Lenovo Refreshes Consumer PCsLenovo Refreshes Consumer PCs

Lenovo IdeaCentre Q150 Nettop

Lenovo on Tuesday refreshed its IdeaPad consumer laptops, adding a new line of "affordable multimedia" PCs.

In addition, the computer maker introduced two all-in-one computers and an "ultra-thin" mini-desktop, known as a nettop in the industry. Lenovo also updated its "affordable home computers" with the introduction of a slim tower desktop.

The new IdeaPad Z Series include the 13.3-inch Z360 and the 15.6-inch Z560 and Z565. The systems are geared toward multimedia with an optional Blu-ray Disc drive, a Dolby Advanced Audio sound system, and a feature called the OneKey Theater II. The latter launches audio-visual settings by pressing a single button.

The Z360 and Z560 are available with the latest Intel Core processors and Nvidia GeForce discrete graphics. The Z565 is available with Phenom II processors from Advanced Micro Devices and AMD's integrated ATI Mobility Radeon graphics. The Z Series, which is scheduled to be available in June, has a starting price of $649.

Lenovo has refreshed its IdeaPad U Series with the 11.6-inch U160 and the 14-inch U460 and U460s. The latter two systems are slightly less than an inch thick and weight 3.8 pounds. The laptops can be configured with up to an Intel Core i7 processor.

The U460 is only available with a standard volt processor, but the U460s and U160 are also available with Intel's ultra-low voltage chips, which trade performance for longer battery life. The U160 weighs 2.9 pounds. The U Series comes with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

The U Series is scheduled to be available in June. Pricing starts at $699.

Lenovo's new IdeaCentre A700 and B305 all-in-one PCs are powered by Intel and AMD chips, respectively. The A700 includes a 23-inch high-definition widescreen and is available with up to an Intel Core i7 processor. The system also has an HDMI port for connecting to an HDTV or gaming console. In addition, the A700 can be configured with up to 8 GB of DDR3 memory and up to 2 TB of storage.

The B305 can be configured with up to an AMD Athlon II X4 quad-core processor and comes with a 21.5-inch widescreen.

Both systems include a touchscreen and a suite of touch-enabled multimedia applications. They also include integrated Wi-Fi. Both are scheduled to be available in June. Pricing starts at $999 for the A700 and $699 for the B305.

Lenovo's IdeaCentre Q150 nettop is 0.82 of an inch wide and 6.7 inches high. The PC can be connected to a TV or monitor via an HDMI port for playing high-definition, online video through the system's Nvidia Ion 512-MB graphics processor. The Q150 also comes with a remote control. The mini-desktop is scheduled to be available in June at a starting price of $249.

Finally, Lenovo introduced the IdeaCentre H320 slim tower desktop that the company claims is half the size of standard desktops. The system is available with one of Intel's Core processors and up to 8 GB of memory. Scheduled to be available in June, the H320 has a starting price of $549.

Lenovo, the fourth largest PC maker in the world, introduced its first consumer PCs in the United States in 2008. The Chinese company is best known in the U.S. for its ThinkPad line of business laptops.