u550
Latest
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 sneaks out IdeaPad U550 laptop, in brown only
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]
Samsung u550 heads to market for Verizon
This one's been in the mix for a long time now, so it's really too bad it's not a u940-caliber device so we could have ourselves a big ol' celebration. Don't get us wrong -- as the successor to the u540, we're sure Samsung's u550 flip for Verizon will end up seeing its fair share of takers -- it's just nothing to get too fired up over. The headlining features are going to be EV-DO, a 1.3 megapixel camera with Night Shot, Bluetooth, internal 220 x 176 and external 96 x 96 displays, and that's about it -- specifications that would've catapulted the device smack into the middle of the midrange a year or two ago, but now, it's struggling to stay atop the bottom feeders. Fortunately, it's priced accordingly at just $69.99 on a two-year contract after rebates, and it's available today.
Samsung U550 for Verizon in pictures
It's been a hot minute since we've heard what's up with the Samsung U550, successor to the U540 and little cuz to the magnificently... uh, gleamy U700 Gleam. Don't fret, though; turns out it's still in the mix and tracking for a release in the not-too-distant future. Our tipster points out that the new model fixes a niggle with the U540 -- a strangely shaped d-pad -- and may feature a 2 megapixel camera. Stay tuned![Thanks, anonymous tipster] %Gallery-14382%
Verizon details aplenty: the U550, U700, and VX8800
Alright, we think can pretty clearly order these three by excitement factor and expect a minimal amount of disagreement. phoneArena's pulled together a garden variety of new information on three upcoming models for Verizon: the U550 and U700 from Samsung along with the the VX8800 from LG. The U550 should succeed the U540 when it materializes in early 2008; as best as we can tell there's nothing here to get too excited about unless midrange flips are your thing. The rumored U700 comes around a little sooner, apparently seeing availability early next month -- and looking well deserving of its "Gleam" moniker, may we add. Finally, we learn the gorgeous VX8800 turns out to be equipped with a 2 megapixel camera (sans flash or autofocus), sports a leather-like rear to match its high end appearance, and should include two themes for those looking to get as far, far away from the standard Verizon theme as possible. Any guesses which model we find the most exciting?Read - Samsung U550Read - Samsung U700Read - LG VX8800
Huawei unveils U550, U121 handsets in Asia
It's been a tick since we've seen anything notable surface from Huawei (well, the real Huawei, anyway), but the handset manufacturer was back in action at CommunicAsia in Singapore. First up was the ultrathin U550 flip-phone, which purportedly supports HSDPA / UMTS / EDGE / GSM connectivity options, sports touch-sensitive buttons, and of course, provides a beautiful link to the 'net when your laptop can't sense a stray WiFi signal. The candybar-styled U121 device (seen after the jump) aims to be a more music-centric offering, and aside from the metallic design, built-in Bluetooth, and integrated media player, everything else looks fairly standard. No word from Asia on when this duo will storm store shelves, but it's usually not too long after gracing the showroom floor that citizens can snag their own.
