Most of Lenovo's big Windows 8 desktop push has centered on the mid-range and up. Happily, the company is at last swinging its attention to those who the entry-level crowd, and most of all those who want their PCs as tiny as the price. The highlight of the refresh for many could be the IdeaCentre Q190. It's leaving the Q180's Atom-based nettop roots behind -- while the home theater PC is still skinny at 0.89 inches thick when excluding a Blu-ray or DVD add-on, leaps to both a maximum Core i3 processor and an 8GB RAM ceiling give the Q190 enough grunt to smoothly handle more than just the basics this time around. Mini PC enthusiasts who wait patiently for a January release can buy in starting at $349.
All-in-one lovers have no shortage of choices at the same time, as we're seeing no less than seven IdeaCentre C-series revamps. The C240 and C245 are mostly built as secondary PCs with respective Intel Celeron and AMD E2 chips as well as fixed-position, 18.5-inch screens; it gets more intriguing with the adjustable, 20-inch C340 and C345 variants as well as the Core i3 internals of the similarly styled 21.5-inch C440 and C445. A flagship C540 rules the roost with a 23-inch screen and Intel-only processor selections that peak at a Core i3. Despite Lenovo's full-scale assault on the category, only the $349 C240 and C245 will be shipping this month. We'll once again have to wait for January if we want to see the rest, although a tight pricing spread between $479 (for the C345) and $549 (for the C540) guarantees that we won't have to spend much to go bigger.
Lenovo intros IdeaCentre Q190 HTPC, new C-series all-in-ones for the space-saving set originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Commentsvia Engadget http://www.engadget.com
