Lenovo’s Yoga Tab 3 Pro can project a 70-inch image on your wall

Lenovo is doubling down on pico-projector equipped tablets with the new Yoga Tab 3 Pro, which can spit out a 70-inch image. That’s a pretty decent step up from its predecessor’s 50-inch projector. Otherwise, though, the new Android tablet is just a further refinement of Lenovo’s unique tablet design. It has a rotating hinge that serves as a kickstand and also gives you something to grip onto when holding the Yoga Tab 3 Pro with one hand. While that hinge makes it a bit bulkier than most other tablets, it also packs in a huge 10,200mAh battery, which Lenovo says will last for around 18 hours of typical usage. Curiously, Lenovo chose to step down from the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro’s 13-inch screen: The new model sports a 10-inch quad HD display. The tablet market is rough, especially for the Android arena, so it seems like Lenovo is experimenting to see what consumers like best. Slideshow-316507

Under the hood, the Yoga Tab 3 Pro is powered by a quad-core Intel Atom x5-Z8500 processor and 2GB of RAM. There’s a 13-megapixel camera on the rear and a 5MP front-facing shooter, along with four JBL speakers on the front. Overall, Lenovo is positioning it as the ideal entertainment tablet — one that can last pretty much all day and also share content easily with your friends. We didn’t get to test out the projector capability, but being a pico unit it wouldn’t hold a candle to a dedicated projector. Still, it’s better than nothing when you want to watch cat videos in a group.

And what of Lenovo’s other tablets? There are also new 8-inch and 10-inch Yoga Tab 3 models, but they’ve been downgraded from last year’s devices. Whereas the Yoga Tab 2 lineup all had 1080p screens, Lenovo bumped the newer models back down to 1,200 x 800 displays (a bit higher than 720p). They’re also running quad-core 1.3GHz Qualcomm chips, instead of Intel Atom processors. That means you’re stuck with Android; there’s no longer an option to run Windows.

If I had to guess, I’d say the spec changes were likely about cost savings. Indeed, the 8-inch Yoga Tab 3 will sell for $169 when it lands in October, while the 10-inch model will go for $199 in November. That’s around $70 to $100 less than the launch pricing for the last models.

Dana Wollman contributed to this report.

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Tags: hands-on, ifa, ifa2015, lenovo, mobilepostcross, projectors, YogaTab3Pro

Moto X Play review: an unexciting phone with a huge battery

The Moto X Play occupies a strange space in the company’s 2015 lineup. It’s an affordable, mid-range handset that does a decent job of keeping pace with the flagships. But at £249 ($382 including the UK’s 20 percent sales tax), it’s not that much more affordable than the company’s top-tier X Style, and it’s a lot pricier than our favorite budget smartphone, the Moto G. That’s not to say there aren’t benefits to splashing out on the X Play. You’ll get a larger, higher-res display than on the G, an all-new 21-megapixel camera, a capacious 3,630mAh battery and a whole lot more. If you’ve got your heart set on a Moto, could these additions be worth the extra cash? It really depends on what you want from a smartphone. Slideshow-316449

Hardware

The OnePlus 2 has already proven that you can get a lot of phone for a few hundred dollars. In the case of the X Play, however, you’re not getting cutting-edge specs. Inside, there’s an octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor paired with 2GB of RAM, and a choice of 16GB or 32GB of built-in storage, expandable by microSD. Of course, there are plus sides to these mid-range specs, especially when you consider the battery size. But more on that later.

Design wise, Motorola clearly knows it was onto a good thing with the original Moto X, as it’s continued to play with that striking profile ever since. Unfortunately, the X Play is actually the least attractive iteration of this theme. Up front, everything’s pretty much as you’d expect: an expansive, 5.5-inch 1080p display with fairly thin bezels. But there’s a lack of attention to detail here.

This is the least attractive iteration on the Moto X theme.

Take the cutouts for the speakers that are above and below the screen, respectively, as an example. Vertically, they’re poorly aligned, with the lower slot centered, but the upper one placed high above the display. It makes the phone look oddly imbalanced, especially as they’re the same size and neatly horizontally aligned. This is exacerbated by the haphazardly positioned front-facing camera and light sensor, which again just seem to have been placed without a care in the world. While I’m aware that most people won’t know why it looks odd, a straw poll of friends and family showed that most thought “something was off.”

