Lenovo IdeaPad Y560 Series 064656U 15.6-Inch Laptop (Grey) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Purchased this laptop in the 8GB RAM version about a month ago. I always wait at least that long to render judgement so I have time to put it through all sorts of normal operations. After extensive work/play/school use I think the following best describes this unit. You can do better in this price range.
Pros:
Super fast!!
Keyboard key press feel is good
Can do basically anything and everything
Nice looking design
Can play current games on mid-high settings
HDMI output
Cons:
Screen glare is terrible, good luck using this thing outside.
Case and especially the lid are flimsy
Battery life is atrocious when cranking the graphics card during gaming (to be expected with MOST gaming worthy laptops)
USB port location is seriously misguided (right near my hand/mouse? really lenovo???)
Will constantly mess with your screen brightness / power settings until you manually disable those functions (stupid ambient light sensor)
Bloatware (mostly from lenovo) easily removed but still..when will they get the hint?
Bugs: I list this seperate from cons because these generally are not systemic but some users may experience them. (As I did.)
Tries to boot from USB ports occasionally, had to disable boot function for all but the HD and DVD drive. This should have been done by the factory.
Has frozen / hung up several times when returning from standby mode.
Summary: after a month of tweaking and adjusting I finally got this thing setup to my liking. But for the price I would at least expect some aluminum in the case construction and a better laid out set of I/O's. I expected better from lenovo given the quality of the (IBM) thinkpad.

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Mobile Movie Theater.Fun is a notebook that brings multimedia to life.Introducing the IdeaPad Y560 notebook with OneKey™ Theater II. The Lenovo® IdeaPad™ Y560 notebook, powered by an Intel® Core™ i7 processor with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, can automatically adapt its performance to your needs.This multimedia notebook also comes with discrete ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD graphics, Blu-Ray Disc Drive and OneKey™ Theater II to deliver sharp and vibrant video with stunning clarity on a 15.6" HD widescreen, while Dolby® Home Theater™ surround sound and JBL® speakers make for an exhilarating sound experience.And with SlideNav, an intelligent touch-sensitive slide bar, there\'s a new way to navigate your favorite desktop shortcuts.The IdeaPad Y560 also features Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows® 7, which provides faster boot and shutdown times, plus a richer multimedia experience.Best of all, it\'s from Lenovo, makers of the award-winning ThinkPad.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y560 Key Features
Key Specifications

Intel® Core™ i7-740QM processor with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64 bit
15.6 inch HD LED backlight display, 16:9 widescreen
High-performance multimedia: 6GB DDR3 memory and 640GB HDD storage
Integrated high-speed WiFi
Blu-Ray Disc Drive
Lenovo Energy Management 5.0 enables extended battery life, long-term battery durability and lower noise output through dynamic fan control

GET ENTERTAINED

Dolby® Home Theater™ surround sound with JBL® designed speakers
Discrete ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5730 Graphics
OneKey™ Theater II - intelligent one-touch audio-visual optimization for clearer, brighter images and richer audio
SlideNav - intelligent touch-sensitive slide bar for easy desktop navigation
Integrated web camera

REST EASY

Ambient Light Sensor protects your eyes by automatically adjusting screen brightness based on ambient light conditions
OneKey Rescue System for quick and easy data recovery with antivirus protection
VeriFace facial recognition technology - a fun way to log in to your PC

A BETTER WINDOWS 7 EXPERIENCE

Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows 7 provides a faster, richer and easier way to use your PC







OneKey Rescue System
VeriFace Face Recognition
Lenovo Energy Management
Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows 7

