Series. The greenest and most recycled laptop as stated by Lenovo.

Quick overview

Lenovo’s ThinkPad L Series:

• 14-inch L412 and 15-inch L512 models
• powered by Intel Celeron, Core i3 and Core i5 processors.

With the Edge models replacing SL in the small business realm, this “new” L Series will be replacing the R Series for entry-level corporate models. These are intended to provide comparable functionality to the more expensive T Series, but with a lower cost design and some feature de-contenting to reduce cost. Lenovo will also sell these to the education market, serving primary and secondary schools.

Differences between L and T Series

• Wider choice in processors, including Celeron, Core i3, Core i5; no Core i7
• Optional ATI graphics on L, NVIDIA graphics on T
• No SSD option on L
• Both have ExpressCard/34, 4 USB 2.0 ports, multi-card reader, VGA & DisplayPort (w/audio); no Firewire on L
• L has USB/eSATA combo port, T410 has separate eSATA
• No ThinkLight, roll cage or swappable bay drive on L Series
• ABS plastic on L; HEPC plastic on top, carbon fiber reinforced plastic on bottom of T410
• 6-row (non-chiclet) keyboard on L; standard 7-row on T
• 16:9 LCD on L, 16:10 on T410, 16:9 on T510

Differences between L and SL Series

• Update to newest Intel processors on L
• SL series have HDMI output, L Series have DisplayPort (w/audio output too)
• Combo headphone/mic jack on L
• L gets TPM chip, upgraded to Gobi 2000 WWAN

Netvertible is a term that defines a convertible tablet PC with netbook hardware inside. It’s not an official term, but this also happens with touch tablets, which don’t have really an official naming yet. A netvertible is the best choice when it comes to buying a tablet PC shaped computer with the advantages that derive from the netbook specifications: size, battery life and price. To be frank with you there are also downsides to a netbook tablet PC and the biggest is performance, or the lack of it.

If you think netbooks are slow wait till you get your hands on a netvertible, which is even slower because of all the software that needs to run in background consuming precious CPU time just to detect and translate user touch in cursor coordinates (and sometimes levels of pressure). This doesn’t mean that it’s not usable, but it’s not what you would call a seamless user experience. In this article I’m going to make a list of the best convertible netbook tablet PCs on market today and list their pros and cons. At the end of the article you’ll also find a list of the upcoming netvertibles. So without further due, let’s jump directly into the fire with the first contender.

ASUS EEE PC T91MT – 434$

This is probably one of the oldest netvertibles on market today, but it’s got what it takes to be one of the most portable out there. There are actually two models,one that sells for 434$ and comes with Windows XP and a 16GB SSD + 16 GB SD Card bundle and one that sells for a little bit more, at 479$, and brings Windows 7 and a 32 GB SSD Drive.

Main specs:

• 8.9 inch screen with multitouch and 1024 x 600 pixels resolution and 256 levels of pressure detection
• Intel Atom Z520(1.33GHz, 512KB L2 Cache, FSB 533MHz
• 1GB RAM (max capacity is 2 GB)
• 32GB SSD or 16 GB SSD + 16 GB SD Card slot options are available
• two SD card slots for further expansion
• 8.86 inches, 6.46 inches, 0.99 inches and 2.12 pounds wight
• WLAN 802.11b/g/n @2.4GHz, Bluetooth2.1 + EDR
• Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows XP Home Edition options
• 4.5 to 5 hours typical battery life
• black and white colors are available

ASUS EEE PC T91MT has the advantage of very low wight which is always great when dealing with tablets that you’re supposed to hold in hand all day long. At a little bit over two pounds you’ll hardly feel the need to hold it with two hands. The Atom Z CPU is a little slow by today’s netbook standards but it gets the job done rather nice thanks to the low power consumption and is helped by the speedy SSD drive. Overall this is one of the most quiet netvertibles out there, another thing you’ll appreciate.

ASUS EEE PC T91MT can be used with both finger or stylus, so you can write on it and interacting with the OS by flipping your fingers all over. A customized ASUS touch optimized interface is available on demand. You can read more about ASUS EEE PC T91MT here on the official site or watch our video review.

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t – 499$

Moving on to larger screens we get the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t with a 10.1 inch multitouch screen, capacitive model. This essentially means very sensitive touch inputs can be detected accurately by the S10-3t. Also this will increase power consumption a bit over classic resistive touchscreens and overall weight went up to 3.31 lbs, not much more than the ASUS EEE PC T91MT, but enough to realize it’s heavier to hold in hand for prolonged periods of time. Amazon lists only one model, at 499$ but more expensive models are down the pipe and will bring a slightly faster CPU (@1.83GHz) and 2 GB RAM.

