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Medion's X4701 X-Series smartphone is its highest-end handset to date (hands-on)
Lenovo subsidiary Medion already produces smartphones, but normally these units are the ones you'll find clogging up the very bottom of the bargain basement. With the X-Series, however, the company is raising its ambitions to the middle, more legitimate tiers of the market. The first model is tentatively titled the "X4701," but we've been reassured that a catchier name is currently being cooked up by Medion's corporate minds. Still, for now, that's the name we'll stick with. The 4.7-inch smartphone is packing a 1,280 x 720 display alongside a 1.2GHz Tegra 3 chipset with 1GB RAM, which should be enough to run the stock build of Android 4.2 that it'll ship with. On the storage front, while there's only 8GB on board, the company has thoughtfully thrown in an 8GB microSD card to double your storage before you begin. Speaking of things included in the box, the device ships with a black matte plastic rear cover, but users will also find a white version tucked somewhere beneath the manual and charger. Connectivity-wise, there's 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and HSDPA+ modems -- decent enough for those who aren't too fussed about buying a plan with LTE. There's no word on when the retitled device will arrive, or which nations it'll be pitched to, but the company has pledged that it'll cost no more than €199 -- a promise it should think very hard about breaking. Dana Wollman contributed to this report. Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!
Medion Akoya P2004 gives the UK an understated 24-inch all-in-one for £500
Medion isn't the best-known PC badge outside of Europe, but it does have an occasional eye for sleek design. We'd say the Lenovo-backed company's new Akoya P2004 offers that kind of style UK crowd. The all-in-one fits a 23.6-inch, 1080p display into a minimalist design that's oddly charming for what's ultimately a budget machine. No one would call the P2004 feature-loaded when it's carrying a dual-core 3.2GHz Core i3, 4GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and a DVD burner, but the price is right at a frugal £500 ($770). The catch? If you like what's on offer, you're going to have to swing by ASDA, which has the UK exclusive. Still, we wouldn't object too much to picking up a fairly tasteful Windows 8 PC alongside the groceries.
Max Payne Mobile hits Android June 14th, metes out justice on your Galaxy Tab
We'd been wondering where Rockstar Games' promised Android version of Max Payne Mobile had gone after missing its original April release window, but the company has at last narrowed down a release for its third-person revenge shooter on Google's OS. The game swings by Google Play on June 14th, although the nature of the platform means Rockstar is only vowing support for certain phones and tablets. You'll find the whole list at the source link, but it's safe to say that you'll want a higher-end Android device made during the past year by Acer, ASUS, HTC, LG, Medion, Motorola, Samsung, Sony or Toshiba. Thankfully, the $2.99 price will cover either form factor and gives you every excuse to take down Valkyr-peddling thugs on New York City's streets.
Ex-Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci joins Lenovo as a consultant
We haven't heard much from outspoken former Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci since he left the company back in March of this year, but it looks like he's now ready to get back into the PC business in a slightly different role. Lenovo confirmed today that Lanci is joining the company as a consultant to "help develop and accelerate Lenovo's worldwide consumer business." Initially, those efforts will be mostly focused on Lenovo's integration of German PC manufacturer Medion, which it acquired in June for $907 million, but it sounds like this is more than just a short-term gig -- he does get to stay in Italy, though. Head on past the break for Lenovo's complete statement.
Medion announces LifeTab P9514 tablet, mysterious Android smartphone at IFA
Medion enjoyed a pretty eventful weekend at this year's IFA in Berlin, where the German PC maker unveiled a new Android tablet and a rather obtuse Gingerbread smartphone. Known as the Lifetab P9514, the company's 32GB, 1.6-pound slate is powered by a 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, runs Honeycomb 3.2 and features a capacitive multitouch display with 1280 x 800 resolution. The device also supports both quad-band 3G and WiFi connections, along with the usual smattering of HDMI, microUSB, and microSD ports. Medion's new phone, meanwhile, remains decidedly more mysterious. At this point, we know that the 4.3-inch handset rocks a five megapixel shooter and comes pre-loaded with the manufacturer's GoPal satnav app, but further details remain murky. Both devices are expected to ship within Europe during Q4 of this year at unconfirmed prices, though rumor has it that the LifeTab will run for €399 (about $564). No word yet on whether we can expect to see either product hit the US anytime soon, but you can catch a glimpse of the freshly unveiled smartphone, after the break.
Lenovo buying Medion for up to $907 million, expects to double its German PC market share
It looks like you can expect to see a lot more of Lenovo in Deutschland. The company is buying German consumer electronics maker Medion -- a deal worth up to €629.4 million ($907 million), according to The Wall Street Journal. That makes it the company's biggest acquisition since it bought IBM's PC business back in 2004. Lenovo's end game: to boost its market share in Germany, which happens to be Europe's largest PC market. All told, it hopes to own 14 percent of the PC category there -- roughly double what it commands now -- and expects its share of the Western European computer market to hit 7.5 percent. Lenovo's announcement comes at a time when it seems to have some strong upward momentum -- just last week, the company reported that its fourth-quarter profit more than tripled year over year (much to Wall Street's surprise) and that it generated $21 billion in revenue thanks to growth in every product line and every region where it does business. PR chock full 'o numbers after the break.