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Lenovo IdeaPad Y530-7343U 15.4-Inch Laptop (2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is my second Lenovo notebook. The first one was a ThinkPad R61 which I liked very much. It got stolen out of the back of my car. So, liking the Lenovo product, I bought a new one. The product I am reviewing is similar to the "item being reviewed," the main differences being that I have a 2.0G processor where this one has a 2.13G processor.
Build Quality:
Lenovo is the company which manufactured IBM's laptop computers. IBM's laptops were designed for business users. They were tough enough to be dragged around everywhere. It continues to make laptop computers which are more road friendly than the competition, even in this unit which is "home user" oriented. On most of the competition's laptop computers for school and home use, you can twist the lid/screen and there is a good deal of flex. Not so here. This means the screen is less likely to get damaged or cracked. The rest of the case similarly has little flex which means it is well built. While the keyboard is not up to the quality of the ThinkPad line, it is still very good and does not have much flex or bend when you type on it. It is a bit heavy weighing in at over 6 lbs, but it is worth it to me when I consider that it is less likely to break.
XP Drivers available on-line:
The Y530 comes with Vista Home Premium. Mine has the 64 bit o/s. I hate Vista. It is bloated, slow, overly intrusive, the Start Menu was modified poorly from XP, it is cumbersome to find any administrative tools and it does not work with many pieces of business software. When Microsoft updates their operating systems, it seems that only their software works on the newer o/s. WordPerfect X3 (the better word processor!), Paperport 11.0, older versions of WordPerfect and Legal Solutions Plus and many older game programs simply won't work properly, even when you tell the system to run the program in XP mode. This, I suspect, is the reason about 75% of the business computers still run XP.
Vista Ultimate and Business come with downgrade rights to XP. Here, no such rights exist; HOWEVER, Lenovo provides drivers and software on line so you can load XP!!! (XP is faster than Vista and runs everything I need!) I will be downgrading.
Performance:
I get the following benchmarks with Vista:
Performance Test 6.1: 525.7
PC Wizard (not valid because of 64 bit o/s) = 2047
3DMark 01 = 5193
3DMark 03 = 2269
3DMark 05 = 1199
3DMark 06 = 905
SuperPI calculation of PI to 1M places takes 29.25 seconds.
PLEASE REMEMBER, MINE HAS THE SLOWER PROCESSOR SO THIS SHOULD BE ABOUT 5 - 10% FASTER!
In short, this machine is not as fast as my 2 year old XP based desktop which has a 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo with 2G of memory, an ATI All In Wonder X800XL video card on a Gigabyte 965G-DS3 motherboard running XP. This box is not up to speed for modern gamers. It has good speed as a home entertainment and business/school oriented system. An O/S downgrade to XP would no doubt give you an extra 10% or so of speed.
Appearance and Functionality:
Lenovo still goes with the industrial black look. The outside is plain dull black which is textured so as to make it easier to grip. None of the high gloss colored plastic stuff that is on so many HPs and Dells and Sony Vaios.
Inside, you get a piano black high gloss plastic surrounding the 15.4" screen. The hinge is in the back of the machine, and rather than clamp the screen on the top of the box, the lid is bent and wraps around the computer/keyboard/electronics bottom section. The keyboard is surrounded by a single piece of brushed metal with a black touch sensitive multimedia controls above the keyboard and an orange volume control on the right side of the touch controls.
The box contains five speakers, including an alleged subwoofer which fires downward under the computer. I would look at the Toshibas with the HK speaker systems for a better audio performance.
It comes with a multi-card reader slot, dual layer dvd/CD writer, HDMI output, VGA output, 3 USB ports, modem, ethernet port, built in WIFI, Dolby Digital sound system, microphone and 1.3 megapixel camera in the lid. It includes Veriface software which allows the computer to enter your log-on password using just your image. The Veriface software is very sensitive, and works only from the right distance and at the same angle. It does not seem to be available on XP.
Cons:
Unlike HP, the keyboard has no angle to it, so you are typing on a slightly uncomfortable surface if you have it on a desk or table. There are four small rubber pieces which protect the screen when the lid is closed. Two are right under your wrists and my writs rub against them unless I wear a long sleve shirt. It comes with Vista and a trial version of Norton Anti-virus, which I find ineffective and annoying.
The high gloss screen is a little too high gloss and too reflective under certain circumstances.
Conclusion:
Based on the price to performance ratio, excelent build quality and availability of XP drivers on line, I would not hesitate to purchase this unit again.

