Besides using it for school, he also is a photographer and works with his pictures. He takes video of his Parkour and edits them. Being so far from home he also uses the computer to keep in touch with family and friends home in Russia.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Z Series comes in three screen sizes, 13.3″, 14″ and 15.6″. They are designed as multimedia notebooks with multiple colors that are attractive but not flashy. They come with the Lenovo Enhanced Experience with fast booting technology as an option. This feature was demonstrated at CES as our own Xavier Lanier put his MacBook Air up against a Lenovo being operated by race car driver Danica Patrick.

The Z Series also comes with Intel Core iX Sandy Bridge processors and NVIDIA Optimus graphics. Blu-ray is an option on some of these. They start at $669 for the 13″ model, $899 for the 14″ model and $699 for the 15″ model. Below is a video from Lenovo about the series:

Lenovo IdeaPad Z Helps Student & Parkour Fan with Work & Play (video) is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

As you can see from the video, the RapidBoot technology actually beat out the blazing fast MacBook Air known for its fast SSD storage. It only took about ten seconds to load. The way it works is the BIOS (the built-in software that starts up each part of the notebook computer and makes it available to Windows prioritizes which aspects of the computer to start so that the computer doesn’t even start up things like the following:

• No Lenovo logo screen at boot
• ThinkVantage button
• USB ports and anything on them like keyboard, mouse, fingerprint reader
• Wireless functionality

As a result anything that uses the above won’t work until Windows is loaded. Then the BIOS starts them up and Windows recognizes them and makes them usable after it has loaded the operating system. Because of this prioritization the computer loads much faster despite not having an SSD like the MacBook Air.

We attempted to shave some time off the loading of our MacBook Pro by installing a  Seagate Momentus XT hybrid hard drive, which marries both a traditional hard drive plus some flash storage for important things like the operating system or files/programs used frequently. While this kind of hard drive/SSD does make our MacBook Pro faster, it cannot compete with an SSD or the Lenovo RapidBoot Extreme technology. While they demonstrated a ten second boot time and just a little longer for the MacBook Air, our MacBook Pro with the Seagate Momentus XT hybrid hard drive boots in about forty seconds. That is faster than the stock 5400 rpm drive that came with the computer, but it is nowhere near as fast as Lenovo’s.

Every second you can shave off the load time of a computer is nice, but is this groundbreaking or earth shattering technology? We don ‘t think so. With sleep and hybrid modes on laptops, fewer people are booting their computers from a cold state these days. Still, faster is better so long as it doesn’t add much expense, so Lenovo is to be commended for their efforts.

At this time you can get the RapidBoot Extreme (part of the Lenovo Enhanced Experience 2.0) in the new ThinkPad T420s. It is an Intel Core i5 Sandy Bridge laptop with a 14″ display. For now this is the only system Lenovo sells with the new technology. They start at $1,679. Having Danica Patrick to start up the computer for you will cost extra, to be sure.

Lenovo RapidBoot Extreme Starts Laptops in 10 Seconds – ThinkPad T420s (Video) is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

This affordable line has some flash as well. It comes in a few bright colors including blue, brown, copper, red and pink, although the pink model isn’t available in the US for some reason. The lid has a textured design. The machines start at $669.

Lenovo IdeaPad Z370 Features

The Z370 is a multimedia notebook computer with a fast second generation Sandy Bridge processor. The NVIDIA GeForce graphics and Blu-ray option will make this a great computer for catching a movie. Get the Wi-Di to stream the video to a Wi-Di enabled TV. This would be good for a student in a dorm room or anyone who wants an entertainment notebook that will also handle some gaming and every day tasks.

Here is Lenovo’s promotional video for the Z series:

Lenovo IdeaPad Z370 Specs

What’s important are the specs. Here are the most important details. There are multiple options available.