Main specs:

• 10.1 inch LED capacitive multitouch display with 1024×600 pixels resolution
• Intel Pinetrail Atom N450 CPU at 1.66GHz
• 1 GB DDR2 RAM, upgradable to 2 GB
• 250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
• Intel GMA 3150 with shared graphics memory
• Windows 7 Starter
• 8 cell battery for up to 10 hours battey life
• 6.9 inches, 11 inches, 0.59 inches and 3.31 lbs
• 802.11b/g/nBluetooth, 1.3 megapixel webcam

On paper and in real life the Lenovo S10-3t is faster than the ASUS EEE PC T91MT, but it’s also heavier and noisier, two things you might want to consider when buying a netbook tablet if mobility and noise is what you seek for. If you want to read more about the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t you can do so here, where we’ve wrote more about it. We also have a comparison article with the ASUS EEE PC T101MT.

ASUS EEE PC T101MT – 499$

This is one of the most mediated convertible netbook today as it was announced a while ago and just surfaced in some online stores. Reviews are positive now, as the problems we’ve signaled in the first preview and hands on of T101MT were solved. If you get one now expect the same build quality and performance you get from the Lenovo S10-3t. Your choice comes down to price and whether you need to use a stylus (possible on the T101MT resistive screen).

Main specs:

• 10.1 inch LED resistive multitouch display with 1024×600 pixels resolution (multitouch needs Windows 7 Home Premium)
• Intel Pinetrail Atom N450 CPU at 1.66GHz
• 1 GB DDR2 RAM, upgradable to 2 GB
• 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
• 35W/h polymer battery rated for up to 6.5 hours of use
• WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth
• 0.3 megapixel Webcam
• Windows 7 Starter
• 10.39 inches, 7.13 inches, 1.22 inches and 2.86 pounds

Compared to Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t, the ASUS EEE PC T101MT is lighter, supports stylus handwriting, but has a lower battery life. The screen responsiveness is worse, but not by much, as you can see in the video demo from our second review of T101MT.

Gigabyte TouchNote T1028 – 538$

This is one of the most interesting convertible netbook tablets around, from my point of view, as it features a 720p resolution screen with a 10.1 inch diagonal (but not multi-touch). This means that you can be quite productive on the go with the Gigabyte TouchNote T1028, if you’re patient with the old generation ATOM CPU and your have eagle eye vision.

Main specs:

• 10.1″ Touch TFT-LCD WSVGA, 1366×768 with LED back-lighting
• Intel AtomTM Processor N280 1.66GHz
• 1 GB DDR2 RAM, upgradable to 2 GB
• 250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
• 92% full-sized keyboard
• WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• 3.5G Module HSDPA support + optional 802.16 WiMAX
• Battery Li-ion 6 cells ~4500mAh
• 10.4 inches, 8,4 inches, 1.61 inches and 3.26 pounds
• Windows XP Home Edition

Even if initially the Gigabyte TouchNote T1028 was pretty expensive, things have changed and they’ve aligned the pricing with competing products, so now the only reasons not to get the Gigabyte TouchNote T1028 is the Windows XP antiquated OS (which can be replaced by the way), the older generation ATOM CPU which is not so power effective as the new Pinetrail models and the lack of multitouch function. Anyway, you read more about it here.

Viliv S10 Blade – 1127$

Wow, an 1000$+ netbook tablet? Yes, but it’s the king of all netvertibles and comes in many versions you can choose from (some cheaper of course). For this kind of money you get a 2.0 GHz Atom CPU, a 64 GB SSD drive, a 720p display with multitouch and Windows 7 Home Premium OS, all in an amazing 2.67 lbs package.

Main specs for the whole series:

• Intel Atom Z CPU (Z530@1.6GHz or Z550@2GHz)
• 1 GB RAM
• 60 GB HDD or 32/64 GB SSD
• WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth, optional HSPA modem
• 10.1 inch resistive Multitouch screen with 1366 x 768 pixels resolution
• 42 Wh battery that will last up to 10 hours of continuous use and 7 hours movie playback
• Windows XP or Windows 7 Home Premium
• 2.67 lbs (1.21 kg) weight
• stylus and 3G antenna for better signal reception

Even if the Viliv S10 Blade is pretty expensive, starting  at 699$ (see list of models here), which is at least 200$ more than other 10.1 inch competitors, you get more performance and high build quality. It’s up to you to decide if it’s worth the money. If you want to know more about Viliv’s S10 Blade take a look here at this preview article.

What comes next?

Haven’t decided yet? Well, there are a few models of convertible netbook tablets down the road expected to hit stores in a few months and here’s a list with some of them (actually only one for now):

• Gigabyte T1000 series – will come in two models: T1000P and T1000X, with the more expensive one featuring multi-touch vs single touch and a bigger 6 cell battery (vs 4 cells)

In a quiet recognition of the new Lenovo ThinkPad L Series we’ve heard about before, details of the new L412 and L512 notebooks have been made public. But wait: why do these look exactly like the existing ThinkPad SL410 and SL510? Ladies and Gentleman: meet the refreshed SL Series, aka the “new” ThinkPad L Series.