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Lenovo 59-018790 IdeaPad (Black)

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Lenovo Ideapad Y560 0646-2EU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Let me start off by saying that this is a very fast computer. I7 makes it a blaze and with 4 gigs of ram it holds its on on any advanced program or game. The videocard in it is more than enough to run Modern Warfare 2 at some high settings and it'll run most things without a hitch. It is relatively slim as a desktop replacement laptop. I categorize it as a desktop replacement for a few reasons I'll explain later on. Now, other things that it does well - size and weight are great for all of the power that you get. The build is pretty solid, although I could go for a studier base.. it'll give you a little flex if you pick it up from the corner.
Now the cons:
The battery life is very short, but what can you expect while running a quad core and a dedicated graphics card.
Mobility wise you can pack it up and bring it around with you but with very little juice and time on the go you better bring along a power cord. Also, the size makes it so that it'll fit into a backpack but you are going to feel this thing when you are taking it around with you. I came from a 13'' macbook pro that I thought was fantastic for mobility and for battery life but it lacked on the speed realm.
The screen.. come on, this should be at least a 1680x1080 screen. There's no reason for it to be 13XX by 7XX. The screen itself is decent, it's nothing terrible but it is not on par with MBP's screens.
The track pad is a little too grippy for my tastes, and you'll have to drag your finger around with some force to get it going.
The track pad placement is not the best, as I hit it constantly with the bottom of my palm while I am typing on the keyboard. It could be / should be placed a little differently... I didn't have much trouble typing with the MPB again but with this I am getting my cursor pushed around and put into the middle of my sentences causing me to go back and fix them.
Now for the ugly:
This computer Blue screen of deathed on a regular basis and hard locked when doing too much video and audio at the same time. I looked into this is great detail on Lenovo's forums and I have fixed it somewhat. I got rid of the original bloatware installation of Windows 7 and found a regular version to install. After that I updated all of the drivers as best I could, and then I updated the BIOS as well. I sometimes still get some hard locks, although very rarely now. Also, I get the "BIG POINTER" problem that sometimes shows up for other users of this particular laptop. So with that said I had some serious functionality problems getting this laptop to run correctly for me. I had ubuntu on it for a time and it ran without a hitch, but why are we going to be putting ubuntu on a $1000 semi gaming computer? Doesn't add up for me at least.Would I recommend it?
I think its a great computer when it works. I think if you know what you are getting into you are going to get a deal. I think that if it worked constantly I wouldn't have a reason not to recommend it. If I didn't have the functionality issues with it I'd tell people that the screen is a little weak but it's a hell of a deal with all that horsepower in it. Think of it as a dragster that has weak brakes.. super fast, but not the most functional for day to day driving.
I would not recommend it only because I would have gone with a ThinkPad not an "Ideapad" This is obviously a cheaper and less reliable solution to a ThinkPad and it is more geared towards your gamer crowd than your business crowd. If I could do it again I would go ThinkPad without a second thought. Who needs I7 in a computer that's only going to run an hour - hour and a half without a power cable? Get this computer as a desktop replacement that's more affordable and smaller than a $2000 alienware.
If you want mobility and more functionality, go with a ThinkPad or equivalent.