NVIDIA trots out GeForce 400M series laptops, shows off StarCraft II gameplay (video)
You might have hoped that NVIDIA's introduction of the 400M series of mobile GPUs would bring about a slew of hot new laptops to drop into our gaming boudoirs, but we are in fact left facing more of the same. Externally, anyhow. The chipmaker rolled out the green carpet for a set of upcoming machines in London today, but they were refreshes, rather than overhauls, of current hardware. The big news is to be found within, as the new GTX 460M has made a home inside the updated ASUS G53, Toshiba Qosmio X505, and MSI GT663. The common thread among these three is that they're all big and hefty, and all emit a subtle vroom sound every time you touch them. What we learned from NVIDIA today is that the GTX 480M will remain an exotic (you might even call it quixotic) GPU reserved for large-screen gaming stations, the GTX 470M will similarly be an enthusiast part, and the GTX 460M will be the company's big play for the mainstream performance market. It also became clear that even the third GPU in the company's mobile hierarchy will need quite a bulky cooling setup (and a proportionately huge charger) to do its job, but NVIDIA's promises of much-improved performance might just make it worthwhile. As to the more sane among us, there was a selection of pleasingly thinner machines, like the ASUS N53 and Acer Aspire 5745, which make do with the lower-specced GT 420M and GT 425M graphics chips. Those are expected to be NVIDIA's biggest sellers, and the video demo after the break of the 425M churning through StarCraft II is certainly appealing. We should note, however, that the latest (though definitely not greatest) Prince of Persia game was also on tap on one of these machines and its frame rate gave us a delightful old-timey feeling any time we entered combat with its emulation of stop-motion animation. So, as ever, it's looking like great graphics will require great rigs, but we can probably expect a decent -- not game-changing (get it?) -- leap in performance among the lighter options as well.%Gallery-101899%
Medion's S47000 sports camera shoots HD video, ain't too pretty
Finally a product that integrates an MP3 player with a Flip-style digital video camera! Of course, we're talking about Medion's S47000 Digital HD Sports Camera, which counts among its many charms: h.264 video recording, 2x digital zoom, a whopping 1MP still camera, HDMI out, and 90MB storage (though there is an SD card slot, for what it's worth). Tempted? Didn't think so. As for us, we're not shelling out £100 ($165) on anything without a pedometer. [Via Oh Gizmo]
Medion's 24-inch X9613 multitouch all-in-one PC actually looks pretty hot
Medion has never really been our go-to manufacturer for new hotness, but we're really digging this new X9613 all-in-one model it's showing off. Even better than the sexy, the computer is fronting a 24-inch multitouch display, a miniature SideShow screen, a gloriously large physical volume knob, and a bunch of convenient media controls along the bottom. Internals aren't bad either, with a Core 2 Quad Q9000 processor and GeForce GT240M graphics. The price range, unfortunately, is rather steep at 1,499 to 1,900 Euro (about $2,142 to $2,714 US). Lucky for us, US prices are usually quite a bit lower than straight-up conversion, though there's no promised roll-out just yet to bank on. Video hands-on is after the break.
Medion rolls out AMD-based Akoya Mini E1312 netbook
The AMD-based netbook train may have been a little slow to get out of the station, but it looks like it's finally starting to pick up a bit of steam, with Medion the latest to roll out an offering of its own. That comes in the form of the company's new Akoya Mini E1312, which opts for a low-power AMD Sempron 210U processor and ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 graphics instead of the usual Intel combo. Otherwise, you can expect to get a 16:9 11.6-inch display, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, HDMI out, and a six-cell or nine-cell battery. No word on a release 'round here just yet, but folks in the UK will apparently be able to pick this one up exclusively at Aldi stores starting July 12th for £339.99 (or just under $550).
Medion's Akoya P7700 D PC will do your multimedia right on a budget
There are little HTPCs that hum indiscreetly amidst your home theater equipment, and then are there behemoth multimedia PCs that gobble down all the HD content you can shove at them while playing Crysis at 80fps and folding proteins in the background. Medion's Akoya P7700 D looks to fall somewhere in between, featuring a strong Intel Core 2 Quad processor, a middling NVIDIA GeForce GT 230 with HDMI output, 1TB of storage to start, and a Blu-ray drive all in a case that has pleasant enough looks but won't be squeezing into many entertainment centers. The system hits Europe this week for a reasonable €699 (about $970), and if you get lucky could be appearing in local Aldi circulars soon.[Via Pocket-lint]
Medion's Atom-powered E1211 and E1215 make the scene
If you're a resident of the European Union (or just a big fan) you might like to know that Medion's back with another nondescript, low-priced laptop or two. Understated sequels to the Mini E1210, both the E1211 and E1215 sport a 10-inch display, Intel Atom processor, 160GB hard drive, Windows XP Home, webcam, Bluetooth, and WiFi, and weigh a mere 1.25 kilograms -- and the latter also rocks integrated UMTS. According to Portable Gear, these guys are expected to fall into the €400-500 price range, rearing their heads in retail outlets such as Aldi, Hema, Action, Gamma and Karwei. Hit that read link for some more exciting pics.
