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Lenovo goes crazy, lets you switch Fn and Ctrl keys in BIOS

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 5th 2009 at 4:14AM

Some people, including certain Engadget editors, just can't live without a Ctrl key in the bottom left of their keyboard and a Delete key in the top right. Call it Windows shortcut addiction, but the miniscule adjustment of having to step one key inwards to do our thing totally messes with our mojo. Well, after slapping on some massive Delete and Esc buttons on its T400s, Lenovo is now taking care of the Ctrl freaks by offering up a BIOS option to switch that all-important key with the Fn button. Regrettably, current Lenovo owners won't be getting it as an update, but the Switch Mode will be available "in all future ThinkPad models," giving us yet more reason to be excited about that rumored X200e machine.

[Via ThinkPads]

Lenovo IdeaPad U150 gets unboxed and critiqued (video)

by Darren Murph posted Nov 4th 2009 at 7:26PM

We spotted the IdeaPad U150 sitting pretty as far back as CEATEC, but now it seems the 11.6-inch beaut is finally finding its way out into the wild, wild... wilds. The suave folks over at Netbooked were able to wrap their paws around a retail unit, and aside from just unboxing it on video (which was a nice gesture in its own right), they also ran it through some basic tasks and spit out a few general opinions. Hit the links below if you'd like to follow the journey from undressing to battery life testing, and hop on past the breaks if you're into this hot new thing called "video."

Read - IdeaPad U150 unboxing
Read - IdeaPad U150 impressions

Continue reading Lenovo IdeaPad U150 gets unboxed and critiqued (video)

Lenovo's rumored ThinkPad X200e gets two more spy spots, another shot of believability

by Darren Murph posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 10:56AM

Aw, snap. We'll be frank -- we didn't have too much hope that the supposedly leaked ThinkPad we spotted over the weekend was a legitimate product, but now that the evidence is mounting, we're finding it difficult to contain our excitement. Two new spy shots of the purported ThinkPad x200e (or ThinkPad x100e) have emerged over in China, and we're being told that Lenovo's not going out of its way to deny their genuineness. Are we really looking at a ThinkPad netbook? And will the Earth really continue to spin if Lenovo deviates from the tried-and-true ThinkPad design that has held things in balance for so long? Color us disquieted.

[Via Cloned In China]

Lenovo's all-in-one ThinkCentre gets official, becomes A70z

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 5:51PM

Lenovo let the word about this one out a little early, but it's just now gotten fully official with its very first all-in-one ThinkCentre desktop, now formally known as the ThinkCentre A70z. Set to roll out by the end of November, this expectedly angular little number packs a 19-inch, 16:10 display up front, along with your choice of Celeron or Core 2 Duo processors, a max 500GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and a range of particularly business-minded features to keep things as stripped down as possible -- even the built-in WiFi is optional. Head on past the break for a complete video overview courtesy of Lenovo itself, and look for this one to start at just $499 when it lands later this month.

Continue reading Lenovo's all-in-one ThinkCentre gets official, becomes A70z

Slinky Lenovo laptop prototype outed by FCC

by Tim Stevens posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 7:31AM

Slinky Lenovo laptop netbook prototype outed by FCC

Ooh, what's this? A new netbook from Lenovo, or some other flavor of tiny laptop? Little is known about the subject of this FCC filing from hardware assembler (and resurrector) Wistron, other than it will have a 10.1-inch screen, a 3-in-1 media reader, and plenty of wireless options including Bluetooth, WiFi, and HSDPA data. Dimensionally the device, referred to as the 0251, would fit into the IdeaPad category, but with no mention of processor or storage there's still some room to hope for something equally small but with a bit more chutzpah. Yeah, we're optimists.

