Lenovo Introduces Two New ThinkCenter PCs

Lenovo today announced two new PCs, the ThinkCentre M58/58p and the ThinkCentre A57e, aimed at helping customers stretch their IT dollar.

The ThinkCentre M58/M58p is Lenovo’s greenest, most secure and most manageable ThinkCentre desktop PC yet with Power Manager1, a ThinkVantage technology that allows PC users to control their electricity consumption remotely, and available for the first time ever on a ThinkCentre PC.

The ThinkCentre A57e, targeted at emerging markets, is perfectly suited for first time users that want a highly reliable, simple-to-use PC with accompanying services. Continuing Lenovo’s heritage of producing highly reliable PCs, it delivers rock solid quality and convenience by incorporating the latest ThinkVantage Technologies productivity and management tools.

“The design goal for the ThinkCentre M58/M58p was to be the greenest, most secure, most manageable and quietest ThinkCentre ever and we’ve achieved it in this eco-friendly powerhouse,” said Ronnie Lee, Country General Manager, Lenovo Singapore and Brunei. “And to meet the needs of this region’s emerging market and first-time-user needs, the ThinkCentre A57e gives businesses an affordable, hassle-free desktop solution.”

Greater Control, Greater Savings with Remote Power Management: ThinkCentre M58/M58p

The ThinkCentre’s M58/M58p’s Power Manager allows customers to save energy and lower electricity costs by enabling system administrators to monitor and remotely control the amount of electricity used by all Power Manager enabled desktops in a PC fleet. For example, PCs can be programmed to shut down evenings or weekends. Through the use of Power Manager and Intel vPro technologies, the ThinkCentre M58p provides the user with the lowest total cost of ownership of any ThinkCentre.

Further solidifying the ThinkCentre M58/M58p as one of the industry’s leading green computing solutions is the gold status achieved from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool organization, or EPEAT. Lenovo has a total of 24 ThinkCentre desktops that have become EPEAT Gold certified. EPEAT was created to provide a green standard for electronics purchases. The M58/M58p has also passed the stringent testing of GREENGUARD Environmental Institute, which probed for the presence of up to 2,000 potentially harmful contaminants, in addition to receiving the GREENGUARD Certification for Children & Schools, which takes into account children’s higher sensitivity to pollutants.

The ThinkCentre M58/M58p is also the first ThinkCentre PC to support Hardware Password Manager (HPM), which allows for oversight of user, supervisory, BIOS and HDD passwords. HPM is available in April, 2009 and requires a separate software purchase. Previous ThinkCentre versions of a password manager only allowed for password management at the software level. Additionally, the user can disable/enable USB and PS2 ports for complete “security” peace of mind.

Available in three form factors – Tower, Small Form Factor and Ultra Small Form Factor – the ThinkCentre M58p offers top performance with Intel vPro processing technology: Intel Core2 Duo E8x00 or Core2 Quad Q9xx0. The ThinkCentre M58 offers the Intel Q45 chipset with ICH10-DO. The ThinkCentre M5/M58p is also quieter and cooler than any previous ThinkCentre: across all form factors, it is up to six decibels quieter than the ThinkCentre M57/M57p and the hard drive and the processor power module run six and eleven percent cooler, respectively, than the M57/M57p. Embracing new technology, the M58/M58p is the first ThinkCentre with onboard Displayport.

The ThinkCentre M58/M58p comes with a limited, three-year onsite warranty with next business day service. End of life disposal solutions round out Lenovo’s commitment to green computing and preserving the environment. By doing so, customers may be able to receive cash back to offset the costs of future PC purchases, further lowering their total cost of ownership.

Built for Emerging Markets: ThinkCentre A57e

The ThinkCentre A57e continues Lenovo’s heritage of making highly reliable PCs and delivers rock-solid quality and convenience to customers by incorporating the latest ThinkVantange Technologies including Rescue and Recovery with Express Repair for recovering many system issues in 2-3 minutes and System Update that automatically downloads the latest updates over the Internet.

It provides emerging-market and first-time users access to the latest Lenovo technology and award-wining service and support at an attractive price point.

The ThinkCentre A57e incorporates the latest Intel technology with the Intel ATOM processor and is ideal for first time buyers looking at empowering their business with affordable, hassle free desktop solutions. Lenovo’s ThinkCentre A57e inherits the ThinkCentre’s ease-of-use design and is built to international quality standards with a stainless steel chassis for greater durability

Preloaded Windows Operating System and Microsoft Office (Trial)/Adobe Reader makes A57e ready for daily business use out of box.