The X Play is wrapped in a cheap-but-sturdy metallic plastic that curves around from its sides to the rounded back casing, accented by Moto’s familiar camera unit, complete with dimpled “M” logo. On the right side of the phone are the only two buttons you’re getting: a power and volume rocker — as on all of Motorola’s phones, you won’t find a dedicated camera key. Unlike the cheaper Moto G, there’s no waterproofing here. Instead, the X Play is “water resistant,” which means it will survive a splash, but not a fall into your toilet.

The back of the phone is a pleasant soft-touch plastic with a grippy pattern. I strongly dislike the ergonomics of large phones, but it has to be said that this feels like it’d be very hard to drop. Although you can take off the backing, the battery is non-removable, and the combined SIM/microSD slot is actually atop the device next to the headphone port. So, rather than being functional, the swappable backs are for aesthetic reasons. Useful if you get tired of whatever garish color scheme you’ve invented for yourself in the company’s Moto Maker customization tool, I suppose.

I know I’m harping on about the design a little, but the cheap plastic wrapping around the sides really doesn’t scream premium, and looks at odds with the device’s curved back. As on the front of the device, Motorola doesn’t appear to have put much thought into the finer details, the lines and how they flow into one another. It’s weird because Motorola did a good job with the Moto G of creating a premium-feeling device on the cheap. Sure, the more-expensive X Style has its own interesting design flourishes, but perhaps because of budget constraints, the X Style pulls it off, and the X Play does not.

Display and sound

With smartphone displays fast-approaching 4K resolutions, the X Play’s 5.5-inch 1080p screen might not seem anything special. It’s more than up to the task, though.

Motorola has switched to IPS display tech this year, which would usually mean that colors don’t have that AMOLED punch that last year’s X does, but the company has implemented a software trick to combat that. By default, the display is set to “vivid,” which does a decent job of boosting saturation, if that’s your thing. I quickly switched to “natural,” which makes things look far less gaudy.

Unsurprisingly for an IPS display, viewing angles are top-notch, and the screen is also super bright and readable even in direct sunlight. For some reason adaptive brightness was switched off out of the box, and I had to dig through the settings to turn it on. All told there’s nothing spectacular about the X Play’s display, but there’s also very little to complain about.

The same can’t be said for audio quality. Despite their appearance, those misaligned slots don’t actually house matching dual speakers. Up top there’s a standard speaker for calls, while down below is a loudspeaker. It’s by no means the worst I’ve heard, but it’s a little on the tinny side, especially if you’re coming from one of HTC’s or Samsung’s phones. Not having stereo sound feels like an unnecessary corner to cut and something that would’ve set apart the X Play from the cheaper G. Think about it: If you’re watching movies or playing games, do you want all the sounds coming from one side of the display?

Software

As we’ve come to expect from Motorola, the X Play offers an uncluttered take on Android 5.1.1, with little in the way of additions. The few changes it brings are fairly useful.

Moto Display is probably my favorite. Whenever a notification comes in, a small icon appears on an otherwise black display. Holding your finger on that icon gives you more information, and you can swipe up from there to jump straight in to the relevant application. That’s cool, but what’s cooler is you can bring up this functionality just by moving the phone slightly. I’ve gotten quite used to giving the phone a little nudge as it sits on my desk to see what’s waiting for me inside. The downside to that is there’s no notification LED. For me, the additional context Moto Display offers is worth the trade-off, but it might not be for you.

Next up is Moto Assist, which automatically adjusts settings in exchange for a little information. Tell it when you sleep, for example, or give it access to your calendar, and it’ll turn off notifications at the appropriate times. Also included is Moto Voice, which listens out for a key phrase at all times (mine was, “What’s up Moto X?”) to activate a little voice assistant that’ll let you place calls or ask various questions. I spend my life trying to speak as little as possible, so it’s really not the ideal feature for me, but if you enjoy talking to inanimate objects, it’s accurate enough.

Motorola’s additions are moderately useful, but easy to ignore.

Way down at the bottom of the usefulness list is Motorola’s “Actions” gesture. It’ll let you do things like jump straight into the camera app by contorting your wrists twice in quick succession. Quite why you’d do that when swiping left on the lock screen or clicking on an icon achieves the same thing, I’m not sure.

I’m fairly cynical about new things, and there’s every chance you’ll find Motorola’s extras useful, especially if you’ve grown accustomed to waving your phone around to do things with a previous-gen Moto X. One great thing about the additions, though, is how easy they are to ignore. Every bell and whistle can be deactivated in the “Moto” app, after which you’re just left with, well, Android. On a more positive note, Motorola has a great track record when it comes to updating its phones, so if you’re anxiously waiting for Android M, this is likely to be one of the first non-Nexus devices to make the jump.