[Via wireless goodness; Warning: PDF read link]

Is this a next generation ThinkPad, or the cruelest Photoshop ThinkPad fans have ever witnessed?

by Paul Miller posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 12:10AM

So, before we get ourselves in a tizzy, we'll caveat that there are some seeming signs of Photoshoppery here, namely the edge around the keyboard and of course the pure insanity of putting chiclet keys and a white skin on a ThinkPad (Cloned In China thinks it might be an outright KIRF). That said, there's something about the laptop that smacks of ultraportability and simplicity which we're not entirely averse to. And for the purists there's still that nipple and the third mouse button to be smug about, which is something for them to think about while the burn down the Engadget HQ in a rage for us even suggesting this could be a good direction. Check out another shot after the break, and shots of another even odder design at the read link.

[Via Cloned In China]

Continue reading Is this a next generation ThinkPad, or the cruelest Photoshop ThinkPad fans have ever witnessed?

Lenovo teases new ThinkCentre all-in-one desktop

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 28th 2009 at 1:07PM

Lenovo isn't offering any more than this picture of its new ThinkCentre all-in-one desktop just yet, but it's already clear that it's not messing around with this one. How can we be so sure? It has a map of the world on it, and maps mean business. It also doesn't look like we have to wait too long to get the full story on it, as Lenovo is promising to make things official at the EDUCAUSE 09 conference early next month.

[Thanks, Tim]

Lenovo's IdeaPad S12 finally on sale with Windows 7, NVIDIA Ion

by Darren Murph posted Oct 28th 2009 at 2:34AM

Lenovo made us a promise back in August that the Ion-powered version of its IdeaPad S12 would finally be loosed after the introduction of Windows 7, and lo and behold, that very machine is now available to order directly from the outfit itself. The lone Ion configuration starts at $599, and as predicted, it packs a 1.6GHz N270 processor, Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit), a 256MB Ion GPU, 2GB of DDR2 memory, a 12.1-inch display (1,280 x 800), a 250GB hard drive, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi and a six-cell battery. So, if you've held on this long, are you finally jumping in now that the opportunity has presented itself?

[Via Mark's Technology Blog]

Lenovo gets official with Win7-powered IdeaPad and IdeaCentre machines

by Darren Murph posted Oct 26th 2009 at 12:01PM

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: Lenovo gets official with Win7-powered IdeaPad and IdeaCentre machines

Lenovo's all-business ThinkPad SL510 gets reviewed

by Darren Murph posted Oct 25th 2009 at 4:35AM

Lenovo's ThinkPad SL510 is just one of many new lappies hitting the market with Windows 7 in tow, but unlike most of the consumer-oriented machines, this pup is aimed squarely at that fellow over there looking mighty uncomfortable in the suit. Their test version, which included a 2.53GHz CPU, 3GB of RAM, a 320GB HDD and a $1,024 price tag, was found to be a real champion in terms of performance. The machine itself starts at just $520, and while the upgrades here definitely had an impact, they were also pleased with the multitouch trackpad, overall typing experience and bundled business tools. The only knocks? The "bulky, staid design" and low screen resolution, but something tells us a few of you won't see the former as a negative. Hit the read link for the full skinny.

Lenovo IdeaPad U150 is official in Japan, not very big

by Paul Miller posted Oct 23rd 2009 at 10:38AM

Lenovo hasn't been driving quite as hard after the thin-and-light consumer game as some others (though that U350 is a sexy exception), but this upcoming ULV-powered, 11.6-inch IdeaPad U150 should put it right in the runnings. Unfortunately for us, Lenovo has only just announced the computer for Japan, with no word on when it might be coming Stateside. The specs are alright, with a brand new Intel Core 2 Duo SU4100 ULV processor, integrated graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB HDD, multitouch trackpad and Windows 7. We still don't have a price to go on, but since the whole point of that new Intel proc is taking ULV chips to somewhere approaching Atom prices, we're hoping for good things.

