The Advantages of Multimode Laptops

When you look for a new laptop, you often look for a series of things such as the speed of the processor, the software provided, along with the Internet connectivity that willgive you the best browsing experience. Some people look for the latest release from the biggest name, others look for the best product they can buy according to their budget – it’s all down to personal choice and circumstance. 

We all want our lives to be as flexible and ‘free’ as possible, rather than having to live a structured life governed by working hours and other restrictions. The same is true with the products we buy – we want them to be tailored for us. Short of going into the research and development departments and presenting a series of requests, we can’t have it all our own way, but at least with laptops we know that there are tablet laptop hybrid spec computers that can be made as comfortable and user-friendly as possible.

These ‘multimode’ machines developed by the likes of Lenovo allow users to love the screen, the keyboard and even the stand, to the most comfortable position to provide the best all-round experience. Some have as many as four different methods of using the devices, so you can have it one way for doing your work, another for playing games and other positions to play your music and let your friends control the playlist (at your peril!).

Being user-friendly is key to the design of a successful laptop or tablet, enabling users to get the best experience from the device they’ve chosen. Many devices are purchased with a preference in mind such as doing work away from the office, playing games or browsing the Internet; but if you can’t use the device in the way you want to, you’re not going to be impressed. With a multimode machine, however, you can literally put it anyway you want so that you can feel comfortable working or playing and enjoying using your device so much people wonder if you ever put it down!

The touchscreen capabilities also make them particularly popular, allowing users to swipe and tap exactly what they want to use or do and they’re away without having to wait for it to boot up. All in all, this makes for a much more pleasant experience for the user as they literally have everything they’ll ever need right at their fingertips.

Lenovo IdeaPhone P770 stuffs 29-hour battery and Jelly Bean into a lower-cost smartphone

Motorola may face a new contender to the Droid RAZR MAXX HD's battery capacity crown. Lenovo's quietly introduced IdeaPhone P770 at least theoretically challenges its American counterpart by cramming a 3,500mAh lithium polymer battery into a thicker 11.9mm (0.47-inch) body. That's 200mAh more than Motorola's energy champion, and enough for the company to flaunt a 29-hour talk time. That's not quite as long as Motorola's claimed 32 hours, but Lenovo has done something its American rival seemingly can't -- launch a phone with Jelly Bean. Motorola might rest easier in knowing that the the P770 is an unrepentantly budget-focused behemoth, carrying a 4.5-inch qHD display, a (possibly MediaTek-made) 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 4GB of built-in storage, an 8GB microSD card and both 5-megapixel rear as well as VGA front cameras. For the ¥1,699 ($273) Lenovo is asking for an off-contract model in its native China, the P770 could still be the first pick of many local phone owners on long-haul trips. It's just a shame that the lack of 4G (and Lenovo's domestic-first mobile strategy) likely means we won't see a launch in the US.

[Source: Engadget]

Greenpeace study gives Wipro top marks for eco-friendliness, docks Apple, Dell and Lenovo

Greenpeace often seeks to light a fire under companies it thinks are dragging their heels in clean technology, and that's more apparent than ever in its latest Guide to Greener Electronics. The frontrunner this time is chart newcomer Wipro, an Indian tech giant that scores a high 7.1 in the rankings for both green products and aggressive attempts to cut down on pollution. Most everyone else lags behind, however, and their scores only emphasize how little progress there's been. Apple (4.5) is hurt mostly by a lack of transparency; Dell (4.6) is bruised for not living up to its own promises of the past two years, and Lenovo (3.9) is chastised for the absence of clear policies. Greenpeace once more has an agenda in its report -- in this case, drawing attention to India's environmental situation -- but the high-contrast study does show that planet-friendly gadgets can be more than just dreams.

[Source: Engadget]

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch confirmed on company's site, scheduled for December launch

Announced quietly on its site today, Lenovo's pushing its Ultrabook legacy forward with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch. Details on the 14-inch device are light at the moment, but from what we can glean, this Windows 8-based machine will feature an "HD+" display, which should translate to a 1,600 x 900 resolution, and come housed in a carbon fiber construction. And as its moniker points out, this particular Ultrabook one ups its keyboard-only predecessor with the addition of a touch screen. It's slated for launch sometime this December, so stay tuned for further details on pricing and availability.

[Source: Engadget]

Are apps organising your kid’s lives?

Apparently, whatever we need in life, there’s an app for it.  And with the meteoric rise of the android smartphone, portable tablet and light and compact notebook showing no sign of slowing down, this probably won’t come as much surprise to you.  

With the sheer volume of handy apps available, the majority of us are beginning to wonder how we ever survived without having a tool to regularly check the weather in the Outer Hebrides or track our daily bowl movements (yes, this is a real app) We’re using apps increasingly to organise both our business and social lives and reaping the benefits in both.

However, the demographic most reliant on electronic devices to organise their lives are students, who have turned to technology for every day tasks such as checking grades, ticking items off their things to do list and organising their homework schedule.  

Our kids have grown up using this ever-improving technology and are becoming increasingly reliant on apps to determine their every move.  Long gone are the days of having to stock up on dictionaries, calculators and note-books, new terms now are all about getting the right apps on the right device. 