While we have received no official comments from Lenovo, the facts don’t lie: the images appear identical, the specs are near identical and with the introduction of the Edge lineup, Lenovo’s model strategy is finally becoming apparent. What we have here is a rehash of the existing SL Series with a new name and running on the new Intel platform. You’ll find Core i5 processors in the L Series to start with, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see Core i3 show up at a later date.

If you carefully compare the specs of the L412 to the SL410 and L512 to the SL510, you’ll find the port layout and overall features are the same. Dimensions are identical within a tenth of an inch. The main variance is in system weight, but this is typically a convoluted number in the first place and fluctuates a surprising amount based on what options are installed in the system.

We don’t expect these to show up for sale on Lenovo.com for some time, but it is interesting to note that the initial configurations are rather well loaded with Win7 Pro, 2GB or more of RAM, 7200rpm hard drives, and Gobi 2000 WWAN. The biggest change from the SL to the L Series is the loss of HDMI output, instead relying on the “business standard” DisplayPort. This is not a big surprise, considering the “SMB” Edge models get HDMI.

There are no details on pricing or availability at this point, but expect base model configurations to be in-line with or slightly above the $499 prices of the existing SL410/SL510. Well configured models, like those listed in the PSREF doc today, will likely run in the $800 range.

Lenovo ThinkPad L412 images

Lenovo ThinkPad L512 images

Source: [Lenovo PSREF]

Lenovo’s been busy adding new models for sale lately, and today brings us the monstrous ThinkPad W701 and W701ds mobile workstations. These 17-inch uber-ThinkPads start $2599 for the “plain jane” W701 or $3299 for the transforming W701ds dual screen model. Announced back in January at CES 2010, they are finally available for purchase today!

All W701 configurations come standard with quad core Core i7 processors, NVIDIA Quadro FX 2800M 1GB graphics, 2GB RAM, DVD burner and Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. Unfortunately the plain 45% color gamut WXGA+ LCD is standard, but the must-have WUXGA 100% color gamut, RGB LED backlit display is only $175 extra. While the $3299 starting price for the W701ds may seem high, it includes the upgraded display out of the box, helping take a bit of the edge off that sticker shock.

For those who need serious graphics horsepower, the juicy NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M 128-core card takes an extra $470 out of your pocket, or nearly 20% of the base price of the W701! The integrated color calibrator and digitizer panel built into the palm rest are a more reasonable $150 option.

Internal RAID is a no-cost configuration, you just have to pay for the cost of the additional hard drive and they will configure it to run right out of the box. Those with deep pockets can get dual 128GB SSDs in a RAID configuration for $790!

Finally, photographers will appreciate the $10 option that trades the 54mm ExpressCard slot for a CompactFlash slot that transfers data through the PCIe bus. This should provide decent performance, unlike the first generation solution implemented on early W700 models.

If you want to check out some more detailed specs on the W701 and W701ds, hit up Lenovo’s PSREF page and download the latest “ThinkPad Notebooks” PDF.

Click here to configure your ThinkPad W701 or W701ds

Lenovo has announced another new netbook with the IdeaPad S10-3s. It is pretty much identical to the current IdeaPad S10-3 model except the S10-3s has the option for an Atom N470 processor, SSDs and higher resolution 1280 x 720 display on the hardware side and a few tweaks on the cosmetic side of things – rounder curves on the lid and newly designed buttons on the screen bezel (round instead of square). We’re back to 100% glossy here and it looks cheaper than the S10-3 (check photos from my IdeaPad S10-3 review).

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3s Specs

• 10.1” 1024 x 600 or 1280 x 720 display
• Intel Atom N450 or N470 processor
• 1 / 2 GB RAM
• 160 / 250 / 320 GB HDD
• 16 / 32GB SSD
• Dolby Headphone
• APS protection
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• WWAN / 3G
• Windows 7 Starter
• Quick Start (Instant On OS)
• 3 or 6-Cell Battery
• 2.76 pounds (6-cell battery)

The IdeaPad S10-3s will start shipping in mid-April with prices starting at $379.99. It’ll be available in black, white or “spring flowers”.

Press shots below:

Source: Engadget, Liliputing

If you’ve been patiently waiting on a low-cost NVIDIA Ion 2 system it looks like today is your lucky day since it looks like Lenovo has scored an early lead in unleashing the wrath of the new Atom / GeForce combo. Available sometime this month, the 18.5-inch C200 all-in-one isn’t going to replace that Core i7 rig for ripping through Command & Conquer 4, but its Intel dual-core Atom D510 CPU can handle the light productivity while its GeForce G210 GPU will automatically turn on — thanks to Optimus — to deal with some Spore or 1080p video. Unfortunately the C200 only has a single touch, 1366×768-resolution display and a standard integrated DVD drive rather than Blu-ray, but we guess we can’t expect much more for its appealing $499 price tag. Lenovo will also offer a sans Ion and touch version of the C200 for $399. We told you today was going to be your lucky day! PR and press pics for your viewing pleasure below.

