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Lenovo's lovely ET600 with Windows Mobile 6
Windows Mobile 6 Professional? Check. Brushed metal (or metal look, at least) body? Check. Dedicated Google button placed prominently front and center? Okay, sure, whatever. HSDPA? Eh, sorry folks, this one's a China-only special; GPRS still reigns supreme in those parts. Lenovo's not really known for its smartphone offerings in the western hemisphere, but on home turf, it's a different story -- this here ET600 is the latest example. Besides the rather comely exterior, you get a tri-band GSM radio sans 850 (no need for it over there), the usual QVGA display, 2 megapixel autofocus cam, Bluetooth 2.0, microSD expansion, and a 200MHz OMAP750 core. Like it? Us too -- bring back a few for us on your next trip to Beijing, wouldya?[Via Engadget Chinese]
Chris Ziegler03.21.2007Lenovo selects Windows Live for pre-loaded search
Back in the 90's OEM PC manufacturers used to make some easy money by charging ISPs like AOL, Prodigy, and CompuServe to have dial-up software preloaded on their machines, and now the new millenium is finding the white box makers once again offering premium desktop and browser real estate to the highest bidder -- but this time around it's search giants Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft that are jockeying for space on your new machine. With the two largest manufacturers having already been spoken for -- Google famously partnered with Dell and Yahoo got in bed with both HP and Acer -- Microsoft's Live tools were running a very distant third until Redmond decided to look overseas and court Chinese powerhouse Lenovo. Well in a presumably nine- and possibly even ten-figure deal announced today, Lenovo will indeed be shipping all of its machines (including the ThinkPad and ThinkCentre lines) with the Windows Live toolbar and browsers pointed at Live Search, starting with rigs that roll off the line later this month. As you'd expect, the company is spinning this partnership as a big win for consumers, arguing that it "allows our customers to better communicate with us, in addition to giving them additional services." Well said, executive director of strategic alliances Peter Gaucher. In reality Lenovo just gets a big payday and Microsoft will likely see some boost in Live usage from newbs who don't know one search engine from the others; meanwhile, the rest of us will just have to take a few extra seconds to delete all the crapware and change our homepages.[Via laptoping]
Evan Blass03.14.20073M sues Sony, Lenovo, and others over laptop batteries
There seems to be few things that 3M doesn't have some sort of patent claim to, and it looks like laptop batteries are no exception, with the company now putting some of those patents to the test, claiming that Sony, Lenovo, and a number of other companies have been using 'em without permission. According to Bloomberg, the newly-filed lawsuit centers on the cathode materials used in the batteries and demands that the U.S. International Trade Commission block all imports of the batteries in question and the laptop computers they're used in. In addition to Sony and Lenovo, the lawsuit also points the finger at CDW, Total Micro Technologies, and Batteries.com, as well as Hitachi and Matsushita, although apparently not for their laptop batteries, with them instead getting on 3M's bad side for the batteries used in their cordless power tools. From the sound of it, the lawsuit doesn't appear to have anything to do with the now infamous problems affecting many of the batteries from the aforementioned companies, with 3M boasting that their technology results in batteries that last longer and are less likely to overheat.
