This week the folks at Acer have brought forth a lovely new notebook made for business users with both security and impressive performance made to rock. This device has a spill-resistant keyboard to protect your insides, works with a fabulous Ivy Bridge 3rd Generation Intel Core i5 processor with Intel’s Turbo Boost Technology, and will be coming to the USA very, very soon. This notebook has a 14-inch Acer “ComfyView LCD LED backlit display coming in at HD 1366 x 768 pixel resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio right up front and center.
This device works with Wireless Display (WiDi) technology which means you’ll be able to connect wirelessly with a high definition display just so long as it’s got a compatible adapter – more on that as the device is revealed. Also inside you’ve got 4GB of DDR3 memory upgradeable to 8GB as well as a SATA hard disk with up to 500GB of capacity. Also onboard you’ve got Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, and Wifi so you’ll be connected no matter what you need to connect with.
The Acer TravelMate P243 notebook PC has a high-def webcam of unspecified quality as well as built-in microphone for use with Acer Video Conference. As for security, you’ve got multi-level Acer ProShield Security with BioProtection Fingerprint protection – it reads your fingerprint and bang! You’re in. You’ve also got Acer ProShield pre-boot authentication (PBA) that “protects the notebook from the BIOS level all the way to the application level.”
With PBA you’re able to create a Personal Secure Drive (PSD) for storing and encrypting your critical files. With your PSD you’ll be sure that all of your files are secure even if someone steals your notebook. You can access this set of assets remotely if you need to delete them – and you’ve got a File Shredder utility at any time if you need to remove files permanently beyond recovery.
Acer Backup, on the other hand, makes sure you’ve got protection for your media and digital assets galore, and Acer eRecovery Manager brings you recovery of your files whenever you wish. Acer Office Manager (AOM) brings power to small businesses with the ability to deploy security policies, schedule maintenance tasks, and monitor IT assets from one application.
This notebook will be available in early August from authorized Acer resellers across the USA starting at $699.99. This notebook will also be available in a much more conservatively powered and priced iteration with a 2nd Generation Intel Core i3 processor for $599.99.
Not impressed by Samsung first gaming laptop? Don’t worry! Here you are Samsung answer to your complain and behold the new Series 7 Gamer Yellow 3D! Now I am not sure that Yellow is the best color for a gaming laptop but this new little wonder pack some serious gear with the obvious Sandy Bridge Core i7-3610QM CPU alongside an AMD Radeon HD 7870M graphics, and a 128GB SSD and 1TB HDD Combo! The Series 7 Gamer Yellow 3D also comes with a nice 17.3″ SuperBright (400 nit) 3D LED …
Eurocom has carved out a strange but soft spot in our hearts for its desktop replacement-level laptops — the insistence on overkill hardware leaves even the vaguely ultraportable Monster packing the kind of power reserved for larger-screened (if also much thinner) counterparts. Nowhere is that too-much-is-never-enough attitude truer than in the just-launched, 17.3-inch Scorpius. While supporting up to 32GB of RAM isn’t unique anymore, the Scorpius can optionally carry two of NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 680M graphics chips with the full 4GB of video RAM per piece. That’s more graphics memory than the total system memory of some entire PCs, folks. Eurocom can optionally slot in two of AMD’s Radeon HD 7970M or step down to a single graphics core, and the usual bevy of processor and storage choices culminates in as much as a quad 2.9GHz Core i7 and four drives. The lowest price that will net a fully functioning Scorpius is $1,793, although we’ll admit that it’s very tempting to pick that dual 680M option and come out with a $2,857 bill — not to mention some serious bragging rights with the gamer crowd.
Acer’s Aspire S7 will hit store shelves at the end of September, spending a few weeks with Windows 7 before being refreshed with Windows 8. The new ultraportable will be priced from £1,149.99 ($1,465) in the UK, Acer confirmed to SlashGear this morning, with an Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor and 128GB of SSD storage.
There’ll also be 4GB of RAM and the new “white glass” finish which Acer was particularly proud of back at the Aspire S7′s launch at Computex 2012 in June. The ultrabook promises between nine and twelve hours of runtime, with the keyboard being backlit and ports including HDMI, USB and a memory card reader.
Optional will be the touchscreen we played with back at the launch, as well as variously increased amounts of RAM and SSD storage. Core i7 processors will also be offered, with Acer’s new Twin Air cooling system used to keep things from getting too toasty on your lap.
Whether the combination of Windows 8 and a slimline notebook will be enough to distract buyers from the MacBook Air remains to be seen, but the S7 does at least manage to look somewhat different from its OS X rival. More on the Acer Aspire S7 in our full hands-on.