Medion rolls out 18-inch Akoya P8610 media center laptop
Medion's netbooks and GPS units may have been garnering the company the most attention as of late, but it's also still in the traditional laptop business, and it looks like it's new 18-inch Akoya P8610 model should turn at least a few heads, and not just for its sheer size. This one is aimed squarely at those looking for a media center in laptop form, with it boasting a 1,680 x 945, 18.4-inch display, a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T5800 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a 512MB GeForce 9600M GS graphics card that can operate on its own or in hybrid mode, a Blu-ray drive, and a 5.1 Dolby audio system, among other media-friendly features. This being Medion, it also won't completely break the bank, with it setting you back a fairly reasonable £800, or just over $1,100.
Medion intros three new fingerprint-scanning GPS units
Medion has been cramming fingerprint scanners into its GPS units for a little while now, but it looks like it's now firmly committed to the technology, with its latest batch of models each packing the extra level of security. Those include the GoPal P5235, P5435 and X5535, which each boast a 5-inch touchscreen display, voice recognition, and live traffic updates, plus a nearly identical appearance. The P5435 one-ups things slightly over the P5235 with some handsfree Bluetooth calling, while the X5535 goes all out with a built-in gyrometer that promises to pick up some of the slack when the GPS signals drop out. No word on a price or release date for any of 'em just yet, unfortunately, but we wouldn't expect the base model to be too far off the $269 that the nearly identical model that just hit Europe demands.[Via Electronista]
Medion launches 5-inch GoPal P5430 GPS in Europe
It's been a nice little while since we've seen any new navigators from Medion, but the outfit's hitting back with its relatively forgettable GoPal P5430. The European PND sports a 5-inch touchscreen display, integrated TMC antenna, fingerprint sensor, text-to-speech functionality, an inbuilt FM transmitter and pre-installed NAVTEQ maps of Western and Eastern Europe. Like we said, forgettable -- but you should know it's priced at £175 ($269) just in case you're tempted.[Via NaviGadget]
Medion dips its toes into the Centrino 2 waters with Akoya S5610
It may be small change compared to the batches of Centrino 2 laptops some other manufacturers are trotting out, but Medion apparently isn't about to let the launch go by without throwing its hat in the ring, and it's now debuted its first entry: the 15.4-inch Akoya S5610 laptop. This one looks like it'll be able to hold its own, however, with it packing a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo P7350 processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 graphics with 256MB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and 3GB of RAM as standard, plus the usual perks like a 1.3 megapixel webcam and a fingerprint reader. No word on a release 'round these parts, but those in the UK will be able to get their hands one on by the end of this month for £600 (or about $1,200).
Medion Akoya E1210 netbook gets unboxed
Just days after going on sale in Europe for €399, the Wind-esque Akoya mini laptop has been acquired and unboxed for all to see. As it stands, we're still not certain if this thing will ever head to US soil, but judging by the remarkable similarities to a few other low-cost lappies, we reckon we'll survive if it decides to stay put. Head on to the read link for a look at the shots.[Via SlashGear]
Medion's Atom-powered Akoya Mini laptop now on sale
Here's a peculiar one. Medion's Akoya Mini -- you know, just one of the legions of low-cost laptops you've barely heard of -- is finally on sale after being showcased at Computex. But it's not the mere fact of being on sale that's intriguing; for whatever reason, Medion has decided to offer the unit up in Austria's Hofer, which is the foreign equivalent of America's Aldi. So you know, while you're browsing around picking up a few bits of produce and a 20-pack of Fun Dip, why not snag a 10-inch netbook for €399 ($628) to round things out?[Thanks, hondosan]
Medion's Akoya Mini laptop gets pictured at Computex
The last time we saw this downsized Atom-based laptop, it was looking staid and proper in a press shot. Finally someone has gotten their hands on this thing, and we've got to say -- it looks pretty handsome (even if it is a rebadged, recolored MSI Wind, and a dead ringer for the Mini-Note). Specs seem unchanged, with a 10-inch 1024 x 800 display, 80GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, and a 1.3-megapixel webcam, and the price appears to be holding at €399 (or about $630) as well. Still no word on when or if this is going to hit the states, but we've got our fingers crossed.
Medion GoPal E3215 Glamour Edition comes in pink and pink
Chances are, you didn't really need another option for a pink travel guide, but if that rosy nüvi just isn't as sparkly as it once was, Medion's lookin' out for you. The outfit has just released its GoPal E3215 Glamour Edition, which reportedly features a perfectly average 3.5-inch color touchscreen, 1.7-centimeter thick frame, speed camera database and maps of Western Europe. Of course, a pink GPS wouldn't be a pink GPS without a matching carry case, but all things considered, we still can't see spending £149.99 ($296) on a cute-but-ho hum piece such as this.[Via TechGadgets, thanks Yossi]