Donald Melanson03.08.2007Lenovo recalling 200,000 Sanyo Thinkpad batteries
Somewhere at Sony headquarters, someone is breathing a big sigh of relief right now; because when there's a big battery recall going on, and the packs weren't made by Sony, it's a red-letter day indeed. This time around the culprit happens to be Sanyo, and the batteries in question are extended life cells sold with certain R, Z, and T Series Lenovo / IBM Thinkpads between November of 2005 and February of this year. Unlike the 500,000+ Sony batteries affected by the last recall, however, these 200,000-odd packs (100,000 in the US, about 105,000 abroad) don't suffer from any internal problems, but instead are prone to "overheating" if "struck forcefully on the corner" (like when you slip and drop your lappy on the ice). Concerned owners should check to see if their extended battery sports part number FRU P/N 92P1131, and then head here to start the replacement process if necessary. Meanwhile, we're gonna ring up Sony and suggest that they send a nice sympathy bouquet / thank you note over to their colleagues at Sanyo. [Via ZDnet, thanks Greg]
Evan Blass03.01.2007Lenovo shows Windows Mobile 6 offerings
Lenovo's been pushing phones in its native China for some time -- including some bearing Windows Mobile -- and the company is among Microsoft's launch partners for version six at 3GSM this week. Details are slim for both of these units, but we're guessing the Standard device on the right will be destined for Russia on account of its rather, um... Russia-ish keypad. The Professional handset on the left, though, we're going to call the "Peacemaker." We're not sure exactly how a Google logo found its way prominently onto the frontside of a Microsoft-powered handset, but hey, if all parties involved are cool with that, we're cool with that, too.%Gallery-1610%
Chris Ziegler02.13.2007Lenovo intros Vista-equipped SFF A55 ThinkCentre desktop
With all this talk about small-form-factor PCs going on, not to mention the Vista-equipped computer bandwagon that's steaming through today, Lenovo apparently figured it might as well hop on. Rather than changing the model name completely, the A55 SFF simply sports a trio of extra letters, a 64-percent smaller enclosure than its larger counterpart, and a claim to be around 25-percent tinier than "the conventional small desktop." Moreover, this wee PC will pack a mysterious Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Windows Vista, DVD writer, an optional floppy drive (saywha?), and a whole smorgasbord of other not-yet-mentioned components within a case not much larger than "your average briefcase." Customers who pick this up will be graced with the outfit's ThinkVantage Technologies, such as Rescue and Recovery and Client Security System, and considering the relatively low starting price of $579, this unit might not be a bad fit for your overly cramped office when it lands next month.[Via 64-Bit-Computers]
Darren Murph01.30.2007ColorWare adds Thinkpad T60p to laptop rainbow
Those digging the specs on Lenovo's Thinkpad T60p laptop but not so down with the basic black look now have another option besides the DIY route at their disposal, with ColorWare announcing that its added the laptop to its multi-colored lineup. The laptop itself remains the same as before, of course, and configurable to some extent, with a 15.4-inch widescreen display and 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor standard, along with up to 2GB of RAM and 160GB of hard drive space. Things depart from the Thinkpad mold when you hit the color selection screen, however, with no less than 28 colors to choose from, including such stylish options as Caution Yellow (seen above) and Cotton Candy Pink. Going for the base model in your choice of color will set you back $2,950 with units shipping in 2-3 weeks, although those that have already sprung for a T60 aren't entirely out of luck, with ColorWare saying they'll soon also be offering an option for you to send in your laptop for a bit of sprucing up.
Donald Melanson01.17.2007Gold and silver USB drives celebrate the Year of the Pig
While most of you may think we're just rolling along in 2007, you're probably just paying too close attention to that Gregorian calendar, as there's still a ways to go before the Year of the Pig is rung in. In a collaborative effort between the Beijing Zhongshi Boda Company and Lenovo, a limited run (9,999 to be exact) of gold and silver USB flash drives are being released with celebratory engravings on the sides. Each drive is made from "30 grams of its respective metals," and reportedly sports a purity level of 99.9-percent. Looking to woo folks who just can't get enough of that Chinese culture in the side of their computer, the devices feature a pig pattern and "2007" to commemorate the upcoming new year, and moreover, the Chinese characters "Jin Zhu Tian Fu" are inscribed, which translates to "may the gold pig bring you good fortune." We've no idea if silver users won't be nearly as lucky for typographical reasons, nor how much capacity these things actually have, but the sets should start selling soon for a whopping 9,999 CNY ($1,281) over in China.[Via Spluch & Engadget China]
Darren Murph01.04.2007Lenovo's T60 goes widescreen for the suits
Lenovo just launched a new, widescreen version of their T60 laptop. Already, NotebookReview have posted their thoughts on Lenovo's Core 2 Duo, flagship business lappie. The new 15.4-inch widescreens feature a hefty WSXGA+ (1680x1050) resolution; pixels-a-plenty for side-by-side windowing action. However, unlike Dell's and HP's 15.4-inch offerings, Lenovo has simply made widescreen an optional config as they'll continue churning-out 15.4-inch models with 4:3 displays that execs traditionally prefer to bumble about on. The IPS display is made by Samsung and is the same "solid" panel found in many Dell laptops. It offers good brightness (for a business laptop) and superb viewing angles -- something which may or not be desirable when working on your M&A strategy from the airplane. And the 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo performs as Core 2 Duos do, no surprises there. Overall build quality is rated as "top notch" coming in at just over an inch thick and 5.5-pounds. And while you might expect an enhanced keyboard due to the extra space, forget it, it's the same keyboard we've seen before (not a bad thing). With the all-business T60 gone wide, there should be little doubt about the future of widescreen laptops in the office now.
