It’s not very often that Lenovo’s top of the line mobile workstation is 25% off. Add to that a $479 discount on the W700 and $704 off the W700ds, and this has the making for some record savings on these behemoth ThinkPads.
The base specs are generous, even if they are on the low end for a performance monster like the W700. The coupon is expected to end July 6th, so treat yourself to a special July 4th and order one before the sale expires!
Acer and Sony have already begun shipping PC’s with China’s requisite Green Dam censorship software for computers sold within the nation, and Lenovo has indicated they will be complying now as well.
For those unfamiliar with the Green Dam software, it is a program designed for use on PC’s in China that will prevent users from seeing unauthorized content. The word “green” in Chinese refers to web browsing free of porn and other “illicit” content. The announcement prompted a huge amount of attention from the international community, everyone from the Computer and Communications Industry Association to PC manufacturers to governments.
Aside from its contentious objective, Green Dam has also caused a series of other debacles. Severe vulnerabilities were found in the software by a group at the University of Michigan, proclaiming the software allows “any web site a user visits [to]
exploit this problem to take control of the computer” and they “continue to recommend that users protect themselves by uninstalling Green Dam immediately.”
If all this weren’t enough, software firm Solid Oak Software, Inc. is alledging that Green Dam contains stolen portions of its own program, CyberSitter. The same group from the University of Michigan confirmed they did find keyword blacklists taken directly from CyberSitter, although those have been deactivated (but not removed) in the latest version of the software. Solid Oak Software is moving to stop PC manufacturers from distributing PC’s with the software.
As a final point of clarification, PC manufacturers are not required to actually install or activate the software on the PC. They must only include the installation file on the hard drive or provide it on CD for the end user to install themselves.
This isn’t one of the usual deals we bring you, but where better to share this than a ThinkPad blog? Overseas reseller Meritline has TrackPoints on sale for an incredible bargain. How does $0.39 each, or $0.99 for a 4 pack, SHIPPED to your door sound? Unfortunately they only have the Soft Dome style, which I don’t particularly prefer. My multitude of ThinkPads and ThinkPad-style keyboards all have the Soft Rim cap on them. Luckily I have a stash of those handy.
The website notes the caps will ship within 2-5 days via Hong Kong Air Mail and most customers will receive their caps within 2 weeks. If you order some, let us know which you bought and how long it takes to get to you!
MSI X-Slim X340 compared to Lenovo ThinkPad X301 & Apple iPhone 3G
We’ve talked a fair bit about CULV (Consumer Ultra Low Voltage) systems here, the new thin & light systems utilizing a fresh Intel SU-series processor that is faster than a netbook, with better battery life, 11-13 inch designs, and in the price sweetspot between netbooks and full-size notebooks. Lenovo’s new IdeaPad U350 is a perfect example of this, as is MSI’s X-Slim series.
A new report from an analyst firm suggests that the first generation models, like those noted above, may suffer from questionable quality. The report states that manufacturers are using plastic chassis’ to cut down on cost, which is certainly common, but are making the plastics so thin to save on size & weight that some systems may suffer from bottom covers cracking. This part of the Xbit Labs article puts it perfectly:
Ultra-thin notebooks aimed at consumers is a completely new trend and many manufacturers still have not figured the exact demands of average users when it comes to ultra-portables. Nevertheless, one thing is clear: since consumer-oriented platforms have to be affordable, system makers are not implementing their state-of-the-art technologies, such as active hard disk drive protection, powerful yet light batteries and, most importantly, high-quality materials and robust engineering to keep the costs down.
While I had personally been drooling over the MSI X-Slim series, we found out that it is indeed a cheap, low quality machine with a sexy chassis and good feature-price ratio.
Apparently the companies actually manufacturing the CULV notebooks, termed Original Design Manufacturers (ODM’s), had recommended to some PC companies that they use metal in the chassis to avoid this issue, but that production went ahead with plastic anyway. No company names are mentioned.
A quick look at Lenovo’s PSREF documentation shows that the IdeaPad U350 is indeed made out of plastic, or specifically Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (PC/ABS) plastic. Fortunately there are not yet any reports of cracking systems in this case.
Lenovo announced their first CULV-based laptop at the end of May, leaving the IdeaPad U350 in-between netbooks and higher powered, full-sized notebooks. Last week saw the release of the IdeaPad U350 for public purchasing and it was even on sale for 10% off.
