Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/xiaming/
Lenovo (LNVGY.PK) on Wednesday announced plans to refresh several of its consumer PC lines, including its all-in-one PC and a variety of laptops.
The new all-in-one desktop PC is the Lenovo A540. It’s being marketed toward families because it comes with a good amount of horsepower to suit the varying needs of multiple users. It features an iMac-like profile, with an all-aluminum body and a 23.8-inch IPS display that sports 1920 by 1080 pixels. The screen is also touch-sensitive and can recognize 10 fingers at once. The A540 will hit the market in July and cost $1,279.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the A540 is that it comes with Lenovo Motion Control, which lets users control various aspects of the computer just by waving their hands around in view of the sensor, like the Kinect peripheral on the Xbox One. One application of the motion sensor is that it can be used to control video playback without having to get up or use a remote control.
The screen is affixed to a hinge that lets users swivel the display between -5 and 90 degrees, so people of varying heights can adjust it to a comfortable level no matter what surface the computer is sitting on. Customers can also configure the computer with up to a fourth-generation Core i7 processor and up to NVIDIA GeForce GT 840A graphics.
Optional upgrades include a TV tuner that lets people use the display to watch television, as well as a near-field communication (NFC) sensor for easy file sharing with supported devices.
On the laptop front, Lenovo announced its Flex 2 series, which comes in 14- and 15.6-inch models. As the name implies, users can bend (or “flex”) the screen most of the way around, so that it almost resembles a tablet on a stand. (If customers are looking for a true convertible laptop with a screen can bend all the way back, check out Lenovo’s Yoga line). The display, as expected, also acts as a touchscreen, so people can control things like video playback without having to use the keyboard or trackpad.
The new Flex 2 models are available with up to Intel Core i7 processing, and additions as powerful as Nvidia GeForce or AMD Radeon R5 M230 discrete graphics. Buyers can get up to a 1TB hard drive or SSHD hybrid drive for storage, or a 256GB solid-state drive. The Flex 2 laptops will be available in June, starting at $429 or $799, depending on the model’s screen size.
The company also announced a few less flashy laptops: the B50, G50, Z40, and Z50. Starting at $399, the B50 is an inexpensive business laptop that runs Windows 7. Customers can get it with touch- or non-touch-capable displays and an assortment of processors and graphics cards. The G50 also begins at $399 but is geared toward a more general purpose user, with Windows 8.1 pre-installed. It has a webcam and comes with software that lets users log in just by putting their face in the webcam’s view.
The Z40 and Z50 laptops are intended more for entertainment, with thin profiles, 1920 by 1080 displays, Dolby sound, and a 720p webcam. The B50 and G50 will be available in July. The Z40 is coming in May, and the Z50 hits shelves in August. For more specs on these laptops, the company’s press release can be here.
More From Wall St. Cheat Sheet:
- Fon Hopes to Give the U.S. More Free Wi-Fi, Plus Music
- Texas Instruments to Use Apple’s iBeacon Location Technology
- Intel Earnings Pass Muster as PC and Data Income Climbs