Thomas Ricker11.28.2006Lenovo's new Tianyi F50 laptop does it up Dolby style
Deets are slim on this new media-centric laptop from Lenovo, but they're busting it all the same, so we thought we'd let you know. The Tianyi F50's main claim to fame is Dolby Home Theater support -- a first for Lenovo -- bringing virtual surround sound to your headphones or stereo speakers, and supporting the full-on 5.1 spec through a home theater set. That's about all we know, though from the picture we're guessing this is a 17-ish-inch lappy, with all the finest Core 2 Duo trimmings and maybe even a webcam up top. No word on price, or whether we've got a shot at seeing this thing hit the States, but we'll keep an eye out. There are a couple more pics after the break.[Via laptoping]
Paul Miller11.22.2006Lenovo's 22-inch D221 widescreen LCD: welcome to the club
Yeah, they make monitors too. Meet the 22-inch D221 widescreen LCD from Lenovo. Packing that near-ubiquitous 1680x1050 (WSXGA+) resolution found in these panels, the D221 delivers a 700:1 contrast ratio, 5-ms response, 300cd/m2 brightness, and 160/176-degree visibility top-bottom/left-right, respectively with 2x DVI inputs and D-Sub15 for a taste of that limp, analog RGB. Not bad, but even better considering it'll only set you back ¥52,000 or about $440 (pre-tax) when these hit Japan on December 5th.[Via Akihabara News]
Thomas Ricker11.21.2006Engadget Podcast 094 - 11.17.2006
Big, big week for gadget news (as we all well know). The Zune, the PS3, and the Wii, it's been pretty crazed around the hallowed halls of Engadget HQ. We're not going to spend a lot of time talking about the news surrounding the gadgets since something tells us a lot of you are wondering what they're like, and whether you should buy one. We also briefly touch on some other noteworthy announcements, including the Lenovo X60, Nikon D40, the Core 2 Duo MacBook, and those sweet new Cingular Windows Mobile devices. It's going to be a hell of a holiday season this year. Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [RSS OGG] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in OGG) to your RSS aggregator. Hosts: Peter Rojas and Ryan Block Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Solvent - Instructograph (Ghostly International) Program: 0:01:25 - Zune review 0:20:37 - PS3 unboxing! 0:35:03 - Wii hands-on, unboxing! 0:43:03 - Xbox HD DVD hands-on 0:48:03 - Xbox Live Video hands-on 0:52:54 - Hon Hai cops to iPhone contract 0:56:02 - Apple's MacBook goes Core 2 Duo, too 0:56:16 - Cingular 8525, BlackJack now for sale 1:00:46 - Nikon D40 officially announced 1:03:40 - Hands-on with Lenovo's X60 Tablet PC LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET, Engadget (Gizmo Project) or podcast at engadget dawt com
Trent Wolbe11.18.2006Hands-on with Lenovo's X60 Tablet PC
We already showed you a review of the thing, but now we've got an X60t of our own, and we thought you'd give you our impressions, along with a nice bevy of pictures of this tablet in the flesh. As always, you can find the pics after the break, so lets get on with the impressions. Tablet PC Review was no liar when it complemented the build quality of the X60t: the unit is a rock. The keyboard feels wonderful, the hinge is solid and even the TrackPoint "nipple" (of which we're not normally a fan) works great. The pen is solid, and when writing on the screen there's just the right amount of friction to make pen-based input feel just right. Aside from an overly zealous complement of pre-loaded, taskbar-hogging software, our only real problem was with the battery life, but it was a big one: the stock 4-cell battery choked out at around 1.5 hours of use for us. Granted, the display was at max brightness (which is plenty bright), and WiFi and Bluetooth were on, but it was still rather disconcerting to be able to visibly watch the battery meter lose percentage points, and then have the thing conk out altogether at a supposed 8 percent of battery left. So, if you can spring for the 8-cell, or stand to live without wireless or a backlight, the X60 comes highly recommended as far as Tablet PCs go, but we do have that minor caveat. Keep reading for the pics.