Today we bring you word of a $100 off coupon for the sexy U350. We expect the coupon to expire in a couple days, so if you were looking at picking up a U350 the clock is ticking. Specs and deal details below:
Core 2 Duo SU2700 ULV 1.3GHz; 2GB DDR2; 13.3″ HD WXGA LED
250GB hard drive; 4-cell Battery; 802.11n WiFi; GMA X4500MHD
802.11n WiFi; Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR; 1yr warr; Vista Home Premium
I know some people reading this blog don’t care for Apple related stuff, but this was too funny not to share. Below is a promo created by Apple about the recent updates to the iPhone, specifically the copy/paste feature. Congratulations Apple, you finally added a feature standard in most smartphones for a long time and standard on all your other iPhones, not just the 3GS.
Breaking news: Lenovo issues press release & marketing campaign around switching Fn & Ctrl key locations, cites extensive user studies & user feedback
As I touched on in my recent review of the ThinkPad T400s, Lenovo updated the touchpad in the T400s along with everything else. To keep the thin profile desired with the T400s, there was literally no room for a recessed touchpad. To keep usability intact, they came up with a unique texture for the touchpad that would allow users to discern between the palm rest and the touchpad.
David Hill just published a blog post about the design process behind the touchpad redesign and has some interesting pictures as well.
Last week we reported on a Lenovo “viral” video showcasing, albeit fictionally, their “SMS kill switch” functionality, which is officially named Lenovo Constant Secure. It works by disabling your notebook when a text message is received to the onboard 3G card and today we have some more details on this system courtesy Matt Kohut, Lenovo blogger over at Inside the Box.
It turns out that this feature is technically a trial program in place to evaluate customer feedback and demand, which may or may not lead to expansion (and thus cost) of the program. As such, the program is currently free for those who have the proper hardware. Customers with a Montevina-based ThinkPad (T400, X200, X301, etc) who also have an AT&T 3G card with activated service are eligible for the program.
You can read instructions on how to setup Constant Secure on Lenovo’s eSupport site and I also recommend checking out Matt’s blog post for some more details.
Anyone here with a Montevina system that wants to give this a go?
While you hear most netbooks discussed as in the “$300 price range,” the reality is that the majority of netbooks are in the $400 price range and accordingly, are rather well spec’d. The ones actually priced around $300 are few and far between, especially with a lot of recent netbook refreshes, like Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10-2 and S12.
For those who can’t afford the extra $50-100 for one of the new netbooks, or prefer the older model for design differences, Buy.com has an IdeaPad S10e on sale for $298.99 with free shipping. Sales tax also only applies in CA, MA, TN, and NY, which will likely help some people out. The model is decently spec’d out, but does lack the 6-cell battery found on the newer models. Still, it’s hard to literally get below $300 these days, so jump on this before they run out.
Atom N270 1.6GHz; 1GB DDR2; 160GB HDD; 3-cell battery
10.1″ WSVGA LCD; XP Home; CR: webcam; 2.87lbs; 802.11b/g
With the launch of the ThinkPad T61 about two years ago, there was a big push for Energy Star 4.0 certification and lots of marketing around that. Now we are approaching on the launch of the Energy Star 5.0 standard and Lenovo is already bragging about that.
For those not in the know, Energy Star is a standard that encourages power efficient design in consumer products. Nearly everything that uses eletricity features an Energy Star guideline, from houses to laptops. If you have purchased a Lenovo PC recently with the Power Manager software installed, you will note the default profile is named Energy Star.
As we all know, a computer’s power usage can vary dramatically based on how it is being used. The Energy Star power profile seeks to control that usage, as you will notice it generally sets the screen brightness and processor performance to lower levels. It is unknown whether Lenovo tweaked the Power Manager profile further to apparently be Energy Star 5.0 certified already, but since the hardware is the same all machines are at least Energy Star 5.0 capable.
Outside of laptops, select models of Lenovo’s desktop and monitor lines are also Energy Star 5.0 certified. While not Energy Star related, the press release did contain this interesting tidbit:
Lenovo offers bulk packaging at no cost for customers with large-scale rollouts of laptop or desktop PCs such as universities and large enterprises. Bulk packaging can save up to more than four pounds of materials per PC, so a deployment of 5,000 ThinkCentre desktops, for example, could save nearly 22,000 pounds in materials, a significant waste reduction.
That’s pretty cool to me, and I will say that with the T400s I received there was very little excess packing material. I don’t recall what the material is made of, but there were only a couple of internal pieces and the (rather small) box itself. Kudos on packaging Lenovo.
