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How-to: install Pixel Qi's 3Qi display on your netbook (and why it's worth it)
It's hard to believe that it's been almost two and a half years since Pixel Qi spun off from OLPC and promised to bring its dual-mode, power efficient display to laptops, tablets, and e-readers. For those who haven't followed our small obsession with the 3Qi screen technology (shame on you!) it promises the best of both worlds: full-color graphics in a normal LCD mode, but also the ability to turn off the backlight to morph into a grayscale, e-paper like display. And while we've seen it demoed at tradeshows (and more tradeshows!), we haven't been able to get our own grubby hands on the much-lauded display. Until now, of course. No, the 3Qi display still isn't shipping in any commercially available products, but Pixel Qi is at long last offering a $275 10.1-inch screen replacement kit for netbooks through MakerShed. Needless to say, we jumped -- nay, leaped -- at the chance to finally get the display into our laboratories, roll up our sleeves and get to crankin'. That's right, we got out the screwdriver, wrangled up an old Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 netbook and swapped in the 3Qi display for Lenovo's glossy panel. You're surely sitting on a metric ton of questions. Was it hard to swap out? Has the screen been everything we've ever fantasized about and more? Is it really 80 percent more power efficient than standard LCDs? We've got plenty of answers as well as a step-by-step how-to after the break.
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's IdeaPad S10-2 reviewed: great battery life, but more of the same
Lenovo's S10-2 was a minor update to the original S10 (to put things nicely), but that's not to say it's not worth a look for those in the market for a 10-inch netbook. Boasting a slightly thinner, more beautified frame, the S10-2 also includes a tweaked keyboard, optional 3G, an extra USB port and none of the quirks that plagued the first edition. The benchmarking fiends over at HotHardware managed to sneak one of these things into their labs for testing, and while they largely found the S10-2 to be about the same as every other N270 + GMA 950 netbook out there, the 5.5 hour battery life was definitely impressive. All told, the S10-2 was found to be solid from top to bottom, but the $350 price tag did feel a bit steep considering just how many alternatives are out there. Still, even with the positive vibes, it's hard to recommend buying a WinXP netbook now with Windows 7 (and thus, no hardware limitations) just around the bend. Tap the read link if you're jonesing for more.
Lenovo's IdeaPad S10-2 now available to order
Without question, the hottest product in Lenovo's lineup right now is the recently unveiled IdeaPad S12, but if you're not up for waiting (or if you just prefer the 10-inch form factor), you can wiggle your cursor over to the outfit's S10-2 portal. Starting today, the refreshed S10-2 is up for order, with current shipping estimates pegged at "within 16 business days." The unit is available in black, grey, white and pink starting at $439, but as always, it'll be tough to skip over all those customizations on the way to checkout.[Via PortableMonkey]
Lenovo's revamped IdeaPad S10-2 gets demoed on video
You know the drill by now -- first comes the leak, then comes the announcement, then comes the photo shoot. And now, comes the video. Right on cue, the cool cats over at GottaBeMobile have whipped out the Handycam in order to show off Lenovo's latest entrant into the oversaturated netbook arena. They seemed to appreciate most every tweak applied to the S10-2, though they did lament the fact that the new kid on the block didn't have a matte display as on the original S10. The vid's just past the break.
Lenovo gets official with mildly refreshed IdeaPad S10-2 netbook
Lenovo's S10 has walked a long, rough road. First it battled months of delays, then hordes of anxious owners began weeping rivers due to incessant fan noise. Lenovo already made a few attempts to better its cute-as-a-button netbook, but now it's ditching the little-by-little approach entirely and introducing a 'Part II' version. The understandably titled S10-2, which we spotted via a handy user manual just last week, is officially official, and while it's still rocking the same basic specs (1.6GHz Atom N270, 1GB of RAM, 160GB HDD, WiFi, 1.3 megapixel camera, etc.), there have been a few appreciated tweaks made. There's a new cover design, a larger keyboard, a bigger trackpad and a model with integrated 3G that'll run just $50 more than the standard $349.99 flavors; too bad Lenovo didn't take this opportunity to dish out an entirely new IdeaPad with a CPU that's marginally robust.
Lenovo reveals updated, 3G-equipped S10-2 netbook in user manual
We already caught sight of a slightly mysterious, 3G-equipped Lenovo netbook last month courtesy of the FCC, and it looks like Lenovo itself is now adding to the speculation, with a recently revealed user manual all but confirming an updated S10-2 netbook. While there's still no word on complete specs, it does appear that this is more than just a minor update, with the netbook apparently sporting a different hinge and some rounded edges, along with an extra USB port (bring the total up to three), a larger trackpad, a slightly revised keyboard and button layout, and some new access bays that'll let you get at the RAM, hard drive, and wireless card. Unfortunately, it seems that Lenovo has also seen fit to remove one of the big selling points of the original S10, the ExpressCard slot, although the built-in 3G does at least makes that trade-off a bit more manageable. No word on pricing or availability just yet, but it seems like Lenovo could be getting official with this one any day now.[Via Eee PC - Blog]