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Mobile Movie Theater.Fun is a notebook that brings multimedia to life.Introducing the IdeaPad Y560 notebook with OneKey™ Theater II. The Lenovo® IdeaPad™ Y560 notebook can automatically adapt its performance to your needs, thanks to the Intel® Core™ i7 processor with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.This multimedia notebook also comes with OneKey™ Theater II to deliver sharp and vibrant video with stunning clarity on a 15.6" HD widescreen, while Dolby® Home Theater™ surround sound and JBL® speakers make for an exhilarating sound experience.And with SlideNav, an intelligent touch-sensitive slide bar, there\'s a new way to navigate your favorite desktop shortcuts.The IdeaPad Y560 also features Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows® 7, which provides faster boot and shutdown times, plus a richer multimedia experience.Best of all, it\'s from Lenovo, makers of the award-winning ThinkPad.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y560 Key Features
Key Specifications

Intel® Core™ i7-720QM processor
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
15.6 inch high-definition LED backlight display, 16:9 widescreen
High-performance multimedia: 4GB DDR3 memory and 500GB HDD storage
Integrated high-speed WiFi
DVD reader/writer
Lenovo Energy Management 5.0 enables extended battery life, long-term battery durability and lower noise output through dynamic fan control

GET ENTERTAINED

Dolby® Home Theater™ surround sound with JBL® designed speakers
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD5730 1GB graphics support and HDMI output
OneKey™ Theater II - intelligent one-touch audio-visual optimization for clearer, brighter images and richer audio
SlideNav - intelligent touch-sensitive slide bar for easy desktop navigation
Integrated web camera

REST EASY

Ambient Light Sensor protects your eyes by automatically adjusting screen brightness based on ambient light conditions
OneKey Rescue System for quick and easy data recovery with antivirus protection
VeriFace facial recognition technology - a fun way to log in to your PC

A BETTER WINDOWS 7 EXPERIENCE

Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows 7 provides a faster, richer and easier way to use your PC







OneKey Rescue System
VeriFace Face Recognition
Lenovo Energy Management
Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows 7

Get 12% OFF

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Lenovo Ideapad G560 0679-4TU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)When I sold computers in the 80's, I used to tell customers do the following: Make a big cross on a piece of paper. Mark the First box APPLICATION, the Second box PRICE, the Third box FEATURES and the Fourth Box I Forget (Hey, the 80's were 30 years ago and I've killed off half my brain cells since then in partying!!!). Under APPLICATION, I wrote BUSINESS COMPUTER (hvy typing, business powerpoint graphics presentations, hvy internet surfing) and Music Downloads). Under Price I went C-H-E-A-P (sub $600.00) as I had recently lost my job through my whistleblowing efforts. Under Features, I demanded a GOOD touchType keyboard as the 'deal killer' (NO CHICKLET KeyBoard for me!!!), a 15.6" LED Screen, 4GB Ram (DDR3's) 320GB HD and an INTEL Core i5 processor (because I wanted a system I could use, abuse and throw away after FIVE YEARS). I left the Fourth Box Blank (although I could have put SOFTWARE as in WIN 7 64bit OPSYS) in memorium to my dead brain cells.
The LENOVO (Ex IBM) G560 Essentials is the KING of the throw away Business Computers and I would recommend it STRONGLY for all HS/College Students/Business Professionals as a CHEAP but Great Computer.
STRENGHTS: C-H-E-A-P!!! Although it retails for $699.00 list, I paid $549.00 for mine at a Brick & Mortar Electronics store. If you pay more than $600.00 for it, you've been ripped off!!!
CPU: Intel Corei5-450 Dual Core with Hyperthreading. FYI, Intel only makes one chip, the Core-i7. It sells broken/detuned Corei7 chips as Corei5s and Corei3s. Don't buy the Corei3 chips as they will be obsolete two years after you take the computer home. Hold out for a Corei5 machine.
RAM: 4GB DDR3s---can be upped to 8GB but you have to throw away the perfectly good twin banked 2GB sticks. I say up yer RAM in 2.5 years when prices drop
CHIPSET: The extremely mediocre HM57. If a CPU is analogious to a car's engine, the CHIPSET is analogious to the transmission---it doesn't matter if you have a SuperCharged 640 BHP engine if you can't get your tranny out of 2D Gear!!!
KEYBOARD/Screen. Keyboard is THE BEST on the market and the 15.6" LED screen is very good. This sold the machine for me. I also liked Aluminum wristpad=a nice tactile feel for what is a soft, flimsy 'plastically' computer.
BATTY MGT: Battery (LiON) is good at approximately 3hrs typing mode or 1.5hrs game mode
HD: 320GB This is the Absolute minumum you should accept. Don't spend more $ for more space now that External 1Tetrabyte drives are going for $69.00 each and 2T externals are going for under $100.00
Features: 2 USBs, 1 eSATAp port (use this for external HD hook-up) and a HDMI port (which is wasteful as the graphics can't handle HD/BlueRay resolution).
Weaknesses: THIS IS NOT A GAMING PLATFORM!!! The HM57 Chipset is bad enough but when coupled with Intel's integrated HD Graphics card (one step up from its wretched 4500 integrated graphics card), it barely reproduces VGA graphics, let alone HD stuff. HP makes a good BlueRay ready computer with dedicated graphics card which will cream this computer BUT the keyboard sucks!!!
SOUND: SUCKS---the sound quality from my Sprint phone sounds better!!! So What? Ever hear of HEADPHONES? A stand alone computer amp with integrated sub/Pre-amp? I N-E-V-E-R take my computer out anywhere without my TRAVELPRO rolling suiter which has room for my joystick and my computer amp. NOTHING freaks fellow travelers out when I start running over screaming/cursing pedestrians or lobbing molotov cocktails at screaming gangbangers in GTA Vice City (an ancient 2002 game).
RECOMMENDATION: A GREAT SCHOOL/Business THROW AWAY Sub $600.00 Notebook. It is thin, modern looking and types great. I H-A-T-E computers because they age like a carton of milk. Take home a $2,000.00 desktop replacement laptop and SIXTEEN DAYS LATER, a better computer at 1/2 the price will be for sale---thus invalidating your buying decision, your mental soundness, your manhood. I paid $549.00 for mine so when the price drops to nothing or something better hits the market, I can shrugg "Whattya want---I bought a throw away computer for $549.00 and I already got my money's worth outta it". A Core i5 for $549? BUY IT, USE IT, THROW IT AWAY!