Now let’s see the main specs of the Lenovo C200 All-in-One touch PC series:

• CPU up to Intel Atom D510 dual core
• Operating system up to Windows 7 Home Premium
• 18.5” HD 16:9 widescreen display (with optional single-touch Touchscreen)
• Graphics chip up to NVIDIA ION 256 MB
• Up to 4 GB DDR2 memory, up to 500 GB HDD for internal storage
• Integrated high-speed 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity options
• DVD reader/writer
• USB 2.0 connectors, 6-in-1 Card Reader
• Integrated stereo speakers, webcam
• Adjustable stand (angle of -5 degrees to 25 degrees)
• Wireless Bluetooth® keyboard and mouse

Lenovo C200 press shots

We ran through the seven mainstream iPad alternatives a few weeks ago. You should know the list anyway.  They include the usual suspects of the ModBook, Notion Ink Adam, HP Slate and Dell Streak along with a few others. But there are a bunch more portables either currently available or coming out real soon that could also have made that list. Consider the following seven computers alternatives to the standard iPad alternatives.

Spring Design Alex Ebook Reader

While the Alex is really an ereader first, it’s still capable of a lot more with Android running on a 3.5-inch color LCD under the 6-inch e-ink display. Since it’s Android, everything works as it should so it can browse the web, send emails, and access the Android Marketplace via Wi-Fi or 3G. But the real magic is that the two screens can be linked so that content on the small screen can be pushed up for easier viewing on the large screen. It also handles book navigation and selection. Think of it as a suped-up Nook and instead of B&N, there’s a partnership with Boarders but any ebook standard will work. Available in either black or white at $399 and the company is taking pre-orders right now with an expected shipping date of April 14.

Advantages over the iPad

• USB power charging
• User-replaceable battery
• Longer battery life with only the e-ink screen

Disadvantages

• Smaller screens
• Less storage

enTourage eDGe dualbook

One look at this thing and you can tell it’s something different. Two screens, combined with a hinge that also holds a speaker. It’s really not just an ereader with an Android netbook bolted on, either. It’s so much more and truly shows what the future of computer could hold for everyday joes, but more so for academia. Oh, and unlike the similar Microsoft Courier concept, this thing is real and available for $499 right now. Read our review here.

Advantages over the iPad

• More touchscreen real estate
• SD card slot
• 2 USB ports
• User-replaceable battery

Disadvantages

• No 3G
• Less storage

WePad

The WePad may be the most complete alternative to the iPad with Linux at the core and access to the Android Marketplace. It’s reportable going to be less expensive, as well, when it first its German retailers in the coming months.

Advantages over the iPad

• Webcam
• 2 USB ports
• WePad App Store + Android Marketplace
• Multitasking
• Works with all ebook formats
• Larger screen
• Flash support

Disadvantages

• None we can see

Lenovo Skylight Smartbook

Yes, it’s a netbook but give the Skylight a chance before scrolling down to the next iPad alternative. 10 hour battery life, 2 lbs weight, and a bright 10-inch screen are pretty standard noondays. But then throw in a 3G wireless into a thin and sleek package powered by a custom web interface and you have one tasty treat.

Advantages over the iPad

• Full keyboard
• USB ports
• SD card slot

Disadvantages

• Unproven OS (that’s a biggie)
• No touchscreen

Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid

It’s a tablet! No, it’s a netbook! No, it’s both! An Intel CULV processor handles Windows 7 while in netbook mode and an ARM CPU takes care of the Skylight OS when the tablet is all by itself. It packs 3G, 128GB SSD all in a design that’s truly the best of both worlds. The U1 Hybrid slated for a summer 2010 release. See it in action here.

Advantages over the iPad

• Windows 7
• Two-in-One design
• USB port
• SD card slot
• Larger screen

Disadvantages

• No access to the App Store
• It will probably be more expensive

ExoPC

It looks like an iPad, costs the same as an iPad, has similar tech specs as the iPad, but it isn’t made by Apple. The ExoPC might be the absolute best iPad alternative for Apple haters as long as they feel comfortable owning an obvious iPad clone. The ExoPC is supposed to be released sometime this spring.