• Intel Core i7 second generation Sandy Bridge processors
• Up to 1 TB of hard drive space
• NVIDIA GeForce Graphics
• Optional Blu-ray drive
• Up to four USB 2.0 ports
• eSATA connector
• HDMI output
• Rapid Boot technology for 20 second boot times
• Thermal Management system which adjusts speeds to meet cooling needs
• Bluetooth
• Wi-Fi and optional WiMax
• WiDi video streaming
• Accessories include: Lenovo Speakers, Lenovo Notebook Stand, Lenovo Wireless Remote with keyboard and mouse

For more detailed information about this notebook see our previous announcement about the Z series and the big brother to this model the Z570 also now available.

Lenovo’s Colorful IdeaPad Z370 w/Fast Booting & Intel Core i7 Now For Sale is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Lenovo B560

This is the first time that Lenovo notebooks will be sold in Best Buy and is a very important move for Lenovo as many users still prefer to see and feel their notebooks before purchasing. The main focus will be on the IdeaPad line of consumer notebooks, but at the start, the primary notebook will be the IdeaPad V565.

Best Buy has carried the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge notebooks in Best Buy for Business locations since late 2010 and you have been able to order some Lenovo notebooks at BestBuy.com, but this is the first time the consumer notebooks will hit the shelves of Best Buy.

First up will be the IdeaPad Z565, an AMD Phenom II Dual Core powered 15.6″ notebook that is designed to deliver, “the ultimate entertainment experience” with Dolby Advanced Audio and OneKey Theater II.

The Lenovo V560, a 15.6″ metal chassis notebook with WiMAX, will also be arriving at Best Buy, but only at 200 retail locations. This notebook uses a Core i3 processor and has a built-in fingerprint reader.

The Lenovo notebooks are being welcomed to Best Buy with a Reward Zone promotion that will give members double reward zone points for any Lenovo PC purchase made in April.

As we mentioned, this is a big deal for Lenovo, and for any consumers who have been thinking of getting a Lenovo notebook. Even with the many notebook reviews out there, it is still incredibly important for many users to actually touch the notebooks that they want to purchase, and Best Buy is one of the primary places that American’s shop for notebooks, laptops and tablets.

Lenovo IdeaPad Notebooks Arrive at Best Buy Stores April 3rd is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

He did some benchmarks and found that it was not “blindingly fast” and that it was likely going to be “borderline” as to whether it could be used for HD video editing.

Swing over to UMPC Portal for the Lenovo S205 unboxing.

The specs include:

• AMD E-350 (Zacate APU)
• 4GB RAM
• 500Gb hard drive
• 11.6” 13666×768 screen
• 3x USB2.0, HDMI, VGA, headphone, mic connectors.
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. Wifi b/g/n
• Windows Home Premium
• Battery capacity – 48Wh
• Weight 1465gm
• Price: 399 Euros in Germany or about $565 US

It sounds like this is a middling quality notebook for the price. It has a chiclet style keyboard and our editor Josh Smith was able to get a look at it while at CES 2011 this year. Here is his video.

Read our Lenovo S205 announcement post to check out more details in.

Lenovo S205 AMD Zacate Notebook Unboxing Video is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

• reviews
• design
• tech support
• software
• innovation
• customer satisfaction

This is the second year straight that Apple has ranked first and Lenovo second in the listing. HP jumped up two slots to earn third.

The rankings are based on an average of the above list. When you look at the individual categories occasionally the rankings are shuffled. For example, Apple didn’t fare so well in the Value and Selection category, tied for dead last with Sony. Lenovo is said to have the best Keyboards/Touchpads. In every other category Apple was either first or tied for first. And in Laptop Magazine reviews the company was way out ahead of the competition by eight points over HP, which took second in that category.

Laptop Magazine Manufacturer Ranking Chart

The methodology used to rank the companies included the above list of categories being given point values and totalled with some of them weighted more than others. Reviews by the magazine staff were worth 25 points of the overall score. Design, Keyboard/Touchpad, and Technical Support each were worth 15 points. Ten possible points were assigned to Value/Selection and Software. Innovation and Customer Satisfaction/Reliability were only worth 5 points each.

While we would agree with most of the weighting, the last one should be much higher. If people are, either not satisfied with the product, or it keeps breaking, then a manufacturer doesn’t deserve as high a ranking. HP was the third highest ranking manufacturer but was tied with MSI for last in this one category.