Camera

If there’s one thing that Motorola has struggled with in its renaissance, it’s been cameras: From the original Moto X all the way up to the Nexus 6, owners have had to make do with subpar image quality. This time around, the company has fitted the X Play with a 21-megapixel shooter, and things are much improved.

The software experience is similar to any stock Android phone, which is to say you just tap on the screen to take a photo. That means it’s super quick to boot up, even from the lock screen, and takes photos in the blink of an eye. The spartan layout is great for beginners, and there’s an HDR setting and a focus and exposure tool for those looking to get a little more creative with their shots.Slideshow-316452

Provided you’ve got a well-lit subject, you’re going to get great photos. Colors are accurate without being dull or gaudy; exposure is spot-on; and the software does a good job at white balancing. I’m the sort of person who shoots manual on regular cameras, so I thought I’d miss the advanced settings found on other manufacturers’ phones, but it really wasn’t an issue.

Passable, but nowhere near the best.

Although it has the same-sized sensor as the Moto X Style, there are two party-tricks that the X Play is missing. The first is phase-detection autofocus. In practice, I didn’t find the X Play’s focusing slow or inaccurate, but from testing them side by side at Motorola’s launch event I can say the X Style is a little quicker to refocus than its stablemate. The second is 4K video. The two phones have different image-processing chips inside, which means that the X Play tops out at 1080p.

One area that pretty much no smartphone excels in is low-light photography, and sadly that’s the case again here. It’s still a marked improvement over previous Motos, but that’s not saying a lot. Unless you have a super-steady hand and a still subject, you’re not going to be winning any night photography prizes with the X Play. In fact, it’s worse in low light than all of the competition’s mid-to-high-end phones. The problem seems to be a combination of poor ISO performance and long, long shutter speeds. That means that not only are your photos going to be full of noise, but also anything that’s not still will be blurry.

Performance and battery life

Qualcomm’s octa-core (four cores at 1.7Ghz, four at 1GHz) Snapdragon 615 processor might not be the fastest chip on the block, and plenty of phones offer more than 2GB of RAM, but truth be told, the Moto X Play never struggled to keep pace with my daily routine. We’ve reached a point where less expensive phones don’t slow down or stutter in regular use. Sure, the Galaxy S6 or HTC One M9 will load up your apps a little faster and play graphically intensive games at a smoother frame rate, but that’s really the difference we’re down to now. It’s great.

My unit came with 16GB of storage, of which 10.9GB was addressable. (There’s also a 32GB model available.) Unlike certain other Android manufacturers, Motorola is still giving users the option to expand that storage. The company saved space by having just a single tray house the SIM and microSD, so you won’t be able to swap cards without losing cell signal, but it’s still a useful addition.

In the US, the X Play looks set to be called the Droid Maxx 2. If you know your phones, you’ll know that nomenclature implies this phone is built to last all day. It’s got a colossal 3,630mAh battery, which, when paired with those middling specs, meant the X Play reached 14 hours and 50 minutes in our video playback test. Motorola says in the real world the X Play gives you “up to 48 hours” of “mixed use,” and it did just that. In fact, you might get even longer.

Twice now the X Play has seen me through two full days’ use with more than 20 percent left in the tank. A “full day’s use,” to me, means syncing emails; streaming a few songs on Spotify; watching some YouTube videos; and incessantly checking Engadget, Twitter and the various messaging apps I use.

I’m neither the heaviest nor lightest smartphone user, then, but I did try and put the X Play through its paces. One day I synced all three of my email accounts, streamed music over LTE for over four hours, spent three hours using the hotspot function for my MacBook, played games for two hours, watched Netflix over WiFi for an hour and placed a 30-minute Skype call. That’s all in addition to my regular routine. I finished the day, 16 hours later, with 31 percent battery left. I test a lot of phones, and I have to tip my hat to the X Play’s endurance.

The competition

It may seem a little overpriced and under-specced compared to cheap Chinese phones like the OnePlus 2 and ZTE Axon, but being able to use the X Play all day without worrying about it dying is kinda priceless. That said, if, like me, you’re not a super-heavy user, the OnePlus 2 will easily see you through the day without a charger. Sony’s also done a great job with battery life in recent years, and its mid-range handsets are worth a look.