Advantages over the iPad

• SD card slot
• User-replaceable battery
• Supports Flash and Silverlight
• Wireless and wired networking
• Windows 7
• 3 USB ports

Disadvantages

• No access to the App Store
• Shorter battery life at 4 hours

Your smartphone

And finally, your smartphone should really be considered an iPad alternative. Think about what the iPad can do and then compare it against your current phone. It could be a Palm Pre, Droid, HD2, or even iPhone. You can surf the web on these phones, edit photos, read sheet music, play electronic instruments, read comics, watch TV shows, play racing games and the list goes on and on and on. Sure, the iPad has that massive screen to further exploit those apps, but most of the functions are the same.

The guys at netbooked.net got their hands on the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t tablet convertible netbook. Their model came with an Atom N450 processor, Windows 7 Home Premium and a 8-cell battery.

Read on the rest of their review…

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t

• 10.1” 1024 x 600 display
• capacitive multi touch display
• Intel Atom N450 processor
• 1GB RAM
• 250GB HDD
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• 8-Cell battery
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• APS protection, Dolby Headphone
• 1.54 kg / 3.4 pounds

First impressions are that it is extremely heavy for a 10 inch netbook (surpasses the the 12-inch UL20A in weight) and the keyboard and touchpad feel a little flimsy and cheap, though usable. Haven’t played around with the touchscreen much yet as I will run through my battery tests first. No accelerometer but there’s at least a button on the screen bezel for rotating the screen. Capacitive multi touch screen seems to be responsive to very light touches as you’d expect.

Unboxing video below:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltsMwhJ-xk4

Some pics below:

review source - netbooked.net

In a press release dated for tomorrow, Lenovo officially announced the existence of 14-inch and 15-inch versions of its new ThinkPad Edge lineup, appropriately dubbed the Edge 14 and Edge 15.

These models sport the same general design, with the same island or isolation style keyboard. While the more budget and battery life oriented Edge 13 can only be had with lower end AMD or Intel CULV processors, its larger brethren get a bit more power under the hood. $599 base models are saddled with Celeron chips, but you have the option to upgrade to spiffy Core i3 or Core i5 chips as well.

The full range of features will be available, including Bluetooth, 3G, 4GB, WiFi, 7-in-1 card reader, optional AMD graphics, optional Blu-ray and HDMI output. To help open its appeal to the masses, all Edge models are available in three colors: red, glossy black and matte black.

The Edge 14 and 15 are available through resellers now and will hit additional partners, as well as Lenovo’s website, in April. Starting price is $599 with Intel Celeron processors.

Source: [Engadget]

The hallowed Think branding finally spread out to the land of AIOs earlier this year and we just had to wrap our paws around some of that signature matte black plastic to see what’s what. The ThinkCentre A70z represents Lenovo’s most direct assault on the eco-conscious office manager’s checkbook, coming as it does with minimal packaging, built out of recycled and recyclable materials, and significant energy savings relative to orthodox desktops. In our time with it, we found the A70z to be a well built and capable little rig, but the question you most probably want answered is whether the premium branding we associate with the tank-like ThinkPads can be trusted to deliver a similar superiority in hardware and construction in the all-in-one arena. Click past the break for the answer.

ThinkCentre A70z review

Setup and configuration

There’s a mock infomercial from Lenovo floating about on the interwebs that claims the A70z can be taken “from box to boot” in under three minutes. While we couldn’t reach quite such a velocity in our unboxing, it is undeniable that setting up this all-in-one is a cinch. With so few accessories and paperwork to deal with, it’s simply a matter of whipping out the machine, strapping the provided batteries into the keyboard and mouse, plugging in the power cable, and hitting the “on” button. The only snag we ran into was that we couldn’t find the minuscule wireless receiver for the input peripherals, whose position wasn’t well documented. It was tucked away in a compartment inside the mouse, which gets a plus for neatness and storage, but a minus for the unintuitive placement. Aside from that minor issue, the setup here is comparable to that of a laptop or a phone — gone are the days of wrestling with a jungle of wiring behind and under your desk just to get everything hooked up.

Hardware and construction

Both visual and physical inspections revealed no flaws in the A70z. No untoward noises, no poorly molded plastic, no dead pixels. It inspires confidence that it’ll last for quite a long time and does not seem to have any structural frailties. Compatible with standard VESA wall mounts and featuring a Kensington lock on the back, it offers us hints of its business-friendly orientation. The copper heatsink up top is well positioned — it allows heat from the CPU to escape straight out of the top of the case without warming up other components unnecessarily. Another good use of metal is in the kickstand at the back, though that probably should also have extended to the machine’s carry handle, which is unfortunately all plastic. That’s not to say it’s flimsy, just that it doesn’t feel as reassuring as it perhaps ought to do. Still, this is as portable a desktop computer as you can ask for, and it’s certainly light enough to transport with ease.

Software and performance

The software on this baby is Windows 7, the Professional 32-bit variety. Should you truly need any more enlightenment on the topic of this OS, hit up our review right here, but suffice it to say it’s everything you’d expect from a machine sporting Microsoft’s latest and greatest.