Huge savings on Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds Mobile Workstation with dual screen (17" primary + 10.6" second adjustable display). Starts at $3,533 - $704 instant discount - 25% stackable coupon (Expires 7/31) = $2,121.75 with FREE shipping. That's over $1,411 in savings on this laptop for creative professionals and the lowest price we've seen. To get this deal:
1. Click here to start at Lenovo
2. Select W700ds model of your choice
3. Customize as per needs, click Review Summary & Add to Cart
4. Apply coupon code USPW700JULYupon checkout (no spaces)
$479 instant discount + 25% stackable coupon on Lenovo ThinkPad W700 17-inch Mobile Workstation. Range starts at $2,408 2757CTO - $479 instant discount - 25% stackable coupon (Expires 7/31) = $1,446.75 plus FREE Shipping & Free Windows 7 Upgrade eligible. That's the lowest price we've seen. Optional upgrades include: Core 2 Extreme X9100, Vista Ultimate 64-bit, 17" WUXGA 400-nit LCD, Quadro FX 3700 & built-in WACOM Digitizer. To get this deal:
1. Click here to start at Lenovo
2. Select the W700 of your choice
3. Customize as per needs, click Review Summary & Add to Cart
4. Apply coupon code USPW700JULY upon checkout (no space at the start/end
Second generation Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 Netbook in Black, White, Grey or Pink on sale for $298 plus FREE shipping. To get this deal:
1. Click here to start
2. Enter password: familyandfriends
3. Browse to Notebooks > Ideapad Notebooks > S Series netbooks
4. Select IdeaPad S10-2 and choose color
5. Add to cart, apply coupon code USENETBOOK upon checkout (no spaces in the start/end)
This deal: $439 - $120 instant discount - $21 off coupon = $298 shipped.
Lenovo ThinkPad X301 Centrino 2 Ultra-portable laptop on sale with $527 instant discount + 15% stackable eCoupon. The X301 Laptop weighs 3 pounds and 1-inch thin. Base starts from $2,466- $527 off instantly - 15% stackable coupon (Expires soon) = $1,648.15 with FREE shipping. To get this deal:
1. Click here to start at Lenovo
2. Select your X301 model, click customize & buy,
3. Customize to your liking, Click Summary Review &Add to Cart
4. Apply coupon code USPNOTEBOOKS upon checkout (no spaces in the start/end)
$375 instant savings + 15% stackable coupon for the Lenovo ThinkPad W500 15.4-inch Mobile Workstation with Centrino 2. This deal starts at $1,474 4058CTO - $375 instant discount - 15% stackable coupon=$934.15 with FREE Shipping. Apply coupon code upon checkout. To get this deal:
1. Click here to start
2. Select W500 with discrete graphics, click Review Summary & Add to Cart
3. Choose Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium -$30
4. Apply coupon code USPNOTEBOOKSupon checkout (no spaces) 17-inch Mobile Workstation PowerHouse W700 also available
Huge savings on Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds Mobile Workstation with dual screen (17" primary + 10.6" second adjustable display). Starts at $3,533 - $704 instant discount - 25% stackable coupon (Expires 7/31) = $2,121.75 with FREE shipping. That's over $1,411 in savings on this laptop for creative professionals and the lowest price we've seen. To get this deal:
$479 instant discount + 25% stackable coupon on Lenovo ThinkPad W700 17-inch Mobile Workstation. Range starts at $2,408 2757CTO - $479 instant discount - 25% stackable coupon (Expires 7/31) = $1,446.75 plus FREE Shipping & Free Windows 7 Upgrade eligible. That's the lowest price we've seen. Optional upgrades include: Core 2 Extreme X9100, Vista Ultimate 64-bit, 17" WUXGA 400-nit LCD, Quadro FX 3700 & built-in WACOM Digitizer. To get this deal:
Second generation Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 Netbook in Black, White, Grey or Pink on sale for $298 plus FREE shipping. To get this deal:
Lenovo ThinkPad X301 Centrino 2 Ultra-portable laptop on sale with $527 instant discount + 15% stackable eCoupon. The X301 Laptop weighs 3 pounds and 1-inch thin. Base starts from $2,466- $527 off instantly - 15% stackable coupon (Expires soon) = $1,648.15 with FREE shipping. To get this deal:
$375 instant savings + 15% stackable coupon for the Lenovo ThinkPad W500 15.4-inch Mobile Workstation with Centrino 2. This deal starts at $1,474 4058CTO - $375 instant discount - 15% stackable coupon = $934.15 with FREE Shipping. Apply coupon code upon checkout. To get this deal:
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