Paul Miller11.16.2006Lenovo announces Y-series notebooks and flashy Q / H-series desktop systems
Lenovo is busting out a bevy of new notebooks and desktops today in the Asia Pacific realm. Its Y-series laptops and Q / H-series desktops were unveiled, each diverting from the traditional paths previously taken on (the admittedly bland) IBM-branded counterparts. The yet-to-be-priced 13-inch widescreen Y300 touts discrete NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 graphics, a built-in webcam that automatically recognizes its owners face to log them in, and weights just 4.85 pounds. The Y400 maintains the "same design theme" on the Y300, but packs a 14-inch LCD, a "flush-mounted" touchpad, and swaps in a two-watt "subwoofer" for the uber-snazzy webcam. On the desktop side, the Q lineup starts at $1,017 and offers a stylish, trendy design, detachable swivel webcam, multimedia jog dial, tower speakers, ATi Radeon X1300 graphics card, VGA / S-Video outputs, Sonic Gear HS555 headset, and an optional 19- or 20-inch LCD. If you're scouting a design-focused PC on the cheap, the H series hits at just $699, offers an optional 17- or 19-inch widescreen display, touts an "anti-bacterial keyboard," and boasts its ability to be a "basic, family-friendly computing system." While Levovo certainly spruced up its latest offerings, warranty lengths were slashed right along with prices (just 30 days of free phone support and one-year of coverage), and while the desktop systems will begin shipping anytime, the fancy new notebooks won't hit shelves until mid-December.Read - Lenovo Y Series notebooksRead - Lenovo Q / H Series desktops
Darren Murph11.15.2006Lenovo's X60 Tablet PC reviewed
Lenovo's ultraportable X60 has gotten plenty of love, so there are some naturally high expectations for this "X60t" tablet incarnation, and it looks like they were pretty well founded. Tablet PC Review has already been putting the brand new tablet through its paces, and it seems to definitely come out on top. In fact, most of the biggest gripes about the laptop are directly related to the Tablet PC OS: slow startup, inconsistent input options, etc.. Performance gets a big bump from that of the X41, though the size of the laptop has increased a bit to accommodate a faster HDD and the extra USB and Firewire ports available on the X60t. As for actual functionality, Lenovo really lent its polish to the proceedings: the pen input feels just right, the XGA MultiTouch (finger-based input allowed) display is bright and quite usable, the SXGA+ (non-MultiTouch) option is great as well, and the keyboard feels ThinkPad-great. Of course, road warriors need not apply. The price of entry is steep, and "features" like a mono speaker slapped underneath the computer make it obvious where Lenovo's priorities lie. Battery life just OK for the ultraportable set, the 8-cell battery hits around 5 hours at average use (quite a bit under the 7.5 hour rating), but pushes the weight over 4 pounds, while the 4-cell battery manages 2.5 to 3 hours, but maintains ultraportable status. Other little gripes like an EV-DO hump at the top of the screen and no optical drive (you'll need to spring for the $200 base station) should make you weigh your options carefully, but after the dust settles it's pretty clear that the X60t is one of the best made tablets on the market, and should please the ThinkPad and/or Tablet PC faithful quite well.
Paul Miller11.14.2006Lenovo launches X60 tablet PC
It's got a 12.1-inch display with XGA touchscreen and/or digitizer options, as well as an SXGA+ digitizer-only version; it's got 3G; it's got 802.11n MIMO WiFi; it's got a PC card and ExpressCard slot; it's got a bunch of ports, Core Duo or Solo processor options, a 2.5-inch drive up to 120GB, in-bezel nav, fingerprint reader, mic, etc.; it's Lenovo's X60, reborn as a tablet convertible tablet. It weighs 3.77 pounds, is 1.1-1.3-inches thick, and could in theory last you up to 7.5 hours on a single extended battery. It starts at $1,800. Steel yourself, though, you've got video games to buy you and your family. Well, yourself, anyway.