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Affordable Technology.Fun is getting the latest technology at an affordable price—the Lenovo G560 with the new Intel® Core™ i5 processor. The Lenovo® G560 notebook features an Intel® Core™ i5 processor with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology* for an extra GHz when you need it. It also includes Lenovo Energy Management 5.0 which protects the long-term life of the battery by preventing unnecessary recharges, and uses advanced energy-saving technology to increase time spent away from the wall outlet. In addition to HD graphics support and a large 15.6" widescreen display, the Lenovo G560 also includes OneKey™ Rescue System, which makes data backup and recovery quick and easy. And with Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows® 7, the Lenovo G560 delivers fast boot and shutdown, richer multimedia capabilities and easy system maintenance tools. All in all, the Lenovo G560 is more than the average affordable notebook.And, it\'s from Lenovo, makers of the award-winning ThinkPad.®
Lenovo G560 Notebook Key Features
Key Specifications

Intel® Core™ i5 processor
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
Lenovo Energy Management 5.0 enables extended battery life, long-term battery durability and lower noise output through dynamic fan control

GET ENTERTAINED

15.6 inch high-definition LED backlight display, 16:9 widescreen
HD graphics support and HDMI output
High-performance multimedia: 4GB DDR3 memory and 320GB HDD storage
DVD reader/writer
Integrated high-speed WiFi
Numeric keypad for easier data logging and gaming
Integrated web camera

REST EASY

OneKey Rescue System for quick and easy data recovery with antivirus protection
VeriFace facial recognition technology - a fun way to log in to your PC

A BETTER WINDOWS 7 EXPERIENCE

Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows 7 provides a faster, richer and easier way to use your PC







OneKey Rescue System
VeriFace Face Recognition
Multimedia Features
Lenovo Energy Management
VibrantView Displays
Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows 7