[Via Netbooked]

Lenovo slaps Windows 7 onto ThinkPad SL410 and SL510

by Darren Murph posted Oct 21st 2009 at 11:00AM

Lenovo's ThinkPad SL410 and SL510 managed to sneak out a touch early overseas, but now the outfit is making 'em both official here in the States -- and on the day before the launch of Windows 7, no less. Unfortunately, detailed specifications are nowhere to be found, with Lenovo simply telling us that these will boast 16:9 displays, Core 2 Duo processors, HDMI and VGA outputs, a multitouch trackpad, 3G WWAN, WiFi, Ethernet, optional Bluetooth and Windows 7 runnin' the show. Both rigs can supposedly be ordered today starting at $529, so we guess it's on you to poke around and see if either suit your fancy. Full specs lists is after the break.

Gallery: Lenovo slaps Windows 7 onto ThinkPad SL410 and SL510

Continue reading Lenovo slaps Windows 7 onto ThinkPad SL410 and SL510

Lenovo sneaks out IdeaPad U550 laptop, in brown only

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 20th 2009 at 5:29PM

Lenovo has a habit of slipping out products without much fanfare (or even a decent picture), and it looks like it's done it again with its new IdeaPad U550 laptop, which gets out just in time for the Windows 7 rush. As you might expect, there isn't a ton to get excited about here, but the laptop is relatively lightweight for one with a 15.6-inch screen (just 5.29 pounds), and it settles nicely in the mid-range of Lenovo's offering in terms of specs. That includes your choice of Pentium Dual-Core or Core 2 Duo processors, ATI Radeon HD4330 or Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics, 4GB of RAM standard, a 250GB or 320GB hard drive, and even some nifty touches like an ambient light sensor and a standard fingerprint reader. No firm word on a ship date just yet (only "more than four weeks"), but you can get you order in right now for between $699 and $799 -- just hope you like brown, as it's apparently the only color option available at the moment.

[Thanks, alsyl]

Lenovo's new slate of ThinkVision LCDs really, really love the environment

by Darren Murph posted Oct 20th 2009 at 9:22AM

It's not like we haven't seen a ThinkVision monitor trying its best to be good to Ma Earth before, but Lenovo's ThinkVision L2251x Wide has just become the first in the industry to notch a TCO Certified Edge -- which, we'll be honest, sounds like a pretty bodacious award to have. Dubbed the company's "greenest monitors yet," the ThinkVision L1711p, L1951p Wide, L2250p Wide, L2251p Wide and L2251x Wide are all at least TCO Certified, EPEAT Gold rated and are 50 percent more energy-efficient than previous models. Outside of all that, you'll find 1,680 x 1,050 resolution panels, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and a five millisecond response time on the whole lot, while select models boast DisplayPort compatibility and a built-in webcam. The ThinkVision L1951p Wide, L2250p Wide and L2251p Wide monitors will be available starting this Friday for $239.99, $249.99 and $259.99, respectively, while the L1711p will land on November 6th for $229.99 and the L2251x Wide sometime next month for $299.99.

Gallery: Lenovo's new slate of ThinkVision LCDs really, really love the environment

Continue reading Lenovo's new slate of ThinkVision LCDs really, really love the environment

Lenovo IdeaPad S12 gets ION powerup on October 22 in Japan

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 19th 2009 at 4:23AM

At this point, we're not really sure which date has been discussed more in the history of humanity -- the Mayan doomsday prediction or Microsoft's October 22, 2009 launch of Windows 7. Lenovo's S12 was originally supposed to be the first ION-sporting netbook on the scene, but the Chinese company opted to hold back the NVIDIA infusion till Windows 7 showed up, and has been shipping a version of the 12-inch IdeaPad with only standard netbook specs so far. Well, come this Thursday it's out with the old and in with the HD video-decoding new in Japan, where the ION-powered S12 will be unleashed with 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, a 1280 x 800 glossy display, multicard reader and a HDMI port for company. Priced somewhere near ¥68,800 (about $757), the new machines (available only in white) are likely to dip below $600 when they make their inevitable journey Stateside.

[Via Netbooked]