It’s a week for ThinkPad hardware: on the heels of Lenovo’s new Tablet 2 and the X1 Carbon comes the ThinkPad T430u ultrabook, announced back in January and finally hitting shelves. Priced from $779, the 14-inch ultraportable packs chips from Intel’s Ivy Bridge range paired with up to 8GB of RAM and optional discrete graphics.
Inside there’s either various sizes of traditional spinning-platter drive up to 1TB, or a 128GB SSD for those who like their storage neither shaken nor stirred. Those wanting to use their ThinkPad for graphics processor (or, dare we suggest it of the suits, even a little post-work gaming) can pick an NVIDIA GeForce GT620M graphics chip with 1GB of its own memory.
Battery life is rated at around 7.1 hours of use, which isn’t exactly going to set the world on fire (or even the ultrabook segment). Still, this is a compromise machine – roughly half the price of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, though still managing to be thin, light and have a reasonable turn of performance to it.
Interestingly, while the January announcement mentioned Thunderbolt, there’s now no sign of it on the T430u; instead, the notebook gets USB 3.0 and Mini DisplayPort, along with audio in/out and HDMI. Expect it to go on sale later this month from $779.
This week the thinnest ultrabook on the block has been re-revealed with its full specifications, pricing, and release date ready to roll. This next-generation computer will be available from Lenovo’s online store starting on August 21st, and users will be able to configure their own model online starting at $1399 going all the way up to $1849 depending on what’s chosen for the notebook’s innards. This device comes with a 3rd generation Intel Core processor in three configurations: i5 at 1.7GHz, i5 at 1.8Ghz, or i7 at 2.0Ghz.
This notebook works with a lovely 14-inch HD+ display that’s Anti-glare at 1600×900 pixel resolution with brightness up to 300 nits. Memory on each different model is always 4 GB DDR 1333 MHz, you’ve got a battery inside that works with RapidCharge said to last 6.3 hours by Lenovo, and you’ve got a front-facing camera for video chat that works at 720p resolution. Each model will come with Windows 7 Professional right out of the box, and the whole beast weighs in at 2.998 pounds.
Several configurations exist, each of them costing you a few more dollar bills than the last. You’ll start with the $1399 model with Intel Core i5-3317U (1.7 GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB) and 128GB SSD SATA 3. Next you’ll ramp up to the $1499 model with Intel Core i5-3427U (1.80 GHz, 3MB L3, 1333MHz FSB) VPRO and 128GB SSD SATA 3. There’s a model that’s quite similar to the second model with an 256GB SSD SATA 3 that’ll cost you $1649 as well. Finally there’s the king of the pack, a model with Intel Core i7-3667U (2.0 GHz, 4MB L3, 1333MHz FSB) VPRO and 256GB SSD SATA 3 for $1849 USD.
These models all come with a fabulous collection of slots and ports: (1) Mini DP, (1) Combo Audio, (1) USB 2.0, (1) USB 3.0, (1) 4-in-1 SD card reader, and Ethernet via USB dongle. They all measure in at the same height, width, and depth, at 13.03 x 8.9 x 0.74 inches. And they all come with a three year warrantee.
We’ll be checking this beast out here on SlashGear with a full review soon. For now, have a peek at the earlier posts about this device and get knowledgeable!
Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo said today that it will be launching a “lighter and quicker” ThinkPad notebook computer this month. According to Lenovo, the tablet, with the moniker ThinkPad X1 Carbon, will mostly appeal to consumers who love the convenience of using smartphones and tablets. If ThinkPad X1 Carbon sounds a little familiar to you, then you must have read our quick hands-on demo of the device in May this year.
Dilip Bhatia, the Vice President of the ThinkPad business unit, explained that its latest ThinkPad will include a third-generation wireless connectivity as well as other features inspired by tablets and smartphones. As we mentioned before, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon will sport a 14-inch display and a lightweight design – weighing only three pounds.
Apart from its tough and durable body, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is said to have up to eight hours of battery life, thanks to its rapid-charge battery. In spite of the growing tablet market, Lenovo still believes that there will be a strong demand of notebooks in businesses, the education sector, and the government.
Lenovo is counting on Windows 8 tablets and a more evolved ultrabook for the future of PCs, though the company isn’t convinced that ultraportables are at a stage where they can sufficiently compete today. “The ultrabook is the right direction” ThinkPad business unit general manager Dilip Bhatia said of Intel’s ultraportable push, “it’s the start of the journey, so it’s not the destination.” However, Lenovo is upfront that it needs “to create something more” than the ThinkPad notebook as it stands if it wants to remain viable.
“We are going to keep breaking that barrier, to bring the ThinkPad to the next stage,” ThinkPad chief designer Arimasa Naitoh said. “I’m not saying the ThinkPad clamshell will be replaced. I never think that. But in addition to that, we need to create something more.”
