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Top 5 laptops under $600

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If you're looking for a good, affordable laptop, look no further. In this week's Top 5 video (shown above, unless you've crippled your browser with ad-blocker software), I'm rounding up the best laptops under $600.

The list is based on CNET Senior Editor Dan Ackerman's sub-$600 laptop roundup, which is very much worth your time if you'd like to learn more about these laptops.

The ranking was decided according to screen size, assuming that more screen for the money equates to a better value. … Read more

Lenovo plays it safe with new IdeaCentre all-in-ones

Lenovo kept its Windows 8 desktop offerings simple during its announcement today, expanding on existing product lines, and introducing no significant new features to its IdeaCentre all-in-ones.

IdeaCentre A520 Consider this unit, pictured above, the smaller, more affordable version of the 27-inch IdeaCentre A720 Lenovo released earlier this year. This model comes in with a 23-inch, 1,920x1,080-pixel display, and the same high-end Intel Core i7 CPUs and other PC components as the big-screen version, but real focus is on the sleek design, the display adjustability, and the 10-point touch interface.

In a review at the beginning of the … Read more

The weird, new world of Windows 8 hybrids: Laplets vs. tabtops

Windows 8 is about to unleash a tsunami of strange devices upon us all. Call them tablets, ultraportables, hybrids, convertibles, tiny touch-based mobile computers...they're everywhere, and they're multiplying.

HP has them. Samsung does, too. So does Dell, and Lenovo, and Toshiba, and Asus, and Sony. Everyone has them. That's because Windows 8 promises a better environment for touch in mobile computing, and the promise is too tempting not to experiment. Or, alternatively, all these companies need a product out there to plant a flag into this strange soil -- a territory that Microsoft's already visiting via the Surface.

The big problem I see with them is that for every device that emerges, the landscape gets ever-more-cloudy. … Read more

Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 tablet bigger, brawnier than S2109

Lenovo left a lot of room to improve its IdeaTab S2109, and so far the tablet's successor, announced today at IFA 2012, is a step up.

In a nutshell, the 10.1-inch Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 Android tablet promises a larger screen, a better processor, and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. That camera comes with autofocus and LED flash; fingers crossed it captures crisp, detailed images.

It also gets a bump up from Bluetooth 3.0 to Bluetooth 4.0, which means it'll be able to pair up with compatible devices with a tap. Though larger than its predecessor, the … Read more

Lenovo announces 9- and 7-inch Android 4.0 tablets

In addition to its Lenovo IdeaTab S2110, Lenovo unveiled two more Android 4.0 tablets today during IFA 2012 in Berlin, Germany.

The first is the Wi-Fi-only Lenovo IdeaTab A2109, which has a 9-inch LED touch screen with a 1,280x800-pixel resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio.… Read more

Lenovo updates IdeaPad S series for Windows 8

As part of the flood of new IFA products, Lenovo has updated its slim S series of IdeaPad laptops for Windows 8.

Unlike some of the laptops from Dell, Toshiba, Samsung, and others we've previewed this week, we have not had a chance to see these new models in person. But Lenovo describes the new IdeaPad S300, S400, and S405 as follows:

Equipped with the latest technology, the Lenovo IdeaPad S300 and S400 laptops are available with Intel's third-generation CoreTM i3 or i5 processors, while the IdeaPad S405 is packed with up to AMD A8 quad-core processors. Up … Read more

Lenovo IdeaPad A2109 now on sale at Best Buy

The latest effort by Lenovo in the tablet market is now available and selling for $299.99 at Best Buy. The IdeaPad A2109, not to be confused with the Lenovo IdeaTab S2109, has a smaller screen, a higher resolution (1,280x800 pixels versus the S2109's 1,024x768 pixels), and a faster CPU.

The 9-inch tablet comes with built-in 16GB memory and a 1.2GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor. In addition, it's loaded with the Android 4.0 OS and has a microSD slot, a Micro-HDMI port, and a Micro-USB port.

Keep watching for more news on the IdeaPad A2109, and for a full analysis of Lenovo's previous tablet, check out CNET's review of the IdeaTab S2109 here.… Read more

Microsoft Office a big draw for Windows tablets?

One of the cornerstones of upcoming Windows 8 tablets will be Microsoft Office, but will that be a deal-maker for buyers?

Any Intel-based Windows 8 Pro tablet -- like the one coming from Hewlett-Packard -- will be able to run the regular version of Office, just as it runs today on any Intel-based PC.

And, in April, Microsoft preannounced that tablets running the RT version of Windows 8 will come with Office.

While there is speculation that Microsoft will initially ship a "preview" version of Office 2013 RT (upgradeable soon thereafter) and that the RT version will lack … Read more