Research Triangle Park, N.C. — Lenovo has released several new computers across their laptop, netbook and all-in-one lines (AIO).

The new netbook is the next-generation 12-inch IdeaPad S12. It is the follow-up on the S10-2 released earlier this month.

In addition to the larger, 12-inch display, the new netbook features a thinner and lighter industrial design, said Charles Farmer, Lenovo’s consumer marketing manager, all of which was done at the behest of the company’s customers.

The S12 has a $449 suggested retail, but consumers can buy add an Nvidia graphics card for an extra $50. Other features include an Intel Atom N270 processor; 1GB of DDR2 h33MHz memory; 160GB, 250GB or 320GB hard drives; and a 3-cell or 6-cell battery option.

The S12, and the other new models, will be available in late June through Lenovo’s online store. Other retailers will be announced at that time, Farmer said. The Nvidia option will not be available until late summer.

Lenovo’s new thin and light laptop offering is the U350. It has a 13.3-inch display and will be available with several different Intel processors options, including the ultra-low voltage and small form factor chipsets. It can support up to 8GB of DDR3 1,066 MHz memories, a 500GB hard drive and an eight-cell battery. It weighs 3.5 pounds. Suggested retail is $649.

The G550 will be available in several configurations, including versions with a 15-inch or 14-inch display, an Intel Centrino2 Core2Duo 2.26GHz processor, Nvidia GeForce G105M graphics, 4GB of DDR3 memory and a $599 price tag.

The C300 is Lenovo’s latest all-in-one offering. The unit is based on a 20-inch LCD, uses Atom 230 processors, has up to 2GB of DDR2 memory and will have hard drive options ranging in capacity from 160GB to 640GB.

Source: http://www.twice.com/article/CA6660631.html Read More

Loose lips sink ships. Or, in the mobile space, they lead to juicy rumors.

This morning, software maker BSquared released a press release that hinted PC maker Dell was involved in launchig a new netbook powered by Google (NSDQ: GOOG) lightweight Android operating system. The press release seemed to confirm that Dell is indeed working with Android over the past several months.

This is where it gets interestin., Dell fired out a statement later today to announce that the press release was a mistake. There was no mention of whether it was the timing of the press release or the reference to Dell’s Android plans, only that the PR was accidentally published.

Dell has been rumored to have an Android device in the works, and this latest leak seems to confirm as much. What we could be looking at here is a case of a PR director’s itchy trigger finger announcing Dell’s Android plans before Dell. Now that would be interesting!

Source: http://www.intomobile.com/2009/05/06/dell-working-on-android-powered-netbook.html

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Microsoft Windows 7 is the next release of the Windows client operating system, built on the secure foundation of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

Performance, reliability, security, and compatibility are core tenets of this release as we collect your feedback to meet our engineering goals of making Windows 7 the best-performing and most stable Windows operating system to date. New innovations in the product are designed to augment your ability as an IT professional to better provision and manage increasingly mobile PCs, protect data, and improve both end-user and personal productivity.

This is the 64-bit version of Windows 7.

You can directly download from this URL, but you'll need to paste it into your browser's address bar.

Source: http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Microsoft-Windows-7-64bit/1231525922/2

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Asustek Computer plans to launch an 11.6-inch Eee PC later this month, but will still consider 10-inch the mainstream specification for 2009, accounting for 50% of total shipments, while 11.6-inch models will account for 30%, according to company president Jerry Shen.

The company will launch a 15.6-inch mid-range to high-end CULV-based ultra-thin notebook, the XS15, priced at 799-999 euro (US$1063-1330) and a 13.3-inch model priced at 599-699 euro in July. The company also plans to launch 14-inch models this year, Shen noted.

Shen also pointed out that panel supplies will have a chance to suffer shortages in May and June, while DRAM may see price increases, but is unlikely to face a shortage.

Source: http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20090504PD205.html

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How long does Microsoft plan to keep selling copies of its Windows Vista operating system after the upcoming launch of Windows 7? The company isn't saying.

With previous versions of Windows, Microsoft used a transition period when old and new versions of Windows were available to help corporate customers manage their transition to the new version of the operating system.

This time Microsoft aims to put the ghosts of its Vista troubles to rest as soon as possible, and could stop selling Vista as soon as Windows 7 is released.

"We are still not sure if [computer makers] will be able to ship Vista once Windows 7 is made available. Having said that, an enterprise customer that purchases a PC with Windows 7 pre-installed is allowed to downgrade to Vista should they desire, similar to what we have today on Vista to XP," wrote Richard Francis, general manager and Windows client business group lead at Microsoft Asia-Pacific, in an e-mail.

Microsoft will stop supporting all versions of Vista in April 2012, Francis said.
The launch of Windows 7 could take place within a few months from now. Last week, the company released the final beta version of the software, one of the last steps before locking down the code and sending the finished operating system to computer makers.