The admission that doing the same thing as Lenovo – and IBM before it – has always done may not be the recipe for long-term success comes as the ThinkPad celebrates its 20th anniversary. For the future, ultrabooks will certainly play a part, but it will take more than clamshells as tablets gain traction in the enterprise market.
In fact, businesses are already asking for tablets, Bhatia claims, arguing that “the area that will help drive the adoption of Windows 8 for the enterprise is the tablet.” That early enthusiasm is being counted on to drive sales, something Lenovo predicts will be – initially, at least – sluggish since many enterprise customers are still in the process of shifting from Windows XP to Windows 7.
Lenovo’s first Windows 8 tablet leaked last week, indicating the company was following the lead of Samsung and Microsoft with a pen-enabled option. Meanwhile, recent PC marketshare stats suggest Lenovo is one of the few companies making Windows hardware to have seen year-on-year growth.
Lenovo has launched its latest line of IdeaPads, and they’re targeted directly at the mainstream consumer. The Lenovo IdeaPad U410 comes with an eye-catching colored aluminum chassis – we received one in Sapphire Blue, but the U410 is also available in Graphite Grey and Ruby Red – but is this laptop all about looks, or does it have the power under the hood to still get stuff done? Read on to find out.
Hardware
Lenovo’s new IdeaPad line comes with a variety of hardware that’s meant to appeal with a broad range of consumers. The model we received is equipped with an Intel Core i5-3317U clocked at 1.7 Ghz, but other models that make use of a Core i3 or a Core i7 are available as well. Complete with Intel’s freshly-launched Ivy Bridge microarchitecture, the Core i5 will be able to handle most anything the mainstream consumer will need to do with the U410, and when coupled with the 8 gigs of RAM that comes installed, you have a laptop that’s capable of running surprisingly fast.
The HDD/SSD hybrid setup does its part to keep things moving along at a fast pace, allowing for shorter boot and wake up times than you’re probably used to with other laptops. The model we received came with a 500GB HDD, but the U410 has options up to 1TB. It also comes with a 32GB SSD, which is definitely appreciated, but a setup like this really shines when more software has been installed. It’s pretty fast out of the box, but the key is that it will be faster than most other laptops after being weighed down by additional installs.
The glossy 14.1-inch LCD screen nice, but it can be rather reflective. It’s capable of resolutions up to the laptop-friendly 1366×768 and features and adjustable brightness setting, so as long as you’re fine with no support for 1080p, you’ll probably find the screen to be satisfactory. Here’s something that came as a bit of a surprise: the 2.0 stereo speakers on this bad boy (complete with Dolby certification) actually give pretty good sound quality. Obviously, they may not be as good as the speakers you use on your desktop or that expensive pair of headphones you have lying around, but they’re not too bad when compared to other laptop speakers.
In many ways, the U410 is nearly identical to the IdeaPad U400, which we saw earlier this year [see our full review of the IdeaPad U400 here]. For instance, there aren’t any noticeable differences between the keyboards found on both. The chiclet-style keys of the U400 return with the U410, and overall there aren’t any complaints about the keyboard – the layout and the feel of the keys makes for a pleasant typing experience. There aren’t any major complaints about the track pad either, though there are times where it proves to be a bit too sensitive. Usually this isn’t a problem, but occasionally you’ll end up clicking something you didn’t mean to click. It’s a rare event, but it can be pretty frustrating when it happens.
Sadly, the U410’s 59Wh battery doesn’t quite meet expectations. Lenovo says that it provides up to 9 hours of productive use, but in reality, you can expect around 6 hours of battery life. When using programs that are more labor-intensive or running the screen at max brightness, that 6-hour time frame will likely decrease even more. Thankfully, the battery doesn’t take too terribly long to fully charge, as you can expect a charging time that’s in the area of an hour-and-a-half.
The IdeaPad comes equipped with Intel GMA HD 4000 graphics, but there’s also a NVIDIA GeFore 610M 1GB card there to pick up the slack. This setup takes advantage of NVIDIA’s Optimus technology, which switches between the two when you need a boost in graphics power. You’re not working with the best around, but mainstream consumers don’t need the best; they need functional. This setup is definitely functional, as it will undoubtedly be able to meet the needs of most, and it also works to keep prices competitive.
On the outside, we’ve got a full HDMI port, an Ethernet port, two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 jacks, a headphone jack, a 2-in-1 card slot that supports SD and MMC, and a microphone. The whole unit is about 0.8” thick and weighs in just south of 4.2 pounds, so while this isn’t the lightest laptop we’ve seen, it’s still very portable. More importantly, it feels quite sturdy, so with the IdeaPad U410, you’re getting a laptop that doesn’t feel like it will shatter if you look at it the wrong way.
