LG and Lenovo Promise to Make 2012 CES Ultra-exciting 

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?

Not this week.

The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has officially begun in Sin City, and with 20,000 new products expected to make their debut at the show—including new models of the highly anticipated ultrabook—word is going to spread fast.

With global consumers expected to spend a record $1 trillion on consumer electronics in 2012, a record number of people are expected to attend the show. Last year, more than 2,700 exhibitors showcased their latest products on more than 1.6 million net square feet of exhibit space, with nearly 150,000 people in attendance. This year’s show will match or even surpass that number. Certainly, the CES has come a long way since it introduced the videocassette recorder to 17,500 attendees in 1970!

And so have the products.  Many of this year’s attendees will be coming to see what’s been touted as the year’s biggest thing in computer devices:  the super thin, super lightweight ultrabook.  Developed by Intel, the ultrabook design marries the best of the notebook and the tablet. In order to be called an ultra book, these high performing devices must meet Intel’s stringent criteria:  weigh no more than 3.1 pounds, be no more than 0.71 inches thick, and provide five or more hours of battery life. They must also offer flash-based storage and Intel technology that makes for extra-fast boot times.

This week, CES 2012 will showcase about 50 ultrabook models.  Nearly every major manufacturer is set to unveil its version of this ultra computing device. Here’s a brief look at some of the highlights that will be showcased respectively by industry giants LG Electronics and Lenovo.

Lenovo

Lenovo is not new to the ultrabook game. The company recently introduced two new ultrabooks that will sit alongside Lenovo’s existing model, the ThinkPad X1.

The Thinkpad X1 Hybrid is the crown jewel of Lenovo’s ultrabook product line (and a royal price, starting at $1,599). As its “hybrid” title suggests, it’s a variation of the original. Like the original, the ThinkPad X1 Hybrid is available with three Intel Core CPU options (i3, i5 and i7), along with a 13.1-inch Gorilla Glass screen. The main area in which the Hybrid differs from the original is in the operating system; the new model features a supplementary Qualcomm dual-core CPU and up to 16GB of memory that runs a custom Linux-based operating system.  Lenovo says that in this mode, the battery will last 10 hours, compared to only five when using the traditional Windows/Intel platform.

On the other end is the ThinkPad T430u—at about $849, it’s known as the budget ultrabook. The T430u has a 14-inch screen but it’s still less than .8 inches thick. You can choose between Intel Core CPUs and optional Nvidia graphics…or opt for an SSD instead of a traditional disk drive. This ultrabook comes with a large battery with a stated life of six hours.

Lenovo’s newest offerings include the IdeaPad U310 and U41. Like all Ultrabooks, these models are characterized most notably by their super-thin, lightweight form factors. The U310 weighs in at 3.74 pounds and measures 0.7 of an inch thick, while the slightly larger U410 weighs in at 4.18 pounds and measures 0.83 of an inch thick.

LG Electronics

Front and centre for LG Electronics is what it calls the Super Ultrabook ^TM Series, a brand new lineup that includes the Z330 and the Z430.  Both models boast powerful performance and a sleek design not seen in ordinary ultrabooks.

Z330

At just 14.7 mm throughout, the Z330 14-inch notebook is the most compact product in the lineup. It’s also lighter than most competing ultrabooks in this class, weighing only 1.21 kg. Powered by LG’s Super Speed Boot technology, the Z330 completes booting in less than 10 seconds–about three times faster than other 13-inch notebooks on the market, and it can recover from standby mode in only two seconds.

Z430

The Z430 is a 14-inch notebook offering high performance in a sleek package. At 19.9 mm thick, and weighing 1.50 kgs, it’s the most compact 14-inch notebook on the market, yet it still boasts super fast 12 seconds booting time (thanks to Super Speed Boot) and large storage capacity of up to 500GB.

LG Electronics has not yet announced a price for either ultrabook.

New in 3-D

While the spotlight is most certainly on the ultrabooks, LG is also showcasing the latest in slim and powerful CINEMA 3D notebook technology.

P535

The P535 features both:  the notebook has a 24.1 mm chassis, weighs just 2.2 kg and has a 15.6-inch super-slim LED backlight display. In fact, it’s up to 24 per cent slimmer and 27 per cent lighter than the closest competing 15-inch 3D notebooks.