Microsoft had high hopes for Vista, but users found the OS sluggish on some computers and they complained about the number of permission prompts required for some tasks. Dissatisfaction with Vista kept user demand high for Windows XP, but many companies -- including Eastman Chemical and Continental Airlines, among others listed on Microsoft's Web site -- decided to roll out Vista within their organizations.

Microsoft appears to be betting that Vista won't be missed once Windows 7 is released.

"It's been a long time since we've had a version of Windows that will actually run better [than the previous version] on the hardware that most customers have," said Mike Nash, corporate vice president of the Windows product management group at Microsoft, during a conference call with reporters last Thursday.
Compared to Vista, Windows 7 will be faster and work better on systems such as netbooks, which have less powerful processors and less memory than other computers, he said.

While Microsoft hasn't detailed plans for Vista after the launch of Windows 7, Nash said Windows XP will continue to be available on netbooks for one year after the launch of the new operating system.

source: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/164272/microsoft_mum_on_vista_plans_after_windows_7_launch.html

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Apple Prepping Cheaper and More Affordable Macs

Owing to the soaring popularity of cheap netbooks in ongoing economic situation, Apple is gearing up to slash prices of some of its renowned Mac models, according to a report from AppleInsider.

The new set of rumours suggests that Apple is all set to come up with less-expensive versions of its 13-inch Macbook and iMac devices in as early as in a month. As of now, the cheapest Macbook model costs $999 and the iMac range starts at $1,199.

“It’s believed that the first batch of more affordable Macs could turn up as early as this spring as part of a restructured MacBook line”, the report says.

The report further stated that the expected price-cut isn’t actually a response to Microsoft’s recent ad campaign that targets Mac as overly cool and expensive device, but it is tailored to get some space in netbook market that saw incredible rise in sales during past year.

Apple doesn’t have any presence in netbook domains, saying that these are compromised systems sporting “cramped keyboard, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens, and a [a poor] consumer experience”.

But, with around 3 percent decline in Mac sales in the first quarter from a period year ago, coupled with a significant rise in netbook sales, it seems that Apple has finally acknowledged the significance of these small-sized systems.

Source: http://www.itproportal.com/portal/news/article/2009/5/4/rumour-apple-prepping-cheaper-more-affordable-macs/

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T-Mobile is plans to make two new devices running on the Google Android platform early next year. The wireless carrier will introduce a home phone and a tablet computer, both powered by Google's mobile operating system.

Confidential documents cited by The New York Times suggest that alongside its current offering of Google Android devices (T-Mobile G1 and soon the G2), T-Mobile will venture into unchartered waters with a home phone and a small form factor tablet computer, also powered by Google's mobile OS.

The home phone from T-Mobile is said to plug into a docking station and also come with another device used to synchronize data while it recharges the battery. The tablet computer will feature a seven-inch touchscreen and won't have any physical keyboard.

T-Mobile was the first wireless carrier in the world to launch a Google Android phone -- the T-Mobile G1. Despite starting off slowly, Android gained user traction and more mobile phone manufacturers committed to building devices using it. The wireless carrier will launch the T-Mobile G2, its second iteration of the Google phone later on this year.

After delaying its Android offering, Samsung is also set to launch several new Google devices, the first one reportedly coming out in June. Motorola is building an Android phone as well, with an expected launch date sometime in October.

For more information visit here

http://www.pcworld.com/article/162636/tmobile_to_use_google_android_os_for_home_devices.html

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Suggestion: Fun With Google Suggest

Google Suggest is a Google Search feature that automatically completes a search query with suggested phrases as you type in the Google search text field. Suggestions are meant to be helpful--but they can sometimes be funny, bizarre, or downright creepy.

We initially got lassoed into playing around with this Google feature when we noticed that select search queries were generating inexplicably odd auto-complete suggestions. The phrase "What would Jesus..." generated the suggestion "What would Jesus do for a Klondike bar?"

First, though, a bit of background. Google says that its software makes suggestions based on complex popularity algorithms that are designed to predict the queries you are most likely to want to submit. Suggestions appear in a drop-down menu; and next to the suggested search phrases are green numbers approximating how many search results each particular query would return.

Google Suggest works with current versions of the Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Chrome Web browsers. If you find the service annoying, you can turn it off by visiting your Google Preferences page.

We spent way too much time playing with this feature. We were hoping Google Suggest might shed some light on important questions such as “The meaning to life is...” But what we found instead was "The meaning to life is Christopher Walken." Who knew?

What follows are funny and sometimes insightful answers to random questions.

For more fun with Google services, check out:

• -- The Strangest Sights in Google Earth
• -- Strangest Sights in Google Street View
• -- Google's Top 17 Easter Eggs, Gags, and Hoaxes

And as the search results pictured above suggest, when you've had your fill of fun with Google, you can turn your attention to "fun with goats."

For more images and information visit here

http://www.pcworld.com/article/162591/fun_with_google_suggest.html

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