Wrap-up

If it hasn’t emerged already, the theme of our experience with the A70z was a singular one of competency. It did what we expected it to do, it contained no nasty surprises, but it also didn’t bowl us over with anything particularly special. The unit we reviewed is on sale now for around $797 in the US or £611 in the UK, which is a fair bit more than you’d need to spend if you put all the components together yourself.

see the whole review with video at engadget.com

It’s that time of year again and we’ve got a wide array of coupons for Lenovo laptops. 5% off applies to most ThinkPads, while the SL Series get 10% and the last generation X200 Tablet & W700 get a decent 15% off. Every IdeaPad gets 15% off, including all the budget priced netbooks! If desktops are more your speed, the IdeaCentre lineup also gets 15% off.

Being a St. Patrick’s Day Sale, this deal will end on March 17th. Clearly the best deals are on the already discounted last generation ThinkPads: the X200 Tablet and monster workstation W700.

Hit the jump to check out the base configs and starting prices for the sale models!

ThinkPad T Series starting at $873 after 5% coupon

• ThinkPad T410 starting at $873 | Read our ThinkPad T410 First Impressions or posts about the T410
• ThinkPad T410s starting at $1329 | Read our ThinkPad T400s Review or posts about the T410s
• ThinkPad T510 starting at $892 | Read posts about the ThinkPad T510

ThinkPad W Series starting at $1519, with 5-15% coupons

• ThinkPad W510 starting at $1519 after 5% coupon | Read posts about the W510
• ThinkPad W700 starting at $1699 after 15% coupon

ThinkPad X Series starting at $426, with 5-20% coupons

• ThinkPad X100e starting at $426 after 5% coupon | Read posts about the ThinkPad X100e
• ThinkPad X200 Tablet starting at $1252 after 15% coupon | Read our ThinkPad X200 Tablet Review

Click here to browse Lenovo’s St. Patrick’s Day Sale

ThinkPad Edge starting at $550 after 5% coupon

• ThinkPad Edge 13 AMD starting at $550 | Read posts about the ThinkPad Edge
• ThinkPad Edge 13 Intel starting at $759

ThinkPad SL Series starting at $449 after 10% coupon

• ThinkPad SL410 & SL510 starting at $449

Click here to browse Lenovo’s St. Patrick’s Day Sale

IdeaPad S Series netbooks starting at $313 after 15% coupon

• IdeaPad S10-3 Pine Trail netbook starting at $313 | Read posts about the S10-3
• IdeaPad S10-3t Pine Trail convertible tablet netbook starting at $466
• IdeaPad S12 netbook starting at $364 | Read our IdeaPad S12 review
• IdeaPad S12 netbook with NVIDIA Ion starting at $509 | Read posts about NVIDIA Ion

IdeaPad Y Series starting at $509 after 15% coupon

• IdeaPad Y450 starting at $509 | Read our IdeaPad Y450 review
• New IdeaPad Y460 starting at $764 | Read posts about the IdeaPad Y460
• IdeaPad Y550 starting at $568
• IdeaPad Y550p starting at $891

Click here to browse Lenovo’s St. Patrick’s Day Sale

IdeaPad U Series starting at $568 after 15% coupon

• IdeaPad U150 starting at $594
• IdeaPad U350 starting at $594
• IdeaPad U450p starting at $568
• IdeaPad U550 starting at $577

Lenovo G Series starting at $458

• G550 (Core 2 Duo 15.6-inch) starting at $458
• G450 (Core 2 Duo, 14-inch) starting at $483
• G560 (Core i3, 15.6-inch) starting at $594
• G460 (Core i3, 14-inch)  starting at $679
• G555 (AMD Turion dual core, 15.6-inch) starting at $568
• G455 (AMD Athlon dual core, 14-inch) starting at $551

source – thinkpads.com/ by John Hobbes

Lenovo recently announced three new LCD monitors, all with 1080p resolution and ranging from 21.5 to 23.6 inches. The high end 23.6-inch model is also equipped with a multitouch screen and a design that would fit right in your home theater.

Lenovo L2261 Wide

At the bottom of the excitement scale is the L2261 Wide 21.5-inch LCD. While not much to look at compared to the other ones, the L2261 does have a pretty high resolution for its size: 1920×1080 in a sub-22 inch panel. It will hook up to most notebooks and desktops just fine with VGA and DVI inputs, but a cheap 1080p LCD is just screaming for HDMI. Also notably absent is the ability to rotate the display to a portrait orientation.

Lenovo L2361p Wide

Stepping up to the L2361p Wide will get you 23-inches, a stylish design, HDMI input and a TV-like stand. This is a pretty strong shift in design for Lenovo’s monitors, clearly taking an aim for the consumer LCDs sold by competitors like Hewlett Packard. You also get integrated speakers & mic, 3 USB 2.0 ports and a 0.3MP webcam. To top off the chique design, the standard push buttons for power, monitor settings, etc have been replaced with slick capacitive touch buttons.