Get 5% OFF

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Lenovo G550 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm a presentation technology specialist and I use laptops everyday for presentations and normally I would never buy a computer that costs less than $1200. Anything less than that and you're asking for performance problems on all fronts; processor, RAM, graphics and hard drive.
First things first, this computer only cost $549 dollars or less.
This computer is not a workhorse by any means and is ugly as only a mother could love.
That being said, this is what can you expect.
Flimsy plastic body construction? Check.
The plastic looks and feels as cheap as what you paid for. Think of a low end DVD player that you can pick up at Walmart for $30 dollars. This computer does flex on the bottom but as long as you don't handle it like the "American Tourister Gorilla" you'll be fine. It does have a raised texture pattern on the surface to help you grip it better. The screen does not have a latch to secure it but that is not detrimental to me. One reviewer commented that the DVD drive popped open a couple of times because of the flexing of the case and I would refute that claim and suggest that it happens when a thumb or finger presses the eject button, inadvertently, as has happened to me.
Intel shared video performance? Check. Poor lcd viewing angles? Check.
The Intel chipset can use as much as a Gb of RAM to help with graphics. Mine is currently using 57Mb. This screen is great for direct viewing only. As for off viewing angles, I often laugh when people complain about this. How often do you view your work on a laptop from any position other than directly in front of the screen. I have been using it to watch DVD and Streaming movies on Netflix with no performance problems. I also use Corel Draw 13 and Corel Painter 10 and it runs those programs equally fine. It also runs TrialDirector, a special presentation software, surprisingly well for non-dedicated video graphics. I won't be running Maya or Max or any highend 3-D apps or games on it so there is no expectation to be crushed on that point.
Windows XP Professional loaded? Check. Windows 7 Professional 32 bit on disk? Check.
Netbooks primarily ship with Windows 7 Starter and that version is severely diminished in functionality. I highly recommend setting this computer to dual boot keeping both operating systems intact. You can always reformat later.
Large 15.6 inch screen? Check. Fullsize keyboard with numeric pad? Check.
I bought this as opposed to a netbook because of the screen. My eyesight is pretty bad and I prefer having a larger screen.
The keyboard is fullsize and typing in numbers on the numeric key pad is a plus for me. The only flaw I find on the keyboard is the placement of the Function key. It is located on the outside of the left hand side Control key which is counter-intuitive to the better quality laptops I'm using.
This Lenovo is considered their "value line" series so don't buy this and expect alot and you will most likely be pleased with the performance.

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The fully-loaded notebook that doesn't unload your wallet.The all purpose Lenovo G550 notebook comes with features like a 15.6-Inch LED backlight display, integrated graphics and high-quality stereo speakers with 3D audio enhancement to deliver edge-of-the-seat entertainment. Plus its OneKey Rescue System and VeriFace Facial Recognition Technology help safeguard data at all times. What’s more, with its affordable price tag, this feature-loaded notebook won’t empty your wallet either. Best of all, it’s from Lenovo, makers of the award-winning ThinkPad.OneKey Rescue System - With the touch of a button, you can restore the system and recover valuable data. The OneKey Rescue System also recovers essential system files in the event of corruption, and can be used to initiate a virus scan before entering Windows.VeriFace Facial Recognition Software - A cool and fun way to login to the PC – VeriFace uses the integrated webcam to detect your face and authorize your Windows login. It can also be used as a password management system for other applications.3D sound enhancement - Creates virtual 3D sound effect, for a more immersive sound experience when watching video or playing games.High-Def LED backlight display - A High-Def display with LED backlight technology which improves energy efficiency and battery life.The Planet’s best keyboards with Numeric Keypad - The same engineers that brought you the legendary keyboard design on ThinkPad notebooks bring you great tactile feel with intelligent layout and performance on the G530 notebook.Thoughtfully designed – Just 1.4” thick and at 5.6lbs, with a 15.6 LED backlight screen and numeric keypad, the G550 has everything you need at an affordable price.