The ThinkCentre A57e is designed to perform in severe environments making it ideal for first time PC users and customers in emerging markets. The hardworking Lenovo A57e delivers secure and reliable word processing capabilities while delivering social networking, photo and video entertainment functions that make it an ideal all round PC. The A57e comes with 1 year onsite support with options for a 3-year upgrade.

Related Links:

Lenovo Introdcing Energy Efficient and Green PC

Lenovo to launch "Blue Sky" green PC

Source: hardwarezone.com/news/view.php?id=12259&cid=11
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Lenovo Extends Green IT Service to Europe

Lenovo has launched a new service called "Green IT' aimed at making better green practices more appealing to businesses in Europe.

The company's new Asset Recovery Service will give organizations signing up to the plan a way to get rid of their old technology in an environmentally friendly and convenient way.

The service offers computer take-back, data destruction, refurbishment and recycling, as well as a cash-back provision to help offset the cost of the service.

Lenovo estimates that after the standard three-year refresh cycle, the average customer can receive 10 to 15 per cent of the value back of what the computers cost them originally.

The company will first try to refurbish and reuse the systems it collects, but failing that it will turn to recycling.

Lenovo introduced a similar service in the US and Canada back in June and expects that adding this service to its existing take-back programmes in this part of the world will help grow customer returns by more than 30 per cent.

As well as getting rid of old IT equipment, Lenovo offers additional services including inventory, value assessment, on-site de-installation and data encryption.

Via:vnunet.com
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Quietest PC Scores on Energy

ThinkCentre A61e desktop help users save up to 50 percent in energy costs annually.

Lenovo reinvigorated the desktop PC space with the ThinkCentre A61e ultra small form factor desktop. As the company’s smallest, quietest and most energy-efficient desktop, it has a footprint of the size of an average telephone book, and choices of energy-efficient, 45-watt AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 dual core and AMD Sempron™ single core processors.

The ThinkCentre A61e desktop marks Lenovo’s first product with EPEAT Gold status. Operated by the Green Electronics Council, EPEAT ranks products on a variety of environmental attributes from energy efficiency to the recyclable use of materials. Many organisations use this tool to help make purchasing decisions. Recognised for its environmental attributes, the ThinkCentre A61e desktop uses up to 90 percent reusable material as well as 90 percent recyclable packaging. It also can be powered by an optional solar panel.

As the first desktop in the industry to run on energy-efficient AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 dual core and AMD Sempron™ single core processors, it can help users save up to 50 percent in energy costs annually over previous models2. For instance, a customer deploying as few as 50 desktops could avoid more than 20,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and a large enterprise deployment of 50,000 desktops could cut more than 20 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.

"With the ThinkCentre A61e, we have combined small size and consistently quiet acoustics with a light weight, highly energy-efficient green PC that cuts energy costs in significant ways to help organisations reduce their operational expenses,” said Anil Philip, Executive Director, Transaction Business, Lenovo India.
As energy prices rise, finding ways to control these variable costs through more efficient technology becomes increasingly important.

Nimble desktop

According to IDC, the worldwide desktop market grew year-over-year by 4.2 percent in the second quarter of 2007 with Lenovo growing 20.4 percent in this period. IDC forecasts worldwide shipments of the ultra small form factor desktop to grow by 52 percent from 2005 to 20104.

Taking up 25 percent less space and weighing just eight pounds, the ThinkCentre A61e ultra small form factor desktop fits the shrinking real estate in today’s work environment, making it a good fit for customers in education, medical and financial sectors.

The PC’s single, low-speed fan keeps it running cool for ultimate reliability and keeping it consistently quiet whether in idle mode or stretched to the maximum for peak performance.

Source:deccanherald.com/Content/Feb132008/cyberspace2008021251911.asp
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Lenovo Builds First GreenGuard PC

LENOVO, the Chinese heir to IBM's PC business, has announced the ultra small Thinkcentre M57[P] Eco desktop PC, the first desktop PC to gain Greenguard certification.

Greenguard certification is only given to products that don't emit potentially harmful levels of up to 2,000 chemicals including volatile organic counpounds. It is awarded by the US Greenguard Environmental Institute, which has tested and certified more than 150 thousand products and materials.

"We are quite proud to say the ThinkCentre M57/M57P is the first desktop ever to meet our rigorous standards for chemical emissions," said Greenguard CEO Carl Smith. "Lenovo is leading the industry in its commitment to environmentally responsible computing."

Small, green and easy to run was what Lenovo senior VP of products Fran O'Sullivan said his customers wanted.

