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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.

Video: Lenovo's Atom-based IdeaPad S12 starts shipping with handling

It's 12-inches so technically you won't find Intel calling it a netbook. But don't let semantics come between you and Lenovo's $499 IdeaPad S12. Inside you'll find a very netbook-y 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor with GMA 950 graphics, 1280 x 800 resolution, 1GB of memory and 160GB disk, 802.11b/g WiFi, and 6-cell battery. Only the black model is shipping in the US while the white and VIA Nano editions are still tagged with that standard Lenovo "ships in more than 4 weeks" placeholder. Click through for a bit of hands-on video from a show that shall remain anonymous even from those in attendance.

Lenovo IdeaPad U350 thin-and-light hands-on


A month after Lenovo announced its new IdeaPad U350 the thing is finally ready for the prime time, and let us tell you: it wasn't hard to spot. While in theory this is "just another thin-and-light" in a rapidly growing, CULV-aided market segment, the craftsmanship and materials used on the U350 make it our favorite bit of Lenovo design since the U110, and very well might set it apart from the budget-minded pack. We're particularly digging the textured rubber back, but the ribbed metal palm rest also excellently avoids the glossy-plastic-of-death. Otherwise the laptop settles pretty nicely into a thin-and-light groove, with both of those particulars in spades and CULV under the hood. We would prefer some NVIDIA 9400M to Intel's integrated graphics, but at least there's HDMI out, and Intel's chipset tends to be a bit better on the power sipping front. Check out the gallery for some head-to-head shots with Lenovo's T400s -- which is clearly superior in most regards, but goes for double the price.

Lenovo IdeaPad s12 now available (at least for pre-order)


At long last, the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is available for pre-order. The 12.1-inch, WXGA (1,280 x 800) resolution netbook, if you've forgotten, boasts an Intel GMA950 chipset (and will have NVIDIA's Ion chipset as an option in September), an Intel 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 memory, 160/250/320GB HDD options, an optional 6-cell battery, Ethernet jack, WiFi, Bluetooth, three USB 2.0 sockets, an ExpressCard slot, a 4-in-1 card reader and VGA / HDMI outputs. It also has a full sized keyboard, and optional 1080p video playback. Starting price for the base model is $499. Hit the read link for the full host of options -- we'll let you know when it's shipping!

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 Ion-powered IdeaPad S12 shows HD prowess on video


Lenovo did itself a solid by beating the likes of Acer and ASUS with its Ion-infused IdeaPad S12, and now we're beginning to see a few more details on what performance will be like. We still wish the machine had something a bit more powerful than a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270, but despite the fact that it's hobbling along on an aged CPU, the machine seems to handle 3D gaming and 1080p content with poise. The crew over at Notebooks managed to spend a little quiet time with a pre-production version of the S12, and it even managed to host up a few videos while the machine was kicking out content that would make the typical netbook buckle. Feel free to hit the read link to have a look yourself, and be sure to mind the three American SKUs. Here's a preview: the Ion-powered version (read: the one you want) will run $499.99 and include 1GB of RAM, a 6-cell battery and a 160GB hard drive.

[Via GottaBeMobile]

Lenovo's IdeaPad S12: first netbook with NVIDIA's Ion chipset

We've seen NVIDIA's Ion placed within a nettop, a motherboard, and now (at long last), a laptop. Yep, the machine you're inevitably peering at above (Lenovo's S12) is both the company's first 12.1-inch netbook and the planet's first netbook with Ion baked in, and it's likely just a snippet of the kind of material we can expect to see at Computex. Frankly, this is one of the first netbooks in ages that has managed to get our blood moving, with a 100-percent full-size keyboard, the promise of 1080p video playback (for an extra $50), a sub-3 pound weight and a starting tag of just $449. Other specs include a WXGA (1,280 x 800) resolution LED-backlit panel, Intel's 1.6GHz Atom CPU (the one big "ugh"), 1GB of DDR2 memory, 160/250/320GB HDD options, an optional 6-cell battery, Ethernet jack, WiFi, Bluetooth, three USB 2.0 sockets, an ExpressCard slot, a 4-in-1 card reader and VGA / HDMI outputs. Thankfully you'll find Windows XP running the show, and you'll be able to grab your own starting next month. Full release is after the break.

Lenovo gets budget-friendly with IdeaPad U350, G550 and IdeaCentre C300


The IdeaPad S12 isn't the only new kit flowing from RTP today, as Lenovo is also choosing to celebrate Memorial Day with two new lappies and an all-in-one desktop. Starting things off is the IdeaPad U350 (shown above), a thin-and-light machine that packs a 13.3-inch LED-backlit display (1,366 x 768), an HDMI output, an ambient light sensor and your choice of Intel's 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo SU3500, the 1.3GHz SU2700 or 1.2GHz Celeron 723. There's also room for a 500GB hard drive, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a GMA 4500M / 4500 MHD graphics set, 1.3 megapixel camera, multi-touch trackpad, twin 1.5-watt speakers, Vista Home Basic / Premium and an optional 8-cell battery good for up to 10 hours of use.