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Lenovo Y550P 324156U 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)After using Macs exclusively for 3 years, I switched back to Windows because of one reason: I wanted a quad core laptop (i7 specifically) and Apple has yet to make one. Furthermore, I know that when they do it will only be offered at first on the highest end of the 15" and 17" MacBook Pro models and will likely cost between $1800-$2200. When this laptop went on sale for $999.99, I knew I could no longer justify staying with Apple because $999.99 just happens to be the price of their lowest end laptop. For $999.99 (PC vs Mac) you can get processor quad core vs. dual core, HD 500GB vs 250GB, Ram 4GB vs 2GB, max ram 8GB vs 4GB, LCD 13.3" vs 15.6", and internal graphics of 256MB shared vs 1GB discrete. To me this is no contest. I was able to switch my Adobe programs over to PC by calling Adobe customer service and performing a cross platform swap. I needed to update my MS Office suite anyway so I didn't mind spending $170 to get MS Office Home/Student 2007 plus Outlook 2007. I will describe my experience with the Lenovo through a Pro/Con list, and I will compare the Apple and PC experience where necessary.
Pros:
*i7 quad-core laptop for $999.99
*i7 quad-core = very, very fast
*1GB discrete graphics will satisfy every need except only the highest of professional/gaming graphics processing needs.
*looks very nice and seems well-built
*4GB of ram is enough for now and the option to expand to 8GB later is great
*ExpressCard 34, eSATA and SD card slots are most welcome
Cons:
*fan is audible a good bit of the time, and most of the time during even moderate application usage. I was aware of this issue with quad-core laptops prior to purchase so it did not come as a surprise, but at the same time I do think it belongs on the con list
*terrible sound output quality and volume from the built-in speakers
*terrible sound output quality and volume as well as crackling/popping while using external speakers, so terrible that I had to buy a Creative XFI Expresscard Sound Card (which did, incidentally, fix all of the audio issues)
*audio out jack located on the front of the laptop (I know this is all too common on today's laptops but it is annoying nonetheless; the Creative XFI card also solved this issue)
*occasional high pitch whine (the source of which is still under investigation) which can be quite annoying
*location of the cooling fan inlet vent means that you will not be able to use this on your lap or on top of a bedspread unless you first put a hard flat object under the laptop first; the laptop essentially is designed to only be placed on hard flat surfaces
*no DVI, mini-DVI or mini-DisplayPort ports; HDMI and VGA (VGA?!?!?!?!) are the only video ports
*the built-in trackpad experience is truly atrocious: the trackpad has a raised grid surface (instead of a flat smooth surface like 99% of the laptops made) which makes navigation uncomfortable and imprecise. In addition, the scrolling bar is laughably unusable. It is made for hands with fingers the size of baby's fingers and using it requires tapping down once first to turn it on; one can not simply move their fingers over it to scroll
*battery life is terrible, but I knew this going in because all quad-core laptops have terrible battery life as a result of their power-hungry processors. You will not get the 4.5 hours of battery life as advertised, trust me. I don't know how they were able to achieve that number but virtually everything must have been disabled and/or turned all the way down.\
*a moderate amount of bloatware which I am still deleting/tinkering with after a week of ownership
*built-in LCD not particularly stunning but I find nothing objectionable about it either
*would have liked to get Windows 7 Professional/Ultimate considering this is a high-end laptop but I did know prior to purchase of course that I was only getting Windows 7 Home
*hard drive came partitioned into 4 parts which is very, very annoying. In addition a few of them took up massive amounts of hard drive space for no apparent reason. It took me a few days of messing around with various freeware utilities to get all (but the essential) of them deleted. (hint: check out the free "Ultimate Boot CD" it is what finally got rid of the pesky partitions that Windows disk utility wouldn't let me touch)
In my opinion, this is your basic garden-variety "desktop replacement" laptop. With an external keyboard, mouse and monitor this makes a great desktop that can sometimes be carried out of the home when need be. I find the "laptop only" experience to be sub-par. This is perfectly suitable for someone like me since my laptops have always spent over 95% of their time at home plugged into external I/O devices. If you are someone who is just the opposite, however, I can not recommended this unit because of the issues described above. Overall, I am satisfied with the unit primarily due to the performance specs and the price. There is just no arguing with the value of an i7 laptop with 1GB discrete graphics for $999.99. The length of the con list, however, was sufficient to cause me to drop the rating to 4/5.

