Lenovo releases Core i7 laptop, lots of ultraportables
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.
Scott Stein, a New York Jets fan and CNET senior associate editor, has written about tech, entertainment, video games, and viral culture for outlets including Laptop, Wired, Maxim, Esquire Online, Asylum, and Men's Journal. He also appears on the Digital City podcast. In his spare time, you might see him performing improv in New York City (when he's not being a dad). 
If it goes higher at this 16x9 ratio, the screen will need to go above their current offering before you'll see xhigher resolution.
- by lookingforalaptop October 27, 2009 1:58 PM PDT
- when will the IdeaPad Y550P be available? i'm on the market for a laptop and i want to get an i7 processor.... this appears to be the best option, but my old laptop is on its last legs......
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