Lenovo has released the G Series G455 and G555 affordable notebooks for mainstream consumers.
Both 14-inch Lenovo G455 and 15.6-inch G555 feature AMD Turion or Athlon processors, ATI Radeon graphics, and Windows 7 OS.
The G455 and G555 start at $449 and will be available in the U.S. beginning in March.
The Samsung R430, a recently unveiled notebook with a 14-inch display and an Intel dual core processor, is now available in the US.
The offered R430-BLACK uses the Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor at 2.2GHz and the GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics. The laptop has 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and a 6-cell battery.
Its widescreen LED backlight display has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.
There are also a built-in web camera, stereo speakers, numeric keyboard, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Ethernet LAN, three USB ports, HDMI, VGA and a 3-in-1 media card reader.
The 4.98-pound Samsung R430 runs Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.
The notebook is available at Buy.com for $649.95.
The HP Envy 13 Series thin-and-light 13.1″ laptop is now available for purchase.
Measuring less than an inch thin and weighing 3.7 pounds, the Envy 13 has a chassis made of aluminum and magnesium. The notebook is based on Intel’s low voltage SL9400/SL9600 or ultra-low voltage SU9600 CPU and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 512MB dedicated graphics. It comes with up to 3GB of DDR3 system memory, up to 250GB of hard drive space, and a 4-cell battery with an optional 6-cell extended-life unit. The laptop doesn’t include a built-in optical drive.
The 13.1″ LED backlight “Radiance” display has a resolution of 1366×768 or 1600×900 pixels, depending on customer’s choice. With a brightness of 410 nits, the display is twice as bright as other notebook displays in its class, according to Hewlett-Packard.
The HP Envy 13 also sports a web camera with microphone, stereo speakers, an HDMI output, 802.11n wireless, a Gigabit LAN port, two USB ports, and a 2-in-1 media card reader.
Besides Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional operating system, the Envy 13 includes Envy Instant On Solution, a mini OS that provides quick access to some basic applications without booting into Windows.
The laptop starts at $1,700 and can be purchased through Hewlett-Packard’s official website.
Lenovo has launched the IdeaPad U550 15.6-inch thin-and-light laptop, based on Intel’s ultra-low voltage processor and Windows 7 operating system.
The multimedia-oriented U550 starts at 5.3lbs and is 1″ thin. The first models feature Intel Core 2 Duo ULV CPUs at 1.3GHz or 1.4GHz, the Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated or the ATI Radeon HD 4330 512MB dedicated graphics, 3GB or 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 250GB or 320GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and a six-cell battery for “up to 6 hours” of run time. According to a product page at Lenovo.com, the 15.6″ display has a resolution of 1366×768 pixels and uses LED backlight.
An IdeaPad U550 model offered at Lenovo’s official website has a 1.3MP web camera, a multi-touch trackpad, Dolby surround sound, WiFi N and WiMAX wireless connections, Bluetooth, an HDMI port, and a fingerprint reader.
It’s priced at $800 and ships “in more than 4 weeks”, whereas models at Amazon are priced at $600 and $700 and are expected to start shipping on October 22.
Microsoft announced today the worldwide availability of Windows 7, its new operating system for PCs.
Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate Edition upgrade licenses are priced at $119.99, $199.99, and $219.99, respectively. There’s also Windows 7 Starter Edition, which can be found on new netbooks. The first Windows 7 laptops mostly come with Home Premium Edition.
Microsoft’s Press Release:
Today Microsoft Corp. announced the worldwide availability of its new Windows 7 operating system. Windows 7 delivers on a simple premise: make it easier for people to do the things they want on a PC. The new operating system offers a streamlined user interface and significant new features that make everyday tasks easier and allow people to get the most out of computers of all styles and sizes.
“With Windows 7, there’s never been a better time to be a PC,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “Together with our partners, we’re bringing more choice, flexibility and value to the market than ever before. With Windows 7, you’re sure to find a PC that fits your life.”
Building Windows 7 has been a collaborative process from the beginning, with Microsoft’s engineers and designers working with customers and partners to build an operating system that delivers on the vision of the PC, simplified. In a speech in New York, Ballmer thanked the millions of volunteers who helped improve the product by testing early versions.
“A project with the global customer reach of Windows can only be done as a team,” said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft, speaking at a launch event in Tokyo. “We are grateful for the valuable contributions from customers, partners and developers around the world that helped make Windows 7 such a collaborative project.”
On Sale Worldwide Today
The global availability of Windows 7 is joined by an unprecedented array of new PCs and software programs. With more PC options available for customers today at a wide range of price points starting under $300, customers can choose the PC that fits their personality, style and needs, from netbooks, ultrathin notebooks and highly interactive multitouch laptops to all-in-one desktops and high-end, water-cooled gaming machines.
A newly launched section of Windows.com called PC Scout will guide users through selecting and purchasing the right PC. Customers can purchase PCs with Windows 7 or software upgrades online or in-store from technology retailers or at the new Microsoft Store, launching today in its first retail location in Scottsdale, Ariz., and expanded online. Retailers and technology partners are also featuring a series of limited-time offers for customers looking for great deals on Windows 7-based PCs, devices and software. Information on these offers can be found at http://www.windows.com.
To show how Windows 7 simplifies the PC, today Microsoft is launching the next wave of its global “I’m a PC” campaign. The global enthusiasm of Windows users is also contributing to the way many people around the world will experience Windows 7 for the first time. Tens of thousands of customers have volunteered to host launch parties or meet-ups beginning today, showing off Windows 7 to friends and family members.
