Jan 05
Lenovo introduced the ThinkBook Plus Twist at CES 2023. One side is a full 2.8k OLED display, and the other a color e-ink panel with stylus support.
Jan 05
Lenovo's Project Chronos Concept Is Like Kinect Rebooted For The WFH Generation
Posted in: Today's ChiliMotion controls in gaming never really took off. While they’re still used in VR today, Lenovo has a concept for how they might be used sans headset.
Jan 05
The latest remake of a classic mech warrior game is available on Nintendo Switch — because if it isn’t broken, you might just want to play it again.
Jan 05
Layoffs are never easy regardless of the circumstance, but they are particularly bad when they come in waves. That’s exactly what’s happening at Amazon.
Jan 05
E ink has been big lately. BMW’s covered cars with it, and Lenovo’s put it on laptop lids, so you can have a document pulled up even with your laptop closed. There have even been E Ink typewriters, which promise writers a comfortable and distraction-free writing experience by pairing a keyboard with an E Ink display.…
Jan 05
I didn’t think Lenovo branding would be the thing to re-interest me in Motorola, which Lenovo bought in 2014, but here we are. The Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola is precisely what it sounds like: it’s an amalgamation of all the reasons you’d choose a Lenovo Thinkpad over other Windows laptops, but made by Motorola. It…
Jan 05
IOGEAR's Mouse-Sharing Hub Lets the On-Screen Cursor Jump Between Two Different Computers
Posted in: Today's Chili
We’re not going to try and sugarcoat it: KVM hubs are some of the least exciting devices to come out of CES, but also critical to those working in IT who rely on access to multiple computers throughout the day. They’ve been incrementally improved over the years, but IOGEAR’s new KVM brings with it a neat new trick:…
Jan 05
Paleogeneticists have taken a sweeping look at 297 ancient genomes from Scandinavia and compared them with genetic data from 16,500 living Scandinavians to better understand the genetic history of the region.
Jan 05
Lenovo’s been using its ThinkBook line of commercial laptops as a sort of playground for some of its wilder ideas for years. Last CES, for example, it showed off an ultrawide 17-inch ThinkBook Plus that had an 8-inch LCD screen on its keyboard deck in addition to the main 3K display. At CES 2023, Lenovo is not only continuing to try new multi-screen ideas with its latest ThinkBook Plus, but it’s also showcasing a sort of modular concept for accessories with the ThinkBook 16P.
The new ThinkBook Plus iterates on the version Lenovo showed us in 2020, which was simply a laptop with an e-ink screen embedded in its lid. This year’s model takes the conventional clamshell hinge and turns it into a swivel that’s mounted in the middle of the hinge. This allows you to turn the screen with one hand and flip between the 13.3-inch 2.8K OLED and the front-lit 12-inch e-ink panel on the top cover. Lenovo updated the color e-ink screen this year too, to hit a 12Hz refresh rate. With this, the ThinkBook Plus Twist can show the Windows interface on either side, and the system will switch screens whenever you twist it. Both panels support pen input, too, so you can take notes with ease.
A twisting format isn’t new for Lenovo, since it’s already tried out similar styles with the ThinkPad X41 tablet in 2005, and the ThinkPad Twist in 2012. A dual-screen twisting laptop lid though? Shocking. I’m mildly concerned about the potential for breakage with this format, since you’ll be gripping pretty firmly on the camera module while applying a not-minimal amount of force to turn the display around. While I didn’t feel any damage during my time with the demo units, I don’t know how well this will hold up with repeated use over time.
Though it’s slightly less eye-catching, I’m actually more intrigued by the ThinkBook 16P. This is the fourth generation of Lenovo’s larger high-end machine and correspondingly comes with some premium specs. It’ll be powered by up to Intel’s 13th-generation Core i9 processor, NVIDIA’s latest RTX 40 series GPUs. While it only has a single display, the ThinkBook 16P can be configured with an up to 3.2K IPS display that runs at 120Hz. There’s also an updated keyboard here offering travel of 1.5mm, making it one of the deepest in Lenovo’s lineup.