The real competition lies within Motorola’s own ranks, though. The Moto G is such a good phone, and in my opinion a more attractive one to boot. It should last you roughly a day’s use — more if you’re frugal — and you’ll save a ton of money (it’s over $100 cheaper in the UK). The main compromise is the camera, which struggles to keep pace with the X Play’s.

And then there’s the Moto X Style. It’s got a super-fast processor, more RAM, a truly gorgeous 2K display and the same camera, but with phase-detection autofocus. It costs £100 more than the X Play in the UK, or $399 unlocked in the US, and you’re getting a lot of extra phone for that. Of course, we’ve yet to put it through its paces for battery life, but chances are you won’t be getting two full days’ use out of it.

Wrap-up

Once you take the epic battery life into consideration, the X Play starts to make a little more sense. You get a lot of the benefits of Motorola’s flagship; you save a little money; and you never need to carry your charger with you again. Even so, I can’t help but feel that most people would be happy with the budget Moto G. And those looking for something better than that will probably gravitate toward the Moto X Style or any of the latest wave of “cheap” flagships. But although the X Play is still not the most exciting phone, it’s a very capable one, and I can’t knock Motorola for giving Android users more options.

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Tags: lenovo, mobilepostcross, Motorola, motox, motoxplay, review, uk-reviews

Lenovo’s AIO 700 is a beast of an all-in-one PC

Even if you’re a geek who’s steadfastly refused to consider all-in-one computers, Lenovo’s new Ideacentre AIO 700 might be worth a look. It sports a 24-inch or 27-inch display in up to a 4K resolution with multitouch, but most importantly it comes with a dedicated graphics card and it can also be easily opened up. That means it’ll actually be able to play some decent games, and you have room for upgrades down the line (which is pretty rare for all-in-one PCs). The AIO 700 can be configured with either an Intel or AMD CPU, and you can also add in an Intel RealSense camera (which will also speed up your Windows 10 logins). We only confronted it briefly at a press event today, but we were struck by its sheer immensity. The 27-inch AIO 700 starts at $1,099 while the 27-inch model starts at $1,899 — both will ship in October. Slideshow-316597

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Lenovo’s new ThinkPad Yogas are thinner, lighter and… silverier

The black, boxy ThinkPad design is so iconic, so predictable, that even a simple color change is enough to make us do a double-take. That was our first reaction to Lenovo’s new ThinkPad 260 and 460, both of which are arriving this fall with a silver option — the first time in a while that we’ve seen Lenovo put out a business notebook in anything other than basic black. Aside from the lighter color choice, both laptops stick to the signature Yoga design, meaning they have a 360-degree hinge allowing the screen to fold back into tablet, “Stand” or “Tent” mode. As on previous ThinkPad Yogas, the 260 and 460 feature Lenovo’s “Lift ‘n’ Lock” keyboard, which flattens out the keys as you flip it back. There’s also a slot on both models for the accompanying pen, which recharges when it’s in its garage.Slideshow-316485

As you can see, then, the two models are more similar that not, except that the 260 has a 12.5-inch screen and weighs 2.9 pounds (down from 3.48), whereas the 460 has a 14-inch chassis and comes in at 3.9 pounds. In addition to screen size, there’s also a difference in resolution: Whereas the 12-inch model tops out at 1080p, the 14-incher goes up to 2,560 x 1,440 on select configurations. Also, while the 260 can be had with up to 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, the 460 maxes out at 8GB of RAM and either a 256GB solid-state drive or a 1TB HDD. In exchange for less RAM on the 460, you also get the option of discrete graphics.

Those differences aside, they have this in common: Both are rated for up to 10 hours of battery life, and both run Intel’s newly announced sixth-gen Core processors, codenamed Skylake, with some configurations going up to i7. Also, both will be offered with an optional LTE-Advanced radio built in, for those who can’t take a chance on always having a WiFi access point nearby.Slideshow-316484

The 260 starts at $949 and will arrive in November, while the 460 goes from at $1,049 and will reach some markets in October. (It won’t hit North America until January, which is when Intel usually unveils its latest enterprise-grade CPUs anyway.) As for those pretty silver models? You’ll have to wait till January for those too.

