Lenovo launches consumer PC brand 'IdeaPad'

New Delhi, Mar 13 (UNI) Leading PC maker Lenovo has forayed into the consumer PC market with the launch of their new line of notebook and desktop PCs -- IdeaPad notebooks and IdeaCentre desktops.

''Lenovo has a significant focus on the consumer segment in the country. We are confident we will grow our consumer business by blending innovative technologies like facial recognition with stylish designs to enhance the way people use technology in their personal lives,'' Lenovo President (Consumer Business) Liu Jun told reporters here.

Lenovo's IdeaPad notebooks include Y510, Y710 and U110, which will be available in US, China and India. The notebooks are priced at Rs 42,000 onwards, while the desktops are available at Rs 23,050 and above.

The notebooks, powered by Intel Centrino processor technology, combine Dolby Home Theatre surround sound, dedicated gaming controls, and frameless screens.

Lenovo will initially ship these PCs from its Chinese facility.

''We will look at the response and probably look at Indian production,'' Mr Liu said.

The company has two manufacturing units in the country in Puducherry and Baddi in Himachal Pradesh, with a total capacity of three million units.

The company manufactures about 2,00,000 units currently, Lenovo India Managing Director Amar Babu said.

The brand will also be taken to emerging markets like Mexico, Brazil, West Asia, Turkey, Poland and Russia.

The 17-inch widescreen IdeaPad Y710 notebook PC comes equipped with halo lighting, which accents the top cover and backlit Lenovo logo.

Select models of the IdeaPad include a second, hot-swap hard drive to store and transfer data as well as Game Zone functionality, which includes enlarged directional buttons for enhanced game play, four user-customisable buttons and a secondary display showing system information such as CPU speed.

It also includes a performance control switch with Turbo mode for maximum power, including CPU overclocking, and Quiet mode for energy savings.

Equipped with Intel Centrino processor technology, ATI graphics, WLAN connectivity, five speakers including a subwoofer as well as an optional Blu-ray DVD reader, IdeaPad Y710 notebook is targeted at the entertainment enthusiast.

IdeaPad Y510 has a 15.4 inch screen, while the IdeaPad U110, is an ultraportable 11-inch widescreen notebook PC, weighing less than a kilo.

Lenovo also equipped select configurations with its Active Protection System, an air bag-like device that parks the hard drive to help protect data during a fall.

UNI SR PDT KN1737