8.9 Inch Lenovo Netbook On It’s Way

Buried in a press release about Lenovo tapping Taiwanese laptop maker Quanta Computer to manufacture its new series of netbooks, due for release in Q3/08 (AKA right around the corner) , I found some interesting clues as to the device specs

According to the PR, Lenovo will initially release two netbook models: a 8.9-inch and a 10-1-inch, both with Intel Atom processors. Ignoring the recent trend to SSDs, the netbooks will also feature a 160GB hard drive and come in four different chassis colors. Pricing will be set around US$399-599.

A 399 buck, 8.9 inch Lenovo netbook with a 160GB HD could be a very attractive option, depending on how the Dell E fares in the market. As Asus insists on spewing out more Eee models then I can list while keeping a straight face, and other vendors such as MSi continue to have trouble getting supplies into stores, let alone to customers. a decent Lenovo alternative at the right price point could do very well in a crowded market.

So are there ANY major laptop vendors that haven’t at least announced plans to produce a netbook yet? LG maybe…Toshiba…that’s about it, isn’t it? I need to find a scorecard.


http://mobilitysite.com/2008/08/89-inch ... n-its-way/

 

Yes there are.

 

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site ... ewsLang=en

via engadget...

ooh, sony is releasing a netbook with a VIA NANO!

thats just made the decision loads harder, harder still if they spec it as well as an EEE (bluetooth, webcam, wireless N, Perhaps 3G?) and price it as well as the AA1.. but, it is a sony, so it will be more expensive than all the others...

i hope i eat my words

 

Are Lenovo notebooks any good? I really haven't heard of this brand. Can some one give me some insight for those that have purchased a Lenovo noteboook.. Thanks

 

aka IBM

 

New Lenovo S10 in Trustedreviews.

Nice looking and good price.

 

my mate had a lenovo, he didn't treat it particularly well and it held up admirably. but eventually, abuse takes its toll. the lenovo was no more

 

As said, Lenovo bought the laptop brands and manufacturing from IBM, and atleast in the ThinkPad series, the quality is where it used to be with IBM. I have a T61p at work and the machine is just plain brilliant. I admit, they're pretty dull and black, but the build quality, noise, or the lack of it, keyboard and about everything else in it is superb.

 

well.. this netbook looks like a change of direction for lenovo..

it looks brilliant!, still prefer the AA1 though

 

FYI, Lenovo Ideapad S9 (the 8.9/9 inch version) has the same housing as S10 (the 10 inch version). It seems it's just the screen getting smaller.

Hong.

 

and i think about $50 dollars cheaper..

id rather spend the extra £25 to get a bigger screen, but i still prefer the AA1

 

With $50 more you get a bigger screen, built in Bluetooth, 1.3MP webcam, larger HDD, ExpressCard slot, and front facing speakers. It's not a bad deal if you can wait, and tolerate the slightly larger footprint.

 

I was interested especially since IBM ThinkPads have such beautiful keyboards.

Then, as I posted in forums elsewhere, I saw some review pictures and saw that the up arrow key is interposed between the ?/ and tiny shift keys. This is just like the ASUS eePC and the Dell E/Mini Inspiron. Why do they do that? It really stuffs up touch typing if you're used to a normal KB.

I think it's really important to see the units on offer and actually give each a go before parting with your hard-earned cash. But I guess each person will have different priorities. But for me and from a keyboard point of view, only the Aspire One, MSI Wind and HP Notebook are options for me as I use the keyboard a lot.

Maybe someone can put together a spreadsheet with all the specs and allow individual users to put a weighting for each spec and then it can spit out the ideal netbook for that person.

Personally, I'm leaning towards the AA1!

 

I saw the 10" Lenovo S10 at a local CompUSA this week. I would have bought it except for the small right shift key. I later found out that while everything I had read indicated built in Bluetooth, the ones being sold in the US will not have built in Bluetooth. Nobody so far has figured out if Bluetooth can be user added. I really loved the 10" display in the same size case as an Aspire One. I also love the easy access to the memory and hard disk. And Lenovo's support has to be better than Acers (it could not possibly be worse).

So for me, I have waited this long and don't have an absolute need for a netbook, so I will just keep waiting and hoping someone gets all the features I want in their netbook.

 

this is way off topic, sorta; have you noticed the sylvania netbook? looks good:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... CatId=2289

 

I think there's another thread somewhere on the Sylvania. I saw one at J&R when I went to get my AA1, and considered it, especially as it had Ubuntu rather than some peculiar ASUS/Acer like Linux on it.

However, like another poster on this thread, the keyboard is very important to me, including the | key. They had that on the left side somewhere, around where the Acer has its Function key, I think. The keyboard itself was also, even disregarding that, more cramped than the Acer's.

 

thanks, I agree that acer has a good keyboard. I'm just spooked by the numerous failures I read about on this forum. I can't afford to use a tool that might go dark on me at a moment's notice.

thanks again for the hands-on info

 

I think most of those things are concerns of the past, are they not? I haven't had a single problem with mine. I think it was a BIOS issue (but don't hold me to that...) and any AAO being shipped now is sure to have the more stable BIOS installed out of the box. Check this thread for AAO Success Stories.