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Tags: hands-on, ifa2015, lenovo, lenovothinkpad, lenovoyoga, thinkpad, thinkpadyoga, thinkpadyoga260, thinkpadyoga460, yoga

The Miix 700 is Lenovo’s Surface killer

Lenovo has arguably done more than any other PC maker to blur the line between tablets and laptops — but its new Ideapad Miix 700 convertible tablet is clearly aimed at one particular competitor: Microsoft’s Surface. Like that machine, the Miix 700 sports a kickstand with a high-tech hinge; it’s a pretty decent tablet on its own; and it has a well-built keyboard accessory that snaps on with a strong magnet. Even a Lenovo rep acknowledged that it was “inspired” by the Surface. But just because it looks familiar doesn’t mean it’s not a worthy convertible entry. Lenovo fans will likely appreciate the Miix 700’s solid keyboard implementation, which feels practically indistinguishable from some of the company’s laptop keyboards (and far more comfortable than the Surface Type cover), as well as the company’s more subdued style. The Miix 700 starts at $699 and will start shipping in November. Slideshow-316577

The Miix 700 packs in up to an Intel Core M7 processor, which puts it more in line with the low-powered Surface 3 than the beefy Surface Pro 3. You can still include up to 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD if you need a bit more speed and space, though. Its 12-inch screen runs at 2160 by 1440 pixels, a tad sharper than plain old 1080, and it weighs 1.7 pounds with the keyboard attached. There are also 5 megapixel front and rear cameras, and you also have the option of plugging in Intel’s RealSense 3D camera, which will let you log into Windows 10 using just your face. That’s something no Surface tablet does yet — but you can be sure Microsoft will include something similar in its next refresh (which is expected to hit in a few months).

In my short hands-on time with the Miix 700, it felt like a solid, if somewhat familiar, device. Its kickstand lays flat on its back and takes a bit of effort to pull out, and it can expand almost to around 160 degrees. The big difference from the Surface? Its hinges are prominently displayed on the Miix 700’s back, rather than being hidden under the hinge. It uses two of the same “watchband” hinges we saw on the Yoga Pro 3, a design that we ended up liking last year. I didn’t have a chance to hold the Miix 700 on my lap, but judging from the sturdiness of the keyboard and its hinge design, I expect it to be about as “lappable” as the last few Surface tablets.

More on that keyboard accessory: I can’t stress enough how great it feels. Lenovo is no stranger to quality keyboards, after all. But it’s still surprising to see it pull off a very usable keyboard on a tablet cover. It also folds up slightly onto the tablet’s screen to give the keys a bit of an angle (a design choice that Microsoft also used to stabilize its keyboard).

Still, as good as the Miix 700 looks and feels, you wouldn’t be blamed for wondering why it even exists. Lenovo has explored other detachable tablet concepts, like the Miix 2, and it’s also spent plenty of time honing its hinge technology for its many Yoga convertibles. It’s also still the largest global PC vendor, with around 20 percent of the market. One possible reason is that it may feel threatened by the growth of the Surface lineup, which would also explain why it lifted so many design choices from Microsoft. If anything, Microsoft should take it as a compliment.

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Lenovo’s new PCs include a $189 Windows laptop

Today marks the start of IFA, Europe’s largest consumer tech show, and Lenovo is kicking things off with a slew of product announcements. In addition to some new ThinkPad Yogas, the company just unveiled a handful of laptops in a variety of sizes and price ranges. Perhaps the most interesting is the Ideapad 100S, an 11.6-inch Windows machine that will retail for just $189. (There will also be a 14-inch version for $259). This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a sub-$200 notebook, but it’s interesting to see Lenovo, one of the world’s biggest PC makers, enter the super-cheap-laptop fray. Like other machines in this class, the 100S cuts corners with a low-powered processor (an Intel Celeron N3050), minimal RAM (2GB) and little on-board storage (up to 32GB). Essentially, it’s the closest thing to the Windows equivalent of a Chromebook. Speaking of the sort, Lenovo will also sell a Chrome OS version of the 100S, priced at $179. (That, too, is pretty cheap compared to the competition.)Slideshow-316531Slideshow-316532

Before I give you the rundown on the other laptops, this would be a good time to clarify that in addition to unveiling new hardware, Lenovo also just switched up its product-naming scheme, and even updated its logo. In brief: PCs will now fall into “good, better, best, bester” buckets, with the 100 series denoting budget machines like the $189 laptop I just told you about. The 300 and 500 series represent the mid range, and the “700” moniker is reserved for high-end stuff. With me so far? Well, there will be some notebooks that have an “S” appended to the end. No, that’s not for speed — this isn’t the iPhone here; it’s for slimness. That brings me to today’s lineup, which includes mid-range machines like the Ideapad 300 and 500, which are accompanied by the lighter 300S and the 500S. From there, you can get each in various screen sizes, ranging from 13 to 15 inches, which explains why you’ll see product names like 300s-14.Slideshow-316533