Simplifying the PC
Over the past 18 months, feedback from more than a billion opt-in customer sessions and 8 million beta testers validated Microsoft’s research on how to simplify everyday tasks. Here are a few of the many ways users will experience a more simplified PC with Windows 7:
Simplifies Everyday Tasks
• Taskbar. The go-to spot for launching programs and switching windows, the taskbar has been completely redesigned to help users work smarter, cut clutter, and get more done, with features such as thumbnail previews of Web pages, documents — even running video.
• HomeGroup. Users can easily share their files and printers with other PCs running Windows 7 in their home.
• Windows 7 Device Stage. This shows the status of all connected devices such as cameras and mobile phones, and makes it easier to synchronize and manage them.
• Photos and videos. Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Movie Maker (available via download) offer customers great, free options to edit photos and videos and easily share them with loved ones.
• Snap. Users can drag an open window to the screen’s border to automatically re-size it. Snap two different windows to the left and right borders for a perfect comparison.
• Shake. Users can click on a window pane and shake the mouse to minimize all other open windows, then shake the pane again to restore the windows to their original sizes.
• Internet Explorer 8. Microsoft’s fastest, easiest and safest browser ever offers smart new features such as Instant Search, Accelerators and Web Slices to help users get more out of the Web.
Works the Way Users Want
• Faster on, faster off. Every Windows 7 user will benefit from the focus on underlying performance, faster startup, resuming and shut down time, and enhanced power management.
• Mobile made easier. All of a user’s mobile computing settings are in one place with the Windows Mobility Center.
• Protecting the PC. Safeguarding the data on a PC is easier with advanced backup capabilities and the free Microsoft Security Essentials download to help protect users against viruses, spyware and other malicious software.
Makes New Things Possible
• Windows Touch. Users can interact with the PC with a touch-screen monitor, using their fingers and multitouch gestures.
• PlayTo. Users can stream their digital music, videos and photos to other PCs or devices such as an Xbox 360 console connected to the TV.
• Internet TV. New content providers and an improved interface make it even easier to watch TV on the PC.
• Rich gaming and graphics. Windows 7 includes performance enhancements that take power gaming and entertainment to a new level, with 64-bit support and DirectX 11 graphics.
• Location-aware printing. Documents are sent to the right printer whether it’s at home or at the office. And with Offline Files users can work offline and automatically synchronize between a PC and documents on their office network.
Partners Rally Around Windows 7
Along with increased customer involvement, Microsoft’s partners had a closer, more involved role in the product vision and planning process with Windows 7. The collaborative approach to engaging partners to inform development efforts has resulted in improved performance for PCs as well as compatibility with a broad range of software and hardware across the Windows ecosystem. More than 50,000 developers from 17,000 companies are enrolled in the Windows Ecosystem Readiness Program to build solutions for Windows 7. Together, these partners are developing hardware, software and services capable of reaching more than a billion PCs around the world.
You can purchase the new Windows at Microsoft, Amazon, and other stores.
Lenovo has announced immediate availability of the 14-inch ThinkPad SL410 and 15.6-inch ThinkPad SL510 laptops, featuring Intel’s processors, Windows 7 operating system, and a slightly changed chassis when compared to the older SL400 and SL500.
Designed for both business use and entertainment, the ThinkPad SL410 and SL510 come with Celeron or Core 2 Duo CPUs, the GMA 4500 Series integrated graphics, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, up to 320GB of hard drive capacity, DVD burners or Blu-ray drives, 2MP web cameras, HDMI and VGA outputs, and optional mobile broadband connectivity.
The SL410 and 510 start at $499 and can be purchased at the Lenovo official store and select retailers.
According to a product overview at IBM.com, the company is also going to release the L410 and L510 series, but we have no info on these notebooks. Additionally, some driver download pages at the website indicate that select ThinkPad L410/SL410 and L510/SL510 models feature the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4500 Series video cards.
Acer has introduced the Acer Aspire AS8940G-6865 desktop replacement laptop, featuring an 18.4-inch display, an Intel Core i7 quad-core processor and Windows 7 Home Premium OS.
Along with the i7-720QM 1.6GHz quad-core CPU and the full HD 1920×1080 LED-backlight screen, the entertainment oriented AS8940G-6865 incorporates the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250M dedicated GPU, a Blu-ray combo drive, a 500GB HDD and 4GB of DDR3 memory.
The notebook also sports five built-in speakers and Dolby Home Theater sound technology, a web camera, an HDMI output, a touch-capacitive media control interface, 802.11n Wi-Fi, five USB ports, and an eSATA port.
The Acer Aspire AS8940G-6865 will be available this holiday season at leading retailers in the U.S. for around $1,350.
Dell has launched the Adamo XPS 13, an ultra-thin 13.4-inch laptop with an innovative hinge that rises the keyboard for a more comfortable typing.
The “world’s thinnest laptop” is 0.4 inch thin and weighs 3.5 pounds. It features Intel’s SU9400 1.4GHz ultra-low voltage processor, the GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 128GB solid state drive with Windows 7 Home Premium pre-installed, and up to 5 hours 17 minutes of run time with the optional extended battery. The display uses LED backlight and has a resolution of 720p.
Dell’s Adamo XPS also sports a built-in 2MP web camera and microphone, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, an Ethernet LAN port via an external dongle, two USB ports, a DisplayPort, and a touch-sensitive latch release area.
The notebook is available for purchase now for a base price of $1,799 at the Dell online store. Its preliminary ship date is 12/23/2009
