lenovo

Sometimes, even if it's vaporware, it doesn't mean its maker isn't on to something.

Three years ago, the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid caught my eye -- and many others -- at CES in Las Vegas. The idea -- a laptop that had its own detachable tablet -- seemed revolutionary, and at the time it was an idea ahead of even the iPad, which debuted just months later.

The IdeaPad U1 Hybrid was a great idea, with one problem: it never arrived. After surfacing again in 2011 as a Windows/Android detachable hybrid, it again disappeared from view.… Read more

Lenovo has backed away from speculation that it is planning to acquire Research In Motion.

In an interview last week with Bloomberg, Lenovo Chief Financial Officer Wong Mai Ming said that his company is "looking at all opportunities" as it pertains to acquisitions and that a dialogue is open between RIM and Lenovo.

Soon after, the Web erupted with claims that Lenovo and RIM are talking about a buyout.

However, in a statement e-mailed to CNET today, a Lenovo spokesperson said that Wong's comments were taken out of context:

PC manufacturing giant Lenovo may be mulling a bid for Research In Motion as part of efforts to bolster its own smartphone unit. 

According to a report by Bloomberg, the PC maker -- currently ranked second only to HP, according to the latest IDC figures -- is "assessing potential acquisition targets and strategic alliances," as it seeks to expand its post-PC business.

In an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Lenovo's chief financial officer, Wong Wai Ming, said that the company was "looking at all opportunities," adding: "We'll … Read more

The Lenovo Idea Tab A2107 is now available for purchase through AT&T for $99 with a two-year contract or $199.99 without a commitment.

The 7-inch tablet runs Android 4.0, has a 1,024x600 pixel resolution, 16GB of internal storage, 1GB of RAM, and 1.0 GHz Cortex-A9 SC CPU. The Idea Tab A2107 also has a microUSB port, a VGA front-facing camera, and a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera.

The AT&T version of the tablet operates on 3G or Wi-Fi, but Lenovo also offers a Wi-Fi-only model. The Wi-Fi-only option, now available in stores, differs in … Read more

Intel is betting a chunk of its PC future on so-called convertibles. So far, financial analysts aren't convinced these are designs that will win the day.

Newfangled laptops that perform mechanical acrobatics to convert to tablet mode, like Lenovo's Yoga convertible and Dell's XPS 12, aren't impressive enough yet to revive PC-market doldrums, according to a growing chorus of financial analysts who follow Intel.

On Thursday, Intel CEO Paul Otellini, speaking during an earnings conference call, tried to depict convertible PC designs as the best of both worlds: the laptop and the tablet. In essence, he … Read more

Google got a big new ally in its Chrome OS push today: Lenovo, the No. 2 PC maker.

Although Lenovo is a notable ally, it's only really a foot in the door for Google. Lenovo's new ThinkPad X131e Chromebook is only geared for schools. Presumably it could lead to greater things for Google if the device gets a good reception, but this shouldn't be confused with Lenovo pushing a mainstream device the way the two existing Chrome OS partners, Acer and Samsung, have done.

It's not clear whether Lenovo has grander ambitions for Chrome OS, something … Read more

The laptop was reinvented at CES.

Or maybe I should say there was a vigorous attempt to reinvent the laptop. Because we won't know how successful touch has been until next year this time.

Intel's CES booth -- still a large presence in the CES Central Hall -- had one basic unmistakable message: touch has arrived.

Windows 8 convertibles, detachables, touch-screen laptops, and just plain tablets from Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Samsung, Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Toshiba, Sony, and others blanketed Intel's booth.

And just to make sure the touch message was crystal clear, Intel issued an edict to PC … Read more

Do we really think the Lenovo Horizon Table PC will launch a nation-sweeping trend of computer-based family game nights? No.

What the Horizon does do, though, is demonstrate that the PC industry still has plenty of interesting ideas.

You can read our full hands-on with the Horizon here. The gist of it though is that it's a 27-inch Windows 8 all-in-one touch-screen computer that you can lay down flat. It also has a battery. You would not use this giant computer as a walk-around-the-house device, but its portability does mean that you can set it up in a den, … Read more

HP is still the top dog in computer sales around the world, at least according to IDC. But those sales continue to plummet.

Released today, IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker pegged fourth-quarter global PC shipments at 89.8 million units, down 6.4 percent from the same quarter in 2011.

The drop was actually worse than IDC's forecast of 4.4 percent and marked the first time the industry saw a year-on-year decline during the holiday season. For 2012 as a whole, PC shipments were down by 3.2 percent.

Windows 8 officially launched at the end of … Read more