Lenovo

Windows 7 all-in-ones go out big

One highlight of this year's Consumer Electronics Show was the debut of the 27-inch Windows all-in-one. Finally, two-and-a-half years after Apple debuted the 27-inch iMac, Windows vendors found a way to compete.

Asus, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, and Vizio all had big-screen all-in-ones to show off, giving CES an uncommonly intriguing batch of desktop PC announcements.

I had some hands-on time with Vizio's 27-incher a few weeks ago, but the company still has not submitted a system for review. That Samsung Series 9 all-in-one has come out in Asia, but it hasn't hit U.S. shores yet.… Read more

Lenovo reportedly developing convertible Windows RT tablet

Lenovo may jumping into the Windows RT convertible business.

The Chinese PC maker is cooking up a convertible notebook/tablet outfitted with the ARM-based version of Windows 8, according to The Wall Street Journal. Citing "people familiar with the matter," the Journal said that the new device would offer a keyboard that flips around to transform it from a notebook into a tablet.

Equipped with a processor from Nvidia, the convertible would run Windows RT, the version of Windows 8 designed to work on devices powered by an ARM chip rather than a traditional Intel or AMD CPU. … Read more

Lenovo has new ultrabook details, Windows 8 tablet for ThinkPad at 20

During an event at New York's Museum of Modern Art, PC maker Lenovo has announced new details about upcoming laptops, as well as a new ThinkPad-branded Windows 8 tablet.

The event was to mark the ThinkPad brand's 20th anniversary. Originally IBM's PC line, Lenovo bought the brand in 2005. The three new products profiled have all been spotted before, at CES 2012 or later in the year, including the flagship ThinkPad X1 Carbon ultrabook.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon First spotted in May 2012, we've already given this 14-inch ultrabook an extensive hands-on look. It starts at $1,… Read more

HP, Acer, Lenovo eye Windows 8 tablets

Hewlett-Packard, Acer, and Lenovo, among others, are expected to bring out Windows 8 tablets using Intel's latest system-on-a-chip.

HP and Acer are working on designs, a source familiar with the vendors' plans told CNET. In addition, details leaked today about a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, which will also use Intel's Clover Trail system-on-a-chip (SoC).

These Intel-based Windows 8 designs are distinctly different from Windows RT tablets that will use ARM chips. Windows RT devices use a version of Windows 8 that does not offer backward-compatibility with the millions of existing Windows software programs. Intel-based systems offer that compatibility. … Read more

Buy Nokia? Surely you jest, Lenovo exec says

Rumors swirled recently, suggesting that Lenovo was considering acquiring Nokia. But a Lenovo executive has tossed some cold water on those reports.

Speaking to Reuters, Lenovo's chief for Europe, Mideast, and Africa, Gianfranco Lanci, said that the rumors "must be a joke," adding that "there's nothing ongoing" with his company and Nokia.

A marriage between Nokia and Lenovo would seem rather odd, to say the least. The companies don't necessarily appeal to the same market -- Lenovo does well in the enterprise, after all -- and there's no compelling reason for a … Read more

PC makers falling further behind Apple, says Canalys

Things are not looking good for PC makers in the age of the iPad.

Market researcher Canalys makes this point with PC shipment stats, which are a function of the way it sees the PC market. In short, tablets are PCs too. (And note Canalys defines "PC" generically, not the traditional definition of a Windows PC.)

That gives Apple an overwhelming lead over No.2 Hewlett-Packard. In the second quarter, Apple shipped about 21 million PCs versus about 13.5 million for HP, according to a Canalys report released today. Lenovo was a close third with 13.1 … Read more

Lenovo poised to surpass HP as top PC maker, say analysts

The PC market may see a new leader by the end of the year, says at least one analyst quoted by Reuters.

Currently in second place, Lenovo is set to overtake Hewlett-Packard as the top seller, making it the first Chinese vendor to grab the No. 1 spot in a key technology sector.

"It's just a matter of time before Lenovo becomes No. 1 and it won't be surprising at all if it happens later this year," Frederick Wong, executive director at Avant Capital Management (Hong Kong), told Reuters.

Lenovo stole the No. 2 spot from Dell … Read more

Here's Lenovo's answer to the Microsoft Surface (from 2010)

Not surprisingly, Microsoft hasn't been the only company working on a tablet-laptop hybrid system. A U.S. patent application published late last month reveals that Lenovo has its own solution to the problem that the Microsoft Surface tries to address.

The patent application, which was actually filed way back on Christmas eve in 2010, is in some respects already outdated. For example, it describes a tablet with Android and an ARM processor that can be snapped into a base unit with a keyboard running Windows on Intel processors. A handful of related patent applications describe the way in which the two systems would work together, or as they say it in patent speak:… Read more

Lenovo offers no-contract mobile broadband for ThinkPads

Lenovo ThinkPad users who need 3G access can now get it without having to cough up money for a lengthy contract.

Available starting today, Lenovo Mobile Access is a service built into select ThinkPad Classic and ThinkPad Edge laptops for customers in the U.S. and parts of Europe. The service is geared for customers who may need mobile broadband access from time to time but don't want to be saddled with expensive monthly fees.

Lenovo ThinkPad owners can buy a "Time Pass" costing just $1.95 for 30 minutes of access allowing 30MB of data, or $… Read more

Asus Windows 8 tablet does the switcheroo to a 'Netbook'

Asus probably wins the smorgasbord award at Computex for showing off the widest range of tablets and hybrids.

Yet another in a collection of Android and Window 8-based designs is the Tablet 810, which runs Windows 8 on top of Intel's yet-to-be-officially announced 32-nanometer dual-core "Clover Trail" Atom chip.

"The Netbook is back, this time in the guise of a tablet computer with a keyboard dock," wrote CNET Asia.

That's not exactly a compliment as Netbooks of yore (circa 2009) were invariably slow. In short, they attempted the impossible: running resource-intensive Windows 7 on … Read more