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Lenovo IdeaCentre B500 review
We managed to get some nice hands-on time with the Lenovo IdeaCentre B500 while chilling out in Hong Kong, and we're glad to say that up close this all-in-one desktop wasn't too far off the renderings we saw in October. Fans of Transformers might dig those angular corners and brushed metal effect, but we lack the expertise to tell if it'd be an Autobot or a Decepticon. Actually, we do, but we're far too humble to say it out loud. Click on if you're digging a deeper look. %Gallery-81184%
Lenovo gets official with Win7-powered IdeaPad and IdeaCentre machines
Lenovo already got official with a couple of its Windows 7-powered machines last week, but it looks like the rest of the crop is landing today. Of course, we've already seen the 11.6-inch IdeaPad U150 and 15.6-inch U550 pop up in various corners of the globe this month, and the IdeaPad U350 has been around since the summer. That said, we'll take the OS refresh and minor spec bumps any day of the week (along with new colors on the S10-2), and that's exactly what we're getting. We'll spare you the rehash (it's all there in the read link if you need a refresher), but over on the desktop front, we're pretty stoked about the stylish (and previously rumored) all-in-one IdeaCentre B500. Packing a Core 2 Quad CPU, 1TB of HDD space, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM and a 23-inch LCD, this thing may actually perform fairly well in tasks more strenuous than checking email. The business-minded K300 and bargain-priced H230 ($299 starting point) are less thrilling from a hardware perspective, but they'll certainly fit their respective molds quite well. The whole lot should be available to order soon directly from Lenovo, and there's bound to be plenty of options for those not content with base configurations. %Gallery-76494%
Lenovo and Acer rumored to be prepping new all-in-one PCs
In recent months, we've seen both Lenovo and Acer push out rather stylish all-in-one PCs. Clearly, both firms are hot to trot for the form factor, with DigiTimes reporting that the duo has big plans for future expansion in the area. Specifically, Lenovo is rumored to launch an entry-level 20-inch unit (C300) next month, a C100 and quad-core B500 in August and an ultrathin A300 variant in October. Meanwhile, Acer is said to be preparing an 18.5-inch model produced by Wistron, though there's no indication if it's actually different from that eMachines EZ1600 we heard about earlier this month. Look out, tower -- the end is nigh. (Just kidding, we only wanted to see your reaction.)
Samsung's SCH-B500 gets golder (and browner)
Changing the color of a phone in an effort to extend its serviceable shelf life? Oldest trick in the book, we say. Not that the 13.5mm-thick B500 slider from Samsung doesn't still rock on its own accord, but by Korean standards, it's ancient -- and what's with the measly 2 megapixel camera? We kid, we kid! Destined only for the domestic market right now, the SCH-B5000 "Magic Gold" and SCH-B5050 "Magic Brown" are dead ringers for the original B500 (DMB tuner and all) but as the names pretty clearly indicate, they've turned gold and brown, respectively. Thanks to the phone's magnesium shell, we reckon the gold plating probably looks pretty realistic, too -- but heck, even Europe may not ever get these, so the odds of an American release are just this side of nil.