In any case, I promise I’m done droning on about naming schemes, and I won’t bore you with specs either: All you need to know for now is that Lenovo will be using Intel’s recently announced sixth-gen Intel Core processors (and in rare cases, AMD). Everything will ship next month, with starting prices running the gamut from $249 to $659.Slideshow-316534

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Tags: 100s, chromebook100s, hands-on, ideapad, ideapad100s, ideapad300, ideapad300s, ideapad500, ideapad500s, ifa2015, lenovo, lenovoideapad

Lenovo’s Chromebook 100S comes to North America next month

Although the company has released just three Chromebooks since early 2013, Lenovo has quietly become one of the top Chromebook manufacturers. Its devices running Chrome OS are performing very well with consumers from education and business sectors. And this fall Lenovo is going to release another Chromebook that is very affordable and pretty capable.

The Chromebook 100S is your run-of-the-mill Chromebook with an 11.6-inch (1366×768 display) and “all-day” battery life, measuring 0.78in thick and weighing 2.6lbs. Lenovo will allow certain areas of the Chromebook 100S to be upgraded, but the company has yet to detail what the base options are. So we know that this Chromebook will have up to an Intel Celeron N2840 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage (with an additional 100GB coming from Google Drive).

This wouldn’t be a Lenovo devices without a healthy amount of ports; therefore, the Chromebook 100S features one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 port, a 4-in-1 card reader, an audio jack, and an HDMI port.

Lenovo plans to begin selling the Chromebook 100S to consumers in North America in October for $179.

New Lenovo “ideas” Inspire PC Refresh for Holiday Season

Broad portfolio of Lenovo™ ideacentre™ and ideapad™ desktops, laptops and tablet

• New Lenovo™ design paired with Intel® RealSense™ Cameras and Windows® 10 deliver fresh PC performance
• ideapad™ MIIX 700 12-inch 2-in-1 tablet is recognizably different with a unique dual watchband hinge kickstand for those who value stylish design
• ideacentre™ AIO 700 desktop makes holiday season twice as nice for music and movie lovers with strong CPU performance, screen resolution and memory capacity
• ideapad™ 300 and 500 laptops are thin and light – debuting with their even thinner and lighter cousins ideapad™ 100S, 300S and 500S
• Lenovo Chromebook 100S hits affordable price points for holiday

Berlin, September 2, 2015 – Lenovo™ (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced new desktops, laptops and tablets across its popular ideacentre™ and ideapad™ sub-brands, giving discerning shoppers multiple reasons to upgrade this holiday season. The fresh portfolio of devices includes the new ideapad™ MIIX 700 2-in-1 tablet, Chromebook 100S, ideacentre™ AIO 700 desktop and new laptops – ideapad™ 300 and 500 and their thinner and lighter cousins ideapad™ 100S, 300S and 500S.

The new ideacentre™ AIO 700 desktop delivers a strong balance of power, screen resolution and memory capacity– ideal for watching videos and gaming. The new devices boast Lenovo’s new design along with improved portability and the promise of intuitive, new technology like Windows® 10 and Intel® RealSense™ Cameras. The trio of ideapad™ MIIX 700 2-in-1 tablet, ideacentre™ AI0 700 desktop and ideapad™ 500 laptop are available with optional Intel® RealSense™ Cameras so users can explore, discover and create new and intuitive ways to 3D game, video chat, scan and print through gesture-based computing.

ideapad™ MIIX 700 Tablet
A new addition to the tablet family, the ideapad™ MIIX 700 12-inch tablet with keyboard folio, is designed to stand out. Recognizably different, the 2-in-1 tablet is powered by up to a new 6th Gen Intel® Core™ m7 processor and features dual watchband hinges, creating new ways to work and play with seamless transition between laptop, stand and tablet mode – ideal for those who value stylish and progressive design.