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Small on the outside. Big on the inside. INTRODUCING THE LENOVO IDEAPAD Y550 NOTEBOOK. Have your own private movie theater and hear your music concert style—wherever you like. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y550 notebook comes with OneKey Theater — a single button that effortlessly optimizes your audio and video settings for high-definition entertainment.Plus, Dolby Home Theater brings the concert hall into your PC, with crystal-clear surround sound effect, rich bass and wide audio spectrum.Go on, let the show begin. Best of all, it’s from Lenovo, makers of the award-winning ThinkPad business notebook. And with Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience certification, you’ll appreciate fast boot and shutdown, rich multimedia capabilities and easy system maintenance tools.

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Lenovo Ideapad G550 2958-9PU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I was excited to get this laptop because the price was fantastic for the configuration.
I have had it for two weeks and so far I really like it. However, just one thing about it is kind of annoying: 1. The volume of the speakers is very very low. I'd go as far as saying it is not usable. Volume is fine with headphones or connected to my wireless speakers.
But its got lots of pros: Set up was a breeze, nice screen, super light, fast,doesn't get hot at all.
I have not been with it unplugged yet so can't speak for the battery life.
I do not believe there is a perfect laptop for $500, so considering the configuration, I think I chose well.

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AFFORDABILITY REDEFINED.Fun is an affordable notebook that won\'t let you down—the Lenovo G550 notebook with OneKey™ Rescue System. An affordable notebook that doesn\'t compromise on the basics, the Lenovo® G550 notebook delivers outstanding performance for everyday tasks thanks to the Intel® Pentium® Dual Core processor. It also features OneKey™ Rescue System for easy data backup and recovery, so you can spend more time on the things you love most - like listening to music on the stereo speakers and viewing videos on the 15.6" widescreen display. Plus, with VeriFace facial recognition software, your face is your password.Best of all, it\'s from Lenovo, makers of the award-winning ThinkPad.
Lenovo G550 Notebook Key Features
KEY SPECIFICATIONS

Intel Pentium Dual Core T4500 processor
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
15.6 inch high-definition LED backlight display, 16:9 widescreen
250GB 5400rpm SATA hard drive
4GB DDR3 memory
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M
Integrated web camera
High quality stereo speakers
DVD reader/writer
Numeric keypad for easier data logging and gaming

RELIABLE PORTABILITY

Designed as a versatile but affordable notebook, built with durability in mind from the makers of ThinkPad®
6-cell battery. Battery life up to 4.5 hrs
Integrated Ethernet/802.11b/g

REST EASY

OneKey Rescue Systemfor quick and easy data recovery and antivirus protection
VeriFace facial recognition technology - a fun way to log in to your PC
Microsoft Office Trial version









OneKey Rescue System
VeriFace Face Recognition

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Lenovo Ideapad S10-3 0647-2BU 10.1-Inch Netbook (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I wanted a small netbook so I could carry them around when I go travel. I came across this laptop because it just came out (June, 2010). I am pretty happy with the purchase. It gives me all the basic needs: Microsoft word, surfing, youtube, email, and listening to music. The keyboard is pretty steady and well made, but the touchpad could be better and more sensitive, but I carry a small mouse anyway so I don't mind it at all.
*Amazon doesn't distinguish this, but please note that the difference between model 2AU and 2BU is that 2BU is Bluetooth enabled but it costs $30 more. I am glad I got the bluetooth version because I use my blackberry phone tethering to go online on my computer anywhere I want, and bluetooth helps a lot by eliminating the need to carry around cables.

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S10-3 Features

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