Lenovo launches new line of 15.4-inch widescreen notebooks

Lenovo today announced the Lenovo 3000 N500 notebook, a new 15.4-inch widescreen notebook, available in the EMEA region, designed to address the specific needs of very small business customers. It combines performance, stylish design, Lenovo Care for worry-free computing, enhanced multimedia tools for an easy end-user experience and connectivity options for on-the-go flexibility - all at a great price of R4 999 including VAT.

The new Lenovo 3000 N500 notebook comes preloaded with a choice of Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium or Business 32 editions. With a choice of several of the latest Intel processors including Intel Core2 Duo, the Lenovo 3000 N500 boasts four side-accessible, high-speed USB 2.0 ports; a 1394 FireWire port, a five-in-one card reader to enable additional storage options and to allow customers to download and save photos, music and other media onto their PC. Select models feature WiFi, Bluetooth and Ethernet connectivity. Together these provide broad compatibility with many consumer devices such as digital cameras, digital camcorders, USB storage devices, game controllers and MP3 players. At 15.4-inches, the monitor offers a larger viewing area than standard LCD screens and extra space when using applications such as multi-column spreadsheets.

Full-featured, widescreen Lenovo 3000 N500 notebooks provide not only the functionality to run a small business but also the features to enjoy computing at home. Lenovo 3000 N500 notebooks come equipped with:

* High definition multimedia interface - HDMI allows customers to use the notebook as a multi-channel video source to an external TV or monitor. A 1.3 megapixel Web cam is available on select models.
* Lenovo Care - One-button system recovery for worry-free computing prevents against system crash or viruses with the push of a button.
* Lenovo ThinkVantage Technologies - A comprehensive set of productivity and manageability tools that lowers the total cost of ownership, and frees up IT staff to focus on more critical IT issues.
* Lenovo camera centre and Lenovo video conferencing
* Legendary keyboard design - Designed by the same engineers that created the legendary ThinkPad notebook keyboards, the Lenovo 3000 N500 keyboard has specialised shortcut keys to various built-in tools like Lenovo Care, Presentation Director and multimedia controls for stop, play, forward, rewind and pause.
* Presentation Director - Display configuration software enables customers to quickly and easily configure their notebook to display a presentation on an external projector, monitor or television avoiding interruptions from applications that may be running simultaneously and also by disabling screen saver and power management timers, desktop and instant-messaging windows.

“Very small business users demand on-the-go flexibility, accessibility and an enhanced user experience that makes computing easy and worry-free. At Lenovo, we're committed to equipping customers with the most effective, high-performance and stylish computing tools that are tailor-made to suit their business - at a price point they can afford,” said Rashid Wally, General Country Manager, Lenovo South Africa.

Prices for the Lenovo 3000 N500 notebook PCs start at R4 999 including VAT. The notebooks will be available shortly in South Africa.