A540

LG’s A540 provides glasses-free 3D display panel, SRS premium sound effect and 4.1 channel 3-D sound—bringing consumers full on 3D entertainment in a powerful package with an easy on the eyes 15.6-inch Full HD LED backlight display.

LG V300

LG’s first-ever all-in-one PC features Film Patterned Retarder, 3D technology and an IPS display. Originally launched in 2011, the V300 offers the most vivid, immersive full HD 3D viewing experience on a 223-inch Full HD display without any eye fatigue. Unlike competing all-in-one PCs with a dual camera touch sensor, the V300 is equipped with a triple camera system that offers a multi-touch experience.

New 3D technology and what many are predicting to be the next big thing—the ultrabooks—are bright lights at this year’s CES, and kick off an exciting new year of technology.  Look for the lightest, fastest, the ultra-est devices becoming available to consumers very soon in 2012.

Lenovo has made two new additions to its Essential G series budget laptop lineup. The 15.6 inch Lenovo G570 and the 14 inch Lenovo G470 both have Intel’s 2nd generation Core i3 or i5 processors, integrated Intel HD graphics, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 500GB hard drive and a DVD burner or Blu-ray combo drive.

The new Essential notebooks have LED backlit displays with 1366 x 768 pixels resolution, built-in webcam, WiFi, Bluetooth and a 6-cell battery and run Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.

The Lenovo G570 and G470 start at $699.00 and $749.00. They are now up for order from Lenovo’s online store.

The 14 inch Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E420s notebook is now available for purchase in the US. The ThinkPad Edge E420s is aimed at small and medium businesses. It is available with a choice of Intel’s 2nd generation Core i series dual core processors. Other specifications include optional AMD Radeon HD 6630M discrete graphics, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, slot-loading DVD burner and a 48.8 Whr battery that will reportedly get up to 7 hours of battery life.

Available storage options include a traditional hard drive of up to 320GB capacity, an SSD of 128GB capacity or a hybrid storage comprising of an 80GB SSD and a 320GB HDD. The 14 inch Infinity edge-to-edge display has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E420s also has a webcam, stereos speakers, Dolby Home Theatre sound technology, optional Bluetooth, WiFi N, optional 3G, Ethernet LAN, HDMI, VGA, 2 USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port, a 4-in-1 media card reader and fingerprint sensor.

The ThinkPad Edge E420s runs Windows 7 operating system. It has a spill resistant keyboard, magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis and metal hinges. Prices start at $699 at the Lenovo online store.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T420 and T520 have started shipping in the US.

Right now, the 14 inch ThinkPad T420 is available in configurations. The base configuration T420i has a Core i3-2310M processor. It starts at $799. The 14 inch LED backlit anti-glare display has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. Other specifications include integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics, 2GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive, DVD drive, 6-cell battery and WiFi 802.11b/g/n.

A higher-end configuration with an Intel Core i5-2520M Processor is also available. It is priced at $899. Other specifications are the same. Both models runs Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit operating system.

The ThinkPad T520 has a 15.6 inch LED backlit display. It has the same base configuration as the T420 and start at $819. Both models are now available for purchase from Lenovo’s online store.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X220 is a new 12.5 inch ultraportable notebook from Lenovo. The most impressive feature of the notebook is its extraordinary battery life. Lenovo says that the X220 will get up to 24 hours of battery life when the standard 9-cell battery is paired with an external ‘battery slice’.

Well, battery life estimates are never accurate. Few laptops manage to get the kind of battery life their makers promise. So how does the ThinkPad X220 fare in real world?

The folks at Laptop Magazine have reviewed the notebook. Although they couldn’t get the 24 hour battery life, they did manage to get over 20 hours of run time which is quite impressive.

On the flip side, to get that kind of battery life, you will need to buy the laptop with a 9-cell battery and then pair that battery with an external 9-cell ‘battery slice’ that costs a cool $179. The external battery that attaches itself to the bottom of the laptop also adds around 1.8 pounds to the weight of the 3-pound laptop.

The ThinkPad X220 is available with both 6-cell and 9-cell battery options. The 6-cell battery will get up to 8 hours of runtime. The 9-cell pack will provide more than 12.5 hours of battery life. Seriously, does anyone need the external battery then?