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Lenovo's reasonably priced stylish consumer 14-incher: IdeaPad Y450

Formerly known for the iconic, if boxy, ThinkPads (which the company still does well: see our review of the T400s), Lenovo has also begun branching into more stylish consumer products, loosening up its slightly uptight design aesthetics along the way.

The recent IdeaPad line reflects the change most starkly: we looked at the 16-inch IdeaPad Y650 awhile ago, and were impressed by the thin, sturdy feel and bolder touches, including texture-patterned lids and glossy materials used in the interior.

While the IdeaPads retain Lenovo's comfortable keyboard and some of the same custom software, the prices are also more reasonable, … Read more

Apple MacBook Air: Encore please

The Apple MacBook Air has remained almost unchanged for a year and a half--a testament to the staying power of its design. So, how will Apple respond to the wave of inexpensive, ultra-thin lookalikes hitting the market over the next six months?

The Air was a sensation when it debuted in January of 2008. Not that it sold by the boatloads, but the stunning form factor set off an industrial-design frenzy. Ergo, the Dell Adamo and the raft of "ultra-thin" laptops in the hopper as a result of Intel's push to get its "ULV" (ultra-low-voltage) … Read more

Lenovo S12 Netbook announced: It packs heavy-duty Ion graphics

Just when we were ready to accept the stuttery nature of our Netbook HD video playback, along come Nvidia and Lenovo at long last to change our expectations. The IdeaPad S12, arriving in August, will be the first Netbook sporting discrete graphics from the Nvidia Ion processor. With power similar to the 9400M chipset already in Apple's 13-inch MacBooks, IonNetbooks promise full-HD video output and actual gaming performance--not that we'd want to try Crysis on it anytime soon. However, according to Nvidia, Spore, Call of Duty 4, Portal, and World of Warcraft will all be very playable indeed. … Read more

Blu-ray on a budget: Asus F50SV-A2 reviewed

Sixteen-inch laptops comprise a growing category, perhaps because they sit between the semiportable, 15-inch, mainstream systems and the heavy, 17- and 18-inch models that are essentially desk-bound machines with hinged screens.

The $1,249 Asus F50SV-A2 ($1,149 for base configuration with less RAM) packs a Blu-ray drive and a new mainstream Nvidia graphics chip into a relatively on-the-go package that's lighter than gaming beasts, but heavier than a standard laptop.

Our review found it solidly performing, but a little lacking on the design and features front. Are 16-inch systems worth the compromise between mainstream and hardcore desktop-replacing performance? … Read more

Lenovo updates Netbook line: meet the IdeaPad S10-2

We were impressed with the recent 6-cell battery upgrade for Lenovo's S10 Netbook, and now the company (most famous for the ThinkPad line of business laptops) has announced a bigger revamp.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 (well, it's transparency in product naming, if nothing else) will be slightly thinner and lighter than the original, starting at 2.2 pounds and .71-inches. There's a new patterned design on the lids, available in white, black, pink, or grey.

We recently got a sneak peek at the new S10-2, and the most notable improvement was probably the tweaked keyboard, which has … Read more

Lenovo IdeaPad Y650: A 16-inch laptop that weighs in like a 13-incher

In a media-saturated online world, it's no surprise that whole categories of laptops now seem made to appeal to the home streaming-video connoisseur. Lenovo's IdeaPad Y series, and the Y650 in particular, looks tailor-made for those who want to watch TV and media on a big, bright screen with better-than-average audio, and a decor-friendly design to match.

The $1,249 Y650 we reviewed is the higher end of the two fixed-configuration models, which includes a fast 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 and 4GB of DDR3 memory. The Y650 is the thinnest, lightest 16-inch laptop we've … Read more

Lenovo separates Think, Idea product groups

Lenovo announced an internal overhaul Wednesday, reorganizing both its regional and product groups.

Think products, like the iconic ThinkPad and the desktop ThinkStation, will be separated from the Idea group, which makes the IdeaPad and IdeaCentre PCs. The Think group will focus on commercial customers as well as high-end small and medium businesses (SMB). The Idea group will target consumer and SMB transactional customers.

The reorganization also spawned two new business units: one that targets mature markets, and another that targets emerging markets. They will replace the current business units that focus on specific regions. Lenovo considers the U.S., … Read more

Lenovo says the IdeaPad Y650 is the thinnest, lightest 16-inch laptop

Kicking off the first wave of CES laptop announcements (and beating the competition by about 24 hours), Lenovo is bolstering its consumer-targeted IdeaPad line with a few new models, highlighted by the 16-inch Y650.

The new Y series includes the 16-inch Y650, the 15-inch Y550, and the 14-inch Y450. All will share a similar design, with a black, "interlocked hexagon pattern," on the lid and a copper accent band around the edge.

The 16:9 displays on all three point towards multimedia use, as does the Dolby Home Theater Surround Sound-branded audio. Both audio and video settings can … Read more