Lenovo goes Core i7: the IdeaPad Y550P
(Credit: Lenovo)Windows 7 may have launched last week, but the Windows 7 party is just starting for companies like Lenovo. Their webcast today announced a variety of new desktops and laptops--most notably, high-end Core i7 consumer laptop as well as an expansion of their ultraportable U line of thin-and-light notebooks.
Are $1,000-plus consumer notebooks a smart move in this economy? Lenovo will find out, as the company releases its first Core i7 consumer laptop, the IdeaPad Y550P. A high-end multimedia/gaming laptop set to compete at the high end of the laptop market, it will have a 15.6-inch 16x9 1,366x768 screen, an optional Blu-ray drive, and according to Lenovo will start around $1399.
Maximum specs include:
- Intel Core i7 processor
- Nvidia GeForce GT 240M GPU
- 8GB DDR3 RAM
- 500GB hard drive
- upgradable to Blu-ray
IdeaPad U150
(Credit: Lenovo)The IdeaPad U350 was a system we really liked the look and feel of when we reviewed it, but were let down by its single-core ultralow-voltage processor. In addition to upgrading the U350 configs to include a Core 2 Duo ultralow-voltage processor, new 11.6-inch (U150) and 15-inch (U550) laptops round out the lineup.
The IdeaPad U150, starting around $585 and only 2.98 pounds with a three-cell battery, will be an interesting alternative to their Netbook lineup of S notebooks such as the IdeaPad S10-2 and S12. The U150 will have an ultra low voltage processor up to Core 2 Duo, as well as discrete/integrated switchable graphics.
The IdeaPad U550 resembles the size and function of a MacBook, and includes an integrated optical drive, making it a bit of a hybrid thin-and-light/mainstream laptop. It also has both integrated and discrete graphics (an ATI Mobility Radeon HD4330), and starts at $650.
IdeaPad U550
(Credit: Lenovo)There are also a number of wild and wacky new colors for Lenovo's IdeaPad S10-2 lineup of Netbooks. Check out the gallery below for the rainbow explosion of designs.
Thin, light, nicely designed: the IdeaPad U350.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)While it's hard for us to put design over performance when looking at a laptop, products such as the Lenovo IdeaPad U350 make it a little easier. As another entry to the growing field of affordable CULV thin-and-lights, the compact and really great-looking U350 is Lenovo's MacBook in terms of design. Lighter than it is thin, the Pentium U2700 processor-packing machine is clad in minimal silver and black and aims to keep a stylish low profile. And while the U2700 processor is both low power and low performance by Core 2 Duo standards, this thin-and-light is perfectly capable of running Windows Vista and mainstream applications.
At a starting price of $629 ($749 for our configuration), the U350 is less affordable than a 12-inch Netbook like the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, while it is not as expensive as some professional-grade thin-and-lights such as the Lenovo ThinkPad T400s. And in that sense, it's a success.
While we'd like to see this same design with a more powerful processor and better battery, it's another valid alternative to the MSI X340 and Acer Timeline 3810T for those looking for a lightweight laptop but who don't require an optical drive or significant graphics.
Typing on the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)In testing Lenovo's IdeaPad S10-2 and IdeaPad S12 Netbooks this week, an interesting thought occurred to us. Technically, both laptops are nearly similar inside: Intel Atom N270 processors, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive. What differentiates them more than anything else are their screen sizes (10.2 inch and 12.1-inch) and their keyboards.
While screen size has been often discussed among Netbook owners, keyboard size and comfort hasn't as much. And, to a degree, it's the only true factor differentiating smartphones and Netbooks as far as interface is concerned. The real advantage to Netbooks is that you can type on them, like a laptop. But here's the question: are almost-regular size keyboards more difficult to use than intentionally small keyboards on MIDs and smartphones? Click through to hear us out. ... Read more
The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 is thin, but has a very bulgy battery pack.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Lenovo's IdeaPad S10 Netbook was one of the most popular budget mininotebooks for good reasons: its business-friendly tools, ExpressCard slot, and reasonable price all made it a great option for consumers or corporate users.
When we last visited the S10 in May, the addition of a six-cell battery fixed our gripe about the short battery life of the previous version. Now, another revision is available which effectively replaces the S10--the S10-2. This new model has some physical changes--most good, a couple bad--but keeps the same general components at a reduced price. It's a better deal than previous models, but you'll have to live without one key feature.
Read the rest of our review of the Lenovo S10-2.
Lenovo gets budget stylish: the Y450
(Credit: Lenovo)Formerly known for the iconic, if boxy, ThinkPads (which the company still does well: see our review of the T400s), Lenovo has also begun branching into more stylish consumer products, loosening up its slightly uptight design aesthetics along the way.
The recent IdeaPad line reflects the change most starkly: we looked at the 16-inch IdeaPad Y650 awhile ago, and were impressed by the thin, sturdy feel and bolder touches, including texture-patterned lids and glossy materials used in the interior.
While the IdeaPads retain Lenovo's comfortable keyboard and some of the same custom software, the prices are also more reasonable, making them, by some measures, budget-friendly notebooks bearing a better-than-average design.