Ryan Block11.14.2006Lenovo unveils 3000 V100 / C200 Core 2 Duo-powered notebooks
Joining the growing parade of manufacturers upping the innards of their notebook lines with Core 2 Duo chips, Lenovo is bumping the specs in its buget-minded 3000 series. While the N100 has already made the Merom leap, the newly-unveiled C200 now offers a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 processor, 15-inch XGA display, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 80GB 5400RPM hard drive, Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics set, 802.11a/b/g wireless, and a DVD Burner to boot. It also sports VGA / S-Video out, a 56k modem, Ethernet, 4-pin FireWire, four USB 2.0 ports, and a PCMCIA slot, but the 6.2-pound weight and 2.5-hour battery life may scare some away. On the ultraportable side, the 4-pound V100 now touts a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 processor, 12.1-inch WXGA LCD, 100GB 5400RPM hard drive, 6-cell battery, and a dual-layer DVD burner, while sharing the remaining specs with its larger sibling. Lenovo also threw an ExpressCard slot, 5-in-1 flash card reader, and snazzy fingerprint scanner in the little guy, but yanked the S-Video output and one USB 2.0 port in the process. Both units will be available in a plethora of configurations later this month, with prices starting at $650 for the C200, and $999 for the V100. Read - Lenovo 3000 C200 Read - Lenovo 3000 V100
Darren Murph10.18.2006Sony recalls 300,000 of its own batteries; delays and financial woes through 2007
So it looks like Sony's battery fiasco will likely cause delays and high battery prices until June 2007, according to Bloomberg News, which reports that "prices for battery cells have risen about 15 percent in the past three months because of the shortage." If that wasn't bad enough, the news agency also adds that Sony has set aside ¥30 billion ($251 million) "for costs related to the August recall of batteries used in Dell and Apple computers, Sony spokesman Yoshikazu Ochiai reiterated today." However, that figure doesn't take into account the recalls by the laundry list of other companies like Fujitsu, nor Sharp, nor IBM / Lenovo, not to mention a few others. So we'll guesstimate that Sony's true cost is really somewhere around ¥40 billion (over $334 million), and that, of course doesn't include any future companies that may come out of the woodwork to point out faulty batteries they bought from Sony -- like, oh, say, Sony. That's right, Sony has also officially announced a recall of 300,000 batteries in their own devices. Yikes.[Thanks, Sam]Read - Sony recallRead - Sony financials
Cyrus Farivar10.17.2006Lenovo ThinkPads bring biometric HDD encryption, Merom, and draft-N
While fingerprint scanners on laptops are becoming all the rave lately, from what we can tell most of them don't encrypt and decrypt data with the swipe of a finger. Today, Lenovo announced that all new models in the ThinkPad 60 series will include Ultimaco's SafeGuard Easy 4.30, software which enables the option of biometric hard drive encryption that meets the FIPS 140-2 certification -- what the Feds require for government-purchased encryption products. On the Core 2 Duo side, models T60, T60p, R60, R60e, X60, Z61t, Z61p and Z61e are getting the bumped processor treatment, while the same laptops, plus the X60s, (but not including the Z61e) are also to be offered with 802.11n. Lenovo told us that all of these new features are due out later this month, but we don't yet know how much of a premium they'll fetch; we'll keep you posted as soon as the intel comes in. [Via The Associated Press]
Cyrus Farivar10.16.2006Lenovo's compact USB webcam
Webcams probably aren't the first thing you think of when you hear the name Lenovo, but if this little foray into the already-crowded space is any indication, we hope it won't be the last we see from them. The specs are fairly run-of-the-mill, with a decent 1.3 megapixel sensor, built-in noise-canceling microphone, and USB 2.0 connectivity -- as is the less-than-original "USB WebCam" name. But the design should be sure to please anyone looking to relive the gadget glory days of the Cold War, with a sliding lens cover inspired by Minox's famous 60s spy camera. The spring clip attachment will also ensure that the cam stays in place no matter how thin your display is. Sadly, it apparently does not double as a weapon of any sort, though you can get your hands on one right now for about eighty bucks.[Via Design Matters, thanks Richard]
Donald Melanson10.06.2006