You can look into how each scored at the magazine’s site. They go into further detail about each manufacturer and why they scored like they did. For example, Apple ranked so high in the Reviews category because, of the five computers they reviewed, three were Editor’s Choices. All of them would be recommended. At the same time they said of MSI:

The past year hasn’t been great for MSI, as lackluster scores across the board prove. With underdeveloped tech support, mediocre reviews, and lackluster keyboards, the brand’s last-place ranking isn’t a huge surprise.

Need more notebook reviews? Check out our Notebook Reviews section.

Laptop Mag Notebook Manufacturer Grades Show Apple on Top is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

They don’t have a price yet nor do they know when it will be available. March or April are a possibility according to a Lenovo press release seen earlier this year. Unfortunately the article does say that it is very possible this model will never see the light of day in the US.

The specs for the IdeaPad S205 include the following:

• 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 display
• AMD Zacate dual-core e-350 APU
• Radeon HD 6310 graphics
• Up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM
• Up to 750GB hard drive
• Bluetooth
• 802.11b/g/n WiFi
• A webcam
• Optional 3G modem
• HDMI, VGA, 3 USB 2.0, RJ-45 Ethernet ports
• SDHC flash card reader

As our own Josh Smith said earlier in our announcement of this model, “… The S205 looks like it could really be a mini laptop, rather than a large netbook.”

Below is their hands-on video in which they share that it looks like this model is trying to get a lower price point because of the lower quality materials used to make the chassis.

Lenovo IdeaPad S205 11.6″ AMD Fusion Gets Hands On Treatment is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T420 is an upcoming release from Lenovo. This is a 14″ model featuring a 1600×900 resolution display, nVidia Optimus switchable graphics, and is supposed to carry the Intel Sandy Bridge processor, that was recently in the news due to a glitch in the chipset.

UL puts such computers through a rigorous test to determine whether to give it the Gold rating. To comply samples of the computer are tested to determine if they meet the ENERGY STAR 5.0 standard, which means it uses a lower amount of energy. Also the manufacturing process is tested to ensure that it complies by not including or greatly reducing environmentally hazardous materials. Also, this rating means that the laptops are manufactured with a higher percentage of recycled material and environmentally neutral materials.

Such a rating from UL will help Lenovo as it tries to sell their laptops to governments, universities and environmentally conscious business and consumers.

Source: Biloxi-Guifport Sun Herald

Lenovo ThinkPad T420 First to Earn UL Gold Standard for Environmental Standards is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Right now the online selection of Lenovo notebooks and netbooks is pretty slim with only one of each available, but the offerings will likely expand in the coming months when the latest consumer IdeaPad laptops from Lenovo hit the market.

As for now, you can purchase the 15.6″ Lenovo B560 with an Intel Pentium processor for $379.99 or the 10.1″ Lenovo IdeaPad s10-3t netbook tablet with an Intel Atom processor for $529.99. Best Buy also sells several Lenovo desktop models as part of this new offering.

Lenovo Laptops and Notebooks Now Available at Best Buy is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The Acer model will come in the Timeline series, similar to one we previously reviewed, and made for Acer by Wistron. The model we reviewed was not an ultra-thin, but the Timeline X series is Acer’s business line. The Asus notebook will be in their U-series line with 13-14 inch sizes and manufactured for them by a company called Pegatron Technology. That same company will manufacture Lenovo’s ultra-thin IdeaPad starting in the third quarter.

Apple’s pace setting computers sparked a design revolution with the original MacBook Air, which was billed as a luxury computer. Dell responded with their Adamo, neither of which sold that well. When Apple re-released the MacBook Air starting at $999 for one with a 64GB SSD and 2GB of memory paired with an Intel Core 2 Duo, they started to fly out of the Apple Stores. Samsung answered with the 9 Series announced earlier this year. Acer, Asus and Lenovo are following suit both in form factor and price point.

Below is hands-on video at CES 2011 of the Samsung 9 Series by our Chuong Nguyen:

Ultra-thin Notebooks Coming from Acer, Asus and Lenovo is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.