ideacentre™ AIO 700 Home Entertainment Desktop
The new ideacentre™ AIO 700 powerful desktop boasts the latest 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor, coupled with up to a stunning 27-inch UHD 10-point multitouch display with JBL® stereo speakers for penetrating sound quality, and discrete graphics for a theatre like entertainment experience. A removable slip–off back panel provides the flexibility for tinkerers to quickly get under the hood and upgrade, expand or maintain their ideacentre™ AIO 700. The desktop is also available with Intel® RealSense™ Camera for users to engage more naturally with their PC and enjoy the next generation of user experiences with gestures through new 3D camera enabled applications.

ideapad™ Laptops Up The Portability Factor
Lenovo’s signature ideapad™ 300 and 500 laptops take portability to the next level. Weighing in at 4.6 kg for the 14-inch laptop and 5.01 kg for the 15-inch laptop, both laptops are incredibly compact and mobile. They come with up to NVIDIA® GeForce® 920 graphics, 1 TB of storage and all feature Dolby® Advanced Audio.  The lightening WiFi speed of the ideapad 300 ensures video viewing and game play runs incredibly fast. The ideapad 500 is powered by up to the latest 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor and comes with optional JBL® speakers and Intel® RealSense™ Camera.

For those who want to upgrade to an even thinner and lighter laptop, the new ideapad™ 100S, 300S and 500S are an ideal fit. Not only are the ideapad 300S and 500S thinner and lighter than their ideapad™ 300 and 500 cousins at 2.0 lbs and 3.4 lbs, respectively, all these new laptops are surprisingly affordable, making them an ideal portable travel companion.

For those times when users just want to get on the web quickly to answer emails or look something up, the Lenovo Chromebook 100S arrives at $179, making it Lenovo’s most affordable Chromebook ever. Lenovo designed the Chromebook 100S to make using it easy with its small-and-light form factor at a mere 2.6-lbs. and 11.6” high definition display. The Intel Intel™ BayTrail-M processor ups the ante for horsepower, handling multiple audio and video streams with aplomb. While great for anyone on a budget, the Chromebook has a solid, durable construction that protects against dents, bumps and scratches. The Chromebook offers a beautiful simplicity, especially given how much the web browser monopolizes people’s computing activities.

“The philosophy behind all our products is simple – customers first. Whether you are looking for greater portability, higher performance or better design, there has never been a better time for consumers to upgrade their devices this holiday season,” said Dilip Bhatia, Vice President, Worldwide Marketing and User Experience, PC & Enterprise Business Group, Lenovo.

“The new ideacentre™ and ideapad™ devices combine Lenovo’s elegant design with the great performance of the new 6th Gen Intel® Core™ processor, Intel’s best processor ever. We are delighted to offer holiday shoppers exciting experiences with the new 6th Gen Intel® Core™ processor and the Intel® RealSense™ Camera in these amazing new systems from Lenovo,” said Kirk Skaugen, Intel’s Senior Vice President, General Manager, Client Computing Group.

All Lenovo products are available on www.lenovo.com.

The ideapad™ MIIX 700 starts at $699, available November, 2015.
The ideacentre™ AIO 700 24” starts at $1099; 27” $1,899, available October, 2015The ideapad™ 300 14” starts at $399; 15” $549, available October, 2015.
The ideapad™ 500 14” starts at $499; 15” $599, available October, 2015.
The ideapad 100S 11” starts at $189; 14” $259 available October, 2015.
The Lenovo Chromebook 100S 11” starts at $179, available October, 2015.
The ideapad 300S 11” starts at $249, available October, 2015.
The ideapad 500S 13” starts at $499; 14” $659, available October, 2015.

*Prices do not include tax or shipping or options and are subject to change without notice; additional terms and conditions apply. Reseller prices may vary. On-shelf dates may vary by geography and products may only be available in selected markets. All offers subject to availability. Lenovo reserves the right to alter product offerings, features and specifications at any time without notice.

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $46 billion global Fortune 500 company and a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and enterprise technology. Our portfolio of high-quality, secure products and services covers PCs (including the legendary Think and multimode YOGA brands), workstations, servers, storage, smart TVs and a family of mobile products like smartphones (including the Motorola brand), tablets and apps. Join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@Lenovo) or visit us at www.lenovo.com.

LENOVO, ideacentre, ideapad are trademarks of Lenovo. Intel, RealSense, Core are trademarks of Intel. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft. NVIDIA, GeForce are trademarks of NVIDIA. Dolby is a trademark of Dolby. JBL is a trademark of Harman International. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2015, Lenovo Group Limited.

Come comment on this article: Lenovo’s Chromebook 100S comes to North America next month