Software
Surprisingly enough, the IdeaPad U410 doesn’t come with a ton of software pre-installed, and you might actually end up using what it does come installed with. Google Chrome is installed right from the get go, so you won’t ever need to touch Internet Explorer if you don’t want to. Like every other PC running Windows 7 (Home Premium 64-bit in this case ) out of the box, Microsoft Office Starter 2010 comes standard, but you’ll need to shell out additional cash if you want access to the full Office 2010 suite.
Lenovo YouCam lets you put 1-megapixel integrated camera to work, allowing you to capture and edit pictures and video, along with granting the ability to record what’s happening on your desktop. The app is easy to use and easy to learn, so it shouldn’t be too hard for most consumers to just pick it up and go. The camera isn’t just meant for recording, however, as the U410 also comes with VeriFace 4.0 installed. Using VeriFace and the VeriFace password manager, users can set up facial recognition for all of their various Internet logins, which helps to add an extra layer of security in the event that your IdeaPad gets stolen by one of the more unfavorable people walking this planet.
Dolby Home Theater v4 is onboard with the IdeaPad U410, giving users full control over the computer’s audio settings. Remember how we told you earlier that the IdeaPad’s speakers aren’t too bad as far as laptop speakers go? Dolby Home Theater lets you do more with them, allowing you to set up different profiles for audio, video, and games, along with more specific profiles should the need arise. It’s a handy little program, and those who take their audio quality seriously will probably appreciate the fact that it’s around.
System – LENOVO IdeaPad U410
Manufacturer
Lenovo
Product Type
Notebook
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Motherboard
LENOVO Lenovo
Processor
Intel Core i5-3317U
Processor ID
GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 58 Stepping 9
Processor Frequency
1.70 GHz
Processors
1
Threads
4
Cores
2
L1 Instruction Cache
32.0 KB
L1 Data Cache
32.0 KB
L2 Cache
256 KB
L3 Cache
3.00 MB
Memory
8.00 GB DDR3 SDRAM 799MHz
FSB
99.8 MHz
BIOS
LENOVO 65CN15WW
Other than those programs, the IdeaPad U410 comes with a trial version of Absolute Data Protect, the standard McAfee security center (in this case we’re working with McAfee Emerald 11.0), Adobe Reader X, and OneKey Recovery, which will help you backup your data and restore the system if anything ever goes awry. The fact that the IdeaPad U410 doesn’t come bogged down with a lot of pre-installed software is a big plus, and Lenovo earns extra points for including some programs that are actually worthwhile.
Wrap-Up
Okay, so the technophiles of the world probably won’t find much to get excited about with the IdeaPad U410, but this laptop will prove to be a good value for those who are more concerned with functionality than amazing specs. There are a few flaws, such as the shorter-than-expected battery life, but for the most part, average consumers who want a quality laptop will find a lot to love about the IdeaPad U410. The laptop’s Geekbench results reflect this – it definitely isn’t anywhere near the best, but it’s a solid computer that will meet the needs of most mainstream computers.
Benchmark Score – LENOVO IdeaPad U410
Section
Description
Score
Total Score
Windows x86 (64-bit) – Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Integer
Processor integer performance
5336
7377
Floating Point
Processor floating point performance
9615
Memory
Memory performance
7040
Stream
Memory bandwidth performance
7362
Additionally, you’re paying a fair price for what you’re getting. Prices range depending on what you want under the hood, but the model we received – which is by no means a slouch – has a price tag of $799. That’ll prove to be a pretty attractive price for most consumers, and with the IdeaPad U410, Lenovo has a laptop that will have no problem gaining the mainstream crowd’s attention.
Lenovo floated the ThinkPad X1 Carbon past us in May without so much as a whisper of what the lightweight Ultrabook’s price would be. The company doesn’t mind shouting it out in what looks to be a Hong Kong back-to-school promo flyer, though. As long as the Newsmth.net post represents the final pricing, local residents can normally expect to pay about HK$12,880 ($1,660 US) for an X1 Carbon with a 1.7GHz Core i5, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. That’s quite the premium if you compare it directly to what we see in the US for a PC like the Samsung Series 9, although it’s tricky to tell if prices will be comparable on the other side of the Pacific: there’s no sales tax in Hong Kong, among other factors. Even if the price varies by the time of the US launch later this summer, students in the city are already getting a discount to HK$9,180 ($1,184) that suggests at least some wiggle room if competition among Ultrabooks grows especially fierce.
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Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo said today that it will be launching a “lighter and quicker” ThinkPad notebook computer this month. According to Lenovo, the tablet, with the moniker ThinkPad X1 Carbon, will mostly appeal to consumers who love the convenience of using smartphones and tablets. If ThinkPad X1 Carbon sounds a little familiar to you, then you must have read our 