Next up is the business-like G550, which sports a 15.6-inch display, a non-nonsense enclosure, WiFi, Bluetooth, DVD burner and a numeric keypad for crunching those end of quarter numbers. You'll also get upwards of 4GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 320GB of hard drive space, a Core 2 Duo processor, GMA X4500 or GeForce G105M graphics, HDMI output and up to five hours of battery life with the included 6-cell Li-ion.

Wrapping things up is the IdeaCentre C300 all-in-one, which aims squarely at the low-end with a lackluster Atom 230 processor, integrated Intel graphics and a preposterously low price tag. The machine features a 20-inch LCD, up to 2GB of DDR2 memory, a 160GB to 640GB HDD, Ethernet, WiFi, 1.3 megapixel camera, FireWire, six USB 2.0 sockets, a 6-in-1 multicard reader and a starting price tag of just $449. Not a terrible choice for the devout web surfer in your family, we must say. The full release and specifications list awaits you just past the break.


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 IdeaPad S10-2 gets hands-on treatment, favors S10


You've seen Lenovo's IdeaPad S10, right? If so, you'll surely recognize the recently revised S10-2 -- a mildly tweaked version of the netbook that sports the most minuscule of changes. That said, the new top cover and larger, more mature keyboard are certainly worth a gander, so head on down to the read link to give your eyes a treat.

Lenovo's 15-inch IdeaPad Y550 laptop with Desktop Navigator now on sale

Is that, is that a laptop? Why yes, yes it is... that's Lenovo's IdeaPad Y550 now ready for purchase. In a world gone cuckoo for Atom-based netbooks, isn't it refreshing to see a 15.6-inch (1366 x 768 pixel) laptop that packs a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T4200 processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory and 250GB hard disk, 6-cell battery, integrated DVD writer, and touch-sensitive Desktop Navigator shortcut bar for $669? Why stop there though? $1,199 nabs 4GB of memory, 512MB of GeForce G 105M graphics, and 500GB of disk. For the same money you could gather a trio of netbooks into a personal grid computer of about the same power. Just be sure to let us know how that goes.

Update: Laptop above is the nearly-identical Y650. The Y550 is pictured after the break.

[Thanks, Sam]

Lenovo's 14-inch IdeaPad Y450 now shipping

Lenovo's 14-inch IdeaPad Y450 is now on sale from the company's online store -- about a month later than originally intended, but better late than never, right? Prices start at $679 for a 2.16GHz Intel Dual Core T3400 and go all the way up to $829 for a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400, 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, and 320GB HDD. All models feature an Intel GMA 4500MHD, DVD writer, Windows Vista Home Premium, and a 6-cell battery. If the 16-inch Y650 was just a little too pricey or bulky for your tastes, this should do the trick -- at least until the 15.6-inch Y550 pops in to fill that void in between.

[Thanks, Thai]

Lenovo said to be prepping 12-inch IdeaPad S20 netbook


This one's nowhere near official just yet, but DigiTimes is reporting that Lenovo is set to expand its netbook line to include a 12-inch model in the form of the Atom-powered IdeaPad S20 (no doubt not too dissimilar to 10-inch S10 pictured above). While there's expectedly no word on complete details, DigiTimes does say that the netbook would come equipped an Atom N280 processor and Intel's GN40 chipset, along with Windows XP, and cost about $586. It also says that since the 12-inch screen size falls outside of Intel's definition of a netbook, Lenovo would have to pay the full, non-preferential price for the Atom processor (about ten bucks more), although it's not clear if that's also been the case with something like the Dell Mini 12, which also pairs an Atom processor with a 12-inch screen.

[Via The Inquirer]

Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 now shipping

At long last, Lenovo's IdeaPad Y650 is now available for shipping. For those who need a quick memory jolt, the 16-inch laptop's packing a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor and X4500 integrated graphics, 1366 x 768widescreen TFT LCD, up to 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, 320GB HDD, DVD burner, 6-cell battery, WiFi and Bluetooth. Base price is $1,300, but we suggest you shell out the extra Benjamin and upgrade to the 2.53GHz processor and NVIDIA GeForce G105M 256MB graphics card.

Lenovo adds multi-touch, facial recognition to its S10 netbook


Lenovo has announced today that its dapper young netbook will be getting an upgrade, starting with a modest boost in screen size -- from 10-inches to 10.2-inches. In addition to this embarrassment of riches, the new IdeaPad S10 netbook will pack LenovoSocial, a suite for "social networking enthusiasts," VeriFace facial recognition tech and a multi-touch trackpad. The MSRP is $349 and you should be able to get this guy sometime in March. Available in black, white, red, blue, or pink. Check out a photo and the full press release after the break.
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