Lenovo L2461x Wide with multitouch

The big, bad L2461x Wide gets the largest of the displays at 23.6-inches and is also the only one with multitouch capabilities. You get speakers, mic, USB ports and webcam on the L2461x, but the USB ports now total 4 and the webcam is a respectable 2.0MP. The slick capacitive touch buttons are also here, but you now have certain “Windows shortcuts” featured as well. Brightness takes a step up to 300 nits and the panel is purported to have “120Hz MEMC technology (Motion Estimation,Motion Compensation).”

Pricing & Availability

Unfortunately we don’t have any pricing or availability information on the L2261 or L2361p, but the touchscreen L2461x is listed at two vendors. The price is a not too shabby $549-580, but availability is “special order” or “call only” and you shouldn’t get your hopes of receiving one any time soon from them. There is also a listing on Lenovo’s Netherlands website with a €835 price tag, which converts to about $1145 USD.

Don’t forget the Green

As with most of Lenovo’s products these days, these new monitors are all Energy Star 5.0, WEEE and RoHS certified. This means they will be power efficient, easily recyclable and do not contain harmful substances like mercury or PBBs. You can also expect the packaging to be minimally wasteful and mostly recyclable. Hopefully they will include the nifty monitor packaging/bag announced last October.

Hit the jump to get the full tech specs on each of these monitors (in the image gallery)

Who says you have to pick between a netbook and the coming onslaught of standalone tablet devices? Okay maybe some (eh hem Apple), but Lenovo’s trying to have it both ways with the IdeaPad U1 and the S10-3t. In clamshell mode the S10-3t looks like any old 10-inch netbook, but swivel around its capacitive mulitouch display and it turns into that slate device you’ve been dreaming of. That’s not all: the S10-3t is one of the first netbooks (or netveritbles) that has the new Intel 1.83GHz Atom N470 processor. But can the S10-3t straddle both worlds and do it well? And perhaps more importantly, is it worth the premium $649 price tag? That’s the question we’ve been asking ourselves for the last few days, so hit the break for some answers in our full review.

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t review

Look and feel

There’s nothing too jaw-dropping about the S10-3t’s design, and we’d actually be totally fine with that if it didn’t have the glossiest black lid known to man. While the lid is inlaid with a subtle glitter tint and boxy pattern, you wouldn’t know it with all the smudgy fingerprints it collects. And though the plastic chassis feels solid enough, the lid did collect some scratches from being in our bag so you’ll want to pick up a case to keep the little guy clean and warm.

For a netbook the .79-inch S10-3t is actually rather trim, and it’s noticeably narrower than other 10-inch systems. While it’s obviously thicker than standalone tablets or e-readers like the Kindle DX, when equipped with its four-cell battery the 2.7-pound tablet was light enough to hold up in bed while reading. However, that eight-cell bulging battery version that we saw at CES looks like it would be incredibly uncomfortable to hold in arm.

One of the biggest benefits of the convertible form factor is having access to a full size, physical keyboard, but for a netbook we’re just not that impressed with the S10-3t’s layout and keys. The matte white keys are particularly bouncy and are more cramped than usual. Perhaps it’s the fact that we’ve gotten used to the chiclet keyboard layout, but our first draft of this review was ridden with typos.

As a result of the S10-3t’s narrower dimensions, its palmrest is thinner, which in turn means very limited touchpad real estate. The rectangular pad with its integrated mouse buttons is about the size of a USB stick, and provides an incredibly cramped navigation experience. While it doesn’t make up for all the backtracking our fingers had to do, we do like the feel of the raised dots on the pad itself. Are we totally crazy for thinking Lenovo should have grabbed a ThinkPad pointing stick and stuck it in the middle of the keyboard?

Screen and tablet performance

Of course, the hope is that you should be able use the capacitive touchscreen to move around in Windows 7 Home Premium, and for the most part it’s a decent touch navigation experience. The 1024 x 600 resolution is actually ideal for the 10.1-inch display – desktop icons are large enough to select with a light finger tap, but getting at the smaller menus requires more than a few jabs at the screen. Lenovo does preload Bumptop, which creates a 3D desk-like view of your desktop, but honestly we find the whole interface rather frustrating and would have just preferred Lenovo put on its SimpleTap software for those larger touch controls to adjust the volume or view the remaining battery power.

Multitouch gestures were responsive; we got in the hang of sticking two fingers on the screen to scroll down the length of web pages or pinching to make text larger. As soon as you swing the display around using the S10-3t’s fairly sturdy, bidirectional hinge, Lenovo’s Natural Touch interface launches. The full screen finger-friendly carousel interface provides large shortcuts to Lenovo’s own photo, music and e-book software. We’re not sure why you’d choose this multimedia software over Microsoft’s Media Player and Photo Gallery, but the e-book software does open PDF or e-pub files and adds note taking and bookmark functions. Though it’s a nice piece of software, we preferred Amazon’s Kindle for PC app to access our collection of already-purchased titles.