What’s most intriguing about the 16P, though, is the new magnetic pogo pin connector at the top of the connector (behind the webcam). With this, you can snap one of the new attachments Lenovo has created for this device and add extra capabilities to the machine. The company is calling this system Magic Bay, and has made three initial Magic Bay accessories: a 4K webcam, an LTE pack and a selfie light. That last one is my favorite, not only because I’m a shameless narcissist, but also because it has a capacitive touch sensor on the right side that lets you toggle brightness levels. Plus, Lenovo is planning on selling this attachment for just $20.
Meanwhile, the 4K webcam module sits on a rotating hinge, so you can simultaneously capture both you and the people facing you on the same call. Lenovo also crafted software that can combine the feeds from the attached and onboard webcams and supposedly optimize the way you look on calls via Zoom (and other apps). Finally, the LTE expansion brings — you guessed it — cellular connectivity to your laptop. There’s a USB-C connector at the bottom that lets you use it as a wired hotspot for another device at the same time if you wish.
The ThinkBook Plus Twist will be available for $1,650 in June, while the 16P starts at $1,350 and will arrive in May. Watch our video above for a better look at the new machines and make sure to stay tuned for all the news out of CES 2023.
Jan 05
Lenovo believes artificial intelligence will help differentiate its 2023 gaming laptops. Four new models at CES 2023 include the Lenovo LA AI chip, which the company says can dynamically adjust frame rates, increase the maximum heat threshold and boost overall performance. Additionally, it’s launching new gaming desktops across different price points.
The LA AI chip is in the new Legion Pro 7, 7i, 5 and 5i (the “i” suffix denotes Intel variants) gaming laptops. Lenovo’s AI Engine+ software uses the chip to deploy a “machine learning algorithm to tune system performance optimally.” The company says FPS monitoring, higher thermal design power (TDP) and other tweaks boost performance and efficiency over previous generations. Although until we get some hands-on time, it’s unclear how big of a significant difference that will make.
The Intel-powered Legion Pro 7i is the highest-end model, starting at $2,000. (Its AMD equivalent, the Legion Pro 7, won’t be available in North America.) The maxed-out versions of the 7i run on the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX Next-Gen series Laptop GPUs. The notebook has a 16-inch QHD (2,560 x 1,600) display with a 240Hz refresh rate. NVIDIA versions use Lenovo’s ColdFront 5.0 thermal management system, including an extra-wide vapor chamber covering the processor and graphics card. (Lower-tier models use a dedicated CPU vapor chamber with hybrid heat piping instead.) Lenovo says the more advanced cooling system leads to zero throttling while totaling 235W of thermal design power. Additionally, a tricked-out version uses a 99.99Whr battery, the largest allowed on flights, that also supports quick charging.
Lenovo
The Legion Pro 5 and 5i are slightly cheaper, starting at $1,460 for the AMD version (with a Risen 7000 Series CPU) and $1,480 for Intel (13th-gen Intel Core). Lenovo pitches this tier as equally suitable for gaming or work, and the machines include the new AI chip and ColdFront 5.0 system. The Pro 5 series also maxes out with the latest NVIDIA laptop cards for graphics, and its display is a 16-inch WQXGA panel with up to a 240Hz refresh rate.
Lenovo also updated its gaming desktops. The Legion Tower 7i is the highest-end model, starting at $2,480. The PC uses 13th-gen Intel processors, NVIDIA graphics and up to 64GB of 5600Mhz DDR5 RAM in the top-shelf versions. The company offers plenty of cooling options for the premium machine, including a bigger VRM heatsink, up to six ARGB fans and a liquid cooling system (adding up to a 260W TDP). The Tower 7i comes in configurations of up to 6TB storage (three 2TB SSDs) and 1,200W PSU.
Meanwhile, the Tower 5i ($1,200) and Tower 5 ($1,300) are the company’s less expensive desktop machines. The “i” variant runs 13th-gen Intel Core chips and next-gen NVIDIA graphics, while the standard Pro 5 sticks with an AMD Risen 7000 series processor and either NVIDIA or Radeon RX 7000 graphics. Both machines ship with up to 32GB 5600Mhz DDR5 RAM and up to two 1TB SSDs.
Lenovo’s new gaming hardware is scheduled to ship around springtime. The Legion Pro 7i laptop kicks things off in March, with the Pro 5i/5 laptops and Tower 7i and 5i desktops following in April. Finally, the Tower 5 desktop will launch slightly later in May.
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