The $799 Y450 is a smaller-screened relative of the Y650, with an extremely similar design on the inside and out. While the 14-incher is also thicker than its 16-inch big brother, the overall feel and performance of the Y450 make it a worthwhile alternative for those who want a little more portability.
Read the full review of the Lenovo IdeaPad Y450.
HDMI Netbooks are landing: The S12
(Credit: Lenovo)Just when we were ready to accept the stuttery nature of our Netbook HD video playback, along come Nvidia and Lenovo at long last to change our expectations. The IdeaPad S12, arriving in August, will be the first Netbook sporting discrete graphics from the Nvidia Ion processor. With power similar to the 9400M chipset already in Apple's 13-inch MacBooks, IonNetbooks promise full-HD video output and actual gaming performance--not that we'd want to try Crysis on it anytime soon. However, according to Nvidia, Spore, Call of Duty 4, Portal, and World of Warcraft will all be very playable indeed.
The price is right, too--$499 for the Ion-packing S12, with a 12.1-inch, 1,280x800 screen and Atom N270 processor. For 50 dollars less, an Ion-free S12 can also be yours (though we don't know why you'd possibly want that). The Ion claims a 10x performance boost on existing Netbook integrated graphics with "nearly identical" power consumption. HD H264, VC-1 and MPEG-2 "won't be a problem," say Nvidia. Do we dare believe?
Available in white or black, the 1.14-inch-thick, 3.7-pound S12 has a six-cell battery, 1 GB of DDR2 RAM, a 160 GB HDD, XP Home, a 1.3-megapixel Webcam (stop us if this sounds familiar), and 802.11 b/g wireless.
Other notables: an Express Card slot, 3 USB 2.0 ports, a multitouch trackpad, HDMI port with the Ion model, a full-size keyboard, and Lenovo's Quick Start, VeriFace, and OneKey Rescue System for making backups.
For the price and the size, is this an ideal gaming Netbook? Or is it, in fact, just a variation on 12-inch notebooks? We're not even sure it matters, because for the price, it sounds like an excellent proposition indeed.
Big, gray, and Blu-ray: the Asus F50SV-A2.
(Credit: CNET)Sixteen-inch laptops comprise a growing category, perhaps because they sit between the semiportable, 15-inch, mainstream systems and the heavy, 17- and 18-inch models that are essentially desk-bound machines with hinged screens.
The $1,249 Asus F50SV-A2 ($1,149 for base configuration with less RAM) packs a Blu-ray drive and a new mainstream Nvidia graphics chip into a relatively on-the-go package that's lighter than gaming beasts, but heavier than a standard laptop.
Our review found it solidly performing, but a little lacking on the design and features front. Are 16-inch systems worth the compromise between mainstream and hardcore desktop-replacing performance? And how does it compare with another recently reviewed (but Blu-ray-free) 16-incher, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y650?
Read our full review of the Asus F50SV-A2 to find out.
(Credit:
Lenovo)
We were impressed with the recent 6-cell battery upgrade for Lenovo's S10 Netbook, and now the company (most famous for the ThinkPad line of business laptops) has announced a bigger revamp.
The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 (well, it's transparency in product naming, if nothing else) will be slightly thinner and lighter than the original, starting at 2.2 pounds and .71-inches. There's a new patterned design on the lids, available in white, black, pink, or grey.
We recently got a sneak peek at the new S10-2, and the most notable improvement was probably the tweaked keyboard, which has a larger right-shift key -- usually the trickiest part of designing a Netbook keyboard.
Inside, you'll find the same Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 160GB hard drive, plus the quick-launch pre-Windows OS and VeriFace facial-recognition software we found on the most recent S10.
The new Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 will be announced later this evening, and will run from $349 to $399 (for a version with a 3G antenna built in).
Big sound and big screen, 1-inch thick.
(Credit: CNET)In a media-saturated online world, it's no surprise that whole categories of laptops now seem made to appeal to the home streaming-video connoisseur. Lenovo's IdeaPad Y series, and the Y650 in particular, looks tailor-made for those who want to watch TV and media on a big, bright screen with better-than-average audio, and a decor-friendly design to match.
The $1,249 Y650 we reviewed is the higher end of the two fixed-configuration models, which includes a fast 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 and 4GB of DDR3 memory. The Y650 is the thinnest, lightest 16-inch laptop we've seen, and our only real complaint is the not-quite-full-HD display, which isn't ideal for 1080p content.
Read the full review of the Lenovo IdeaPad Y650.
Lenovo says the IdeaPad Y650 is the thinnest, lightest 16-inch laptop
Really like copper accents? Try the Lenovo Y650.
Kicking off the first wave of CES laptop announcements (and beating the competition by about 24 hours), Lenovo is bolstering its consumer-targeted IdeaPad line with a few new models, highlighted by the 16-inch Y650.
The new Y series includes the 16-inch Y650, the 15-inch Y550, and the 14-inch Y450. All will share a similar design, with a black, "interlocked hexagon pattern," on ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