While the touch reading experience was smooth and we enjoyed flicking through pages and pinching to zoom in on text, it was our experience reading the New York Times Reader while laying down that brought out the biggest issue with the screen – its viewing angles. Though the extra glossy screen contributes somewhat to the issues, we encountered major color distortion both horizontally and vertically, and at some angles we couldn’t even see what was on the screen. It was especially apparent when we tried to look at an Olympic photo gallery while lying in bed – we had to adjust ourselves and the tablet quite a bit to comfortably flick through the images. Why Lenovo had to use a cheap LCD on this device is beyond us – it craps up a perfectly enjoyable experience.

The device has an accelerometer, but we found it to be a bit flaky; we ended up using the button on the side of the screen more often than not to change the screen orientation, and even when we used this solution we got impatient with the typical five second adjustment period. Lastly, we should mention that Lenovo doesn’t include a stylus, so if you want to take advantage of Windows 7’s handwriting functionality you’re going to need to come up with one of your own or, you know, find a piece of meat.

Performance and battery life

We went into reviewing the S10-3t hoping it would be one of the faster netbooks we’ve ever used considering its new 1.83GHz Atom N470 processor and 2GB of RAM. However, those dreams quickly faded when we were met with the typical netbook performance. In fact, the N470 scored 1,348 on PCMark05, which is actually lower than the N450-powered HP Mini 210’s 1393. That’s sort of a letdown for us, but in typical usage — writing this review and surfing the web — performance seemed snappy. We did notice it taking a bit of time for certain apps within Lenovo’s NaturalTouch to open but we’re inclined to blame the slow 320GB hard drive or software for that. With no change made to the GMA 3150 graphics, the S10-3t was fine for playing standard def video, but couldn’t handle streaming a 720p music video without stuttering.

On our video rundown test the S10-3t’s four-cell battery lasted three hours and 12 minutes, but when we actually used the system to write this review and surf the Web we got close to four and a half hours of battery life. In our minds that’s not all that bad considering the battery fits flush with the system, but you can always go up to the chunky eight-cell for a couple more bucks.

Wrap-up

As both a netbook and a tablet the S10-3t leaves a bit more to be desired. Sure, we’re disappointed that the N470 processor doesn’t provide improved performance, but what’s even more aggravating is that $649 buys you a tiny trackpad, sluggish touchscreen software and terrible viewing angles. Maybe you can live with those shortcomings, but we’re personally holding out for a better netbook / tablet combo to come along.

If you check out the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t tablet netbook over at Lenovo.com, you’ll notice there’s still no 8-cell battery version. Amazon.com has had the 8-cell battery model up for a while though it’s still in pre-order mode. I’ve noticed recently that some other stores now have it in stock like Newegg and J&R.com, for $499 – $50 cheaper than the 4-cell model shipping direct from Lenovo.com.

I’m sure you’ve seen how huge this 8-cell battery is! (see Newegg’s pics) I’ll be reviewing the 4-cell battery model unless you really want me reviewing the 8-cell one…

Lenovo’s giving some of its ThinkPad flagships a nice little spec overhaul, specifically the X200 series of ultraportables and the spectrum-leaping W700 hardlyportable dual screen laptop. The new X201 and X201s start things off with a new option for touchpads on the 12.1-inch form factor, options for Core i7 and Core i5 processors, and sub-three pound weigh-ins on at least the 4-cell configuration. The X201s is slightly lighter and slightly thinner, and is limited to Core i7 procs, though neither version gets much under an inch thick. The X201t (pictured) is the well-leaked tablet version, adding on a bit more thickness in exchange for a highly configurable screen, which includes options for outdoor viewing, capacitive touch and of course pen input. All three laptops rely on Intel HD graphics and are rather extensively configurable, with batteries ranging up into the 12 hour ballpark with the 9 cell battery option on the X201 and X201s. Unfortunately you’ll still have to look to Lenovo’s consumer line for HDMI output — none of these machines are packing anything other than VGA.

Meanwhile, on the other end of town, the 17-inch, Wacom-equipped W701 and W701ds (dual screen) are making the leap to Core i7 as well, though the Core i7-920 Extreme and Core i7-820 QM Quad Core on display here is fairly desktop class. There’s also NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M / 2800M graphics, and an option for a dual SSD drive configuration to really break the bank.

All of these laptops should be available in the beginning of March, with starting prices of $1,199 (X201), $1,599 (X201s), $1,549 (X201t), $2,199 (W701), and $3,799 (W701ds). Can’t wait to find out more? We’ve got a review of the X201t all warm and ready for you.