Within an increasing number of schools, rather than being punished for having a phone at school, teachers are beginning to embrace the technology and alternative learning opportunities apps offer them.   Teachers are regularly using apps such as Socrative and Skitch to engage students with educational exercises and interactive activities that the whole class can share.   

Aside from the educational benefits, students are benefitting from apps such as Stylebook to organise their wardrobe and make outfit decisions based on the clothes they have available.

It’s not just the teens who are incorporating digital technology and apps into their everyday lives; schools, pre-schools and even nurseries are using apps to help them educate, inspire and organise children - playing interactive learning games to help children with their letter formation and word pronunciation, and flashcard apps to help with revision and study.  [Advertorial]

Lenovo outs 15-inch IdeaPad U510 Ultrabook with Ivy Bridge CPU, optical drive: $679 and up (update: hands-on)

Lenovo's IFA itinerary is marathon-length. It unveiled no fewer than three tablets yesterday, not to mention three new IdeaPad S Series notebooks, and today it's serving up more laptops. Let's hit the high-profile guy first: Lenovo's IdeaPad Series lineup of Ultrabooks is getting its first 15-inch model, the Windows 8-running U510. The machine weighs 4.85 pounds (2.2kg) and measures 0.83 inches (21mm) thin, which is hefty for an Ultrabook but gives it enough room for a DVD burner or an optional Blu-ray drive. The 15.6-inch display's resolution is a ho-hum 1,366 x 768, which is exactly what you'll find on the IdeaPad U310. The laptop will be available with up to a Core i7 Ivy Bridge CPU, up to 8GB of RAM and a 500GB, 750GB or 1TB hard drive and optional 24/32GB SSD cache. Connections include USB 2.0, USB 3.0, VGA and HDMI, and there's an SD card reader as well. Lenovo rates the machine for six hours of battery life. The U510 will set you back $679 (for the entry-level configuration) when it goes on sale in September. For now, you can check out our hands-on photos below.

[Source: Engadget]

Lenovo's ultra-thin X1 Carbon ultrabook will be available August 21st, starts at $1,399

Lenovo's known for making good laptops much more than it's known for making attractivelaptops, but when the company announced the ThinkPad X1 Carbon in May it seemed to have checked both boxes. Now the company's revealed when you'll actually be able to get an X1 Carbon into your hands: August 21st. The 14-inch, three-pound ultrabook is all of 18mm thick at its thickest point, and will come in several different configurations ranging from $1,399 to $1,849. The base price gets you a 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U processor and a 128GB SSD, and you get more storage and more processing power as you move up the price tiers (there's also a 3G option available in all but the base model).

Every model comes with 4GB of RAM, a 14-inch, 1600 x 900 display, Lenovo's excellent ThinkPad Precision keyboard, and Intel's Integrated graphics. The X1 Carbon also features Lenovo's nifty Rapid Charge feature, which can fill 80 percent of the battery in 30 minutes. We liked what we saw from the svelte ultrabook when it was first announced, and though its price is certainly premium the X1 Carbon appears to fit its billing.

[Source: The Verge]

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 ARMchips. 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.

And this is likely just a small sampling of Intel-based Windows 8 tablets slated to hit on October 26, when Windows 8 launches. "We are... tracking more than 20 Windows 8 tablet designs based on our low-power and low-cost Clover Trail Atom SoC in addition to a number of core-based tablets," Intel's CEO Paul Otellini said on July 17.

Laptop-tablet hybrids, or so-called convertibles such as Asus' Taichi, are also expected. Taichi uses a faster but less power-efficient Intel Ivy Bridge chip, the same chip that powers ultrabooks and Apple's MacBook Air.

Throw the already announced Microsoft Surface Windows RT and Windows 8 Pro products into the mix, and it's obvious the market will get crowded quickly.

The ThinkPad Tablet 2 will sport a 10.1-inch IPS 1,366x768 display, weigh in at about 650 grams (1.4 pounds), have a thickness of 9.8mm (0.39 inches), and include an HSPA+broadband option, according to Techin5.

HP, Acer, and Lenovo declined to comment.

[Source: cnet]

Taiwan market: Lenovo announces new ultrabook with carbon-fiber chassis

Lenovo has announced its latest ultrabook – ThinkPad X1 Carbon – in Taiwan, adopting a carbon-fiber reinforced plastic chassis to strengthen its sturdiness, while reducing thickness.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon features a weight of 1.36kg, a thickness of 1.88cm at its thinnest place and a 14-inch panel.

Lenovo's continued rising shipments are starting to gain the company advantages over component purchasing as well as its channel marketing. Meanwhile, the company has also been aggressively establishing new plants in countries such as Japan and Brazil, and is reportedly planning to set up plants in Germany, a country that has a rather high employee salary rate, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

The sources noted that Lenovo is expecting to further enhance its manufacturing quality through better management and is hoping to achieve similar results to Apple, which also adopts strict quality controls over its products. With ODMs to start seeing more purchasing restrictions from Lenovo, figuring out a way to respond to the vendor's requests will become a new lesson for the ODMs

[Source: DIGITIMES]