Lenovo's Eco PC is built using recycled consumer plastics and is both EPEAT Gold and Energy Star 4.0 rated. µ

Source:theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/03/05/lenovo-builds-first-greenguard
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Lenovo Introdcing Energy Efficient and Green PC

Lenovo is introducing smaller and more energy efficient and green PCs in order to meet tighter environmental standards.

Detailing its line-up for the coming year at an event in Paris, Lenovo said that it is making energy efficiency key to its future desktop strategy.

This was demonstrated by the newly launched M57/M57p Eco USFF (Ultra-Small Form Factor) due out later this year. The PC uses a small shell and environmental tweaks to save $30 per year in running costs. Lenovo claims that the device can reduce carbon emissions by 259.8kg compared with a traditional PC.

"Lenovo will have a stronger green focus on new desktops," said Per Olesen, desktop product manager at Lenovo. "There are huge potential savings with the new technology."

Lenovo is taking the same approach with notebooks. The new X300 model is made of 90 per cent recyclable material and uses LED back lighting and solid state drives to cut the carbon footprint.

"Now it's a massive issue and is going to be a major focus for Lenovo. Investors are choosing to invest in environmentally friendly companies and those who use green technology."

The rules on power supplies are also being applied to notebooks and the X300 has 87 per cent efficiency in this area, and also boasts an Energy Star 4.0 rating.

Source:vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2210516/lenovo-pledges-green
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Green PC - Dell Latitude D630

If you visit a financial district or attend a corporate conference, you're bound to find someone carrying around a Dell Latitude D630 - Green PC.

This lightweight business laptop competes with the Lenovo think pad T61 Wide screen and the HP Compaq 6910p; all three share similarities like a 14-inch wide screen, highly configurable Intel parts, and terrific battery life.

Since my last review of the D630, the unit has acquired several, not necessarily new, options worth talking about. Among them are a discrete graphics option for 3D-intensive purposes, solid-state drives for durability, and energy efficiency.

Source:pcmag.com
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Lenovo PCs Go Thin-n-Green

If 'small is beautiful' was the mantra in the desktop personal computer business, it is time to add another: 'Thin and green is in.'

Chinese PC maker Lenovo has built on the IBM legacy it inherited, by created what is possibly one of the thinnest, smallest, quietest — and least power-hungry desktop platforms on offer. The A 61e ThinkCentre launched in India this week, has achieved the highest ‘Gold’ status of the industry’s Green Electronics Council — rating based on energy efficiency as well as 90 per cent recyclable parts and packaging.

Versions begin at Rs. 15,800 ( monitor excluded) and are configured with a choice of AMD processors: the dual core Athlon 64 X2 or the mono core Sempron. The footprint is 8 cm width by 27 cm length by 17 cm breadth and the machine weighs in at just over 3 kg. Memory is selectable from 512MB to 8 GB and the hard disk is 80 GB. Different models run Windows 2000 or Vista Buiness.

"The A 61 e is our signature eco-friendly and energy-efficient desktop," said Lenovo India’s Executive Director, Transaction Business, Anil Philip. It strengthens the partnership with chip maker AMD, whose dual core processor used here takes just 45 watts — less than an average incandescent light bulb.

Source:hindu.com/2008/01/27/stories/2008012754301300.htm
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Lenovo Launches Free Recycling Service

Computing giant Lenovo has announced a free computer recycling service in mainland China.

Lenovo's recycling service is available to users of Lenovo brand laptop computers, desktop computers and servers, as well as ThinkPad laptops and ThinkCenter desktop computers.

Lenovo says that both business and individual clients can send those types of computers to Lenovo's recycling sites across the country, or they can ask Lenovo's staff to come fetch the devices from their homes or offices. Lenovo will entrust a third party to process and dispose of these collected computers according to relevant Chinese laws and environmental rules, and it will undertake all the relevant cost involved during this process.

Chen Shaopeng, senior vice president of Lenovo Group, says that the free recycling service they plan in China is another major step that they have made in environmental protection and it shows Lenovo's responsible attitude towards the society and environment.

Free recycling services have drawn great attention from the world's PC leaders, and Dell has already initiated a free recycling service in China for its customers.

Source:chinacsr.com
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Lenovo PCs Get Green Thumbs-Up

Lenovo says that its line of ThinkPad notebooks, ThinkCentre desktops and ThinkVision monitors have received high ratings from EPEAT, a procurement tool funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to help purchasers evaluate PCs based on environmental attributes.

The EPEAT tool indicates that Lenovo not only met "green computer" standards, but also met requirements beyond the baseline measurements of environmentally safe PCs. A total of 42 Lenovo PCs were rated by EPEAT, indicating the breadth of environmentally friendly products available from Lenovo.

The ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops received an overall "EPEAT Silver" rating, indicating that Lenovo PCs met all criteria for healthy environmental performance, plus implemented optional activities beyond the minimum requirements.

Criteria that Lenovo met include manufacturing PCs with reduced levels of cadmium, lead and mercury to better protect human health and the environment. Lenovo PCs are also energy efficient, which reduces emissions of climate changing greenhouse gases. Lenovo also offers safe recycling options for the products.

EPEAT also highlighted that Lenovo has demonstrated a corporate environmental policy consistent with ISO 14001, the standard from International Organization for Standardization that sets guidelines for businesses to improve environmental management, and has managed the provision of product take-back service and auditing of recycling vendors.

"Lenovo consistently meets or exceeds applicable environmental regulations globally, and our environmental policy requires us to develop, manufacture, and market products that are energy efficient, protect the environment, and can be reused, recycled or disposed of safely," said Deepak Advani, chief marketing officer for Lenovo. "Representatives from state and local government, the electronics industry, manufacturers, academia environmentalists, and purchasers, developed the EPEAT tool, and we see it as a useful tool for the measurement of PC environmental performance."

Lenovo sets environmental goals for locations and products annually. These objectives and targets are established and driven in association with the management of significant environmental aspects. Lenovo's goals for 2007 cover recycling, energy consumption, and paper usage for manufacturing sites. For products, Lenovo's goals focus on energy efficiency, design for recycling and reuse, use of recycled materials and environmentally preferable finishes, among others.

"Lenovo's EPEAT Silver products demonstrate their commitment to protecting the environment," said Jeff Omelchuck, executive director of EPEAT. "As a voluntary performance standard, EPEAT is a powerful tool for purchasers and creates a clear set of rules for the manufacturers to follow to meet the environmental demands of customers."

Source: chinacsr.com/2006/09/19/743-lenovo-pcs-get-green-thumbs-up/
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CSCI Reducing Computer Power Use by 50% in 3 year

Well, we're not quite to the point where our laptops are solar-powered and our server farms run on sewage. So for now, let's set our sights on some realistic intermediate goals, like the ones set forth by the good folks at The Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a consortium consisting of virtually every major player in the PC industry (Intel, AMD, Google, Microsoft, Dell, HP, Sun Microsystems... the list goes on and on). CSCI has an ambitious gameplan: reduce power consumed by computers worldwide by 50% over the next three years.

I know that sounds far out, but when you consider that the average lifespan of a computer today is somewhere between three and five years, that's 60-100% of all computers in use today replaced by 2010. The average desktop produced today wastes over half the power delivered to it, and the average server more than a third... so simply improving hardware energy efficiency, implementing virtualization, and using automated power management software might be enough to meet these goals. As part of a push to see improved technologies brought to market, CSCI has launched a catalog featuring many of the latest green offerings:

With 300 products, the Initiative’s new online catalog offers individuals and enterprises a comprehensive and searchable listing of Climate Savers Computing-compliant desktop PCs, laptops, servers, power supplies, power supply components, motherboards and power management software.

Unfortunately, this kinda celebrates obsolescence, and as computers use about as much energy being produced as they do during their lives, short life spans are also something that we need to deal with. Understandably, that's a problem that HP and Dell are less interested in solving.

Browsing through, one sees a lot of product listings containing third-party green certifications, such as EPEAT silver and gold, Energy Star 4.0, RoHS, and 80+. Although there are many consumer-level products available, including desktop and laptop offerings from HP, Dell, and Lenovo, this seems mainly geared towards IT professionals - servers, power supplies, converters, and rectifiers make up the bulk of the catalog. Though you can't do any holiday shopping on the site itself, it's a great place to start when searching for energy-efficient computers, components, and software.

Source:ecogeek.org/content/view/1239/
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Lenovo ships out green, thin 19-inch L193p LCDs

Lenovo today upgraded its ThinkVision displays with a trio of 19-inch LCDs that help meet green targets and occupy little space on a desk. The standard-ratio L193p is the first LCD to meet the EPEAT environmental standard that demands both a low power draw as well as eco-friendly materials. More than a quarter of the screen is made from recycled material, Lenovo boasts. It includes both a DVI port with HDCP encryption support and VGA for analog video and should be available next month for $299.

As an alternative, the L190x is designed for multi-monitor layouts, according to the PC maker. Also a standard-aspect LCD, the second model touts a bezel just 0.26 inches thick and creates a much less conspicuous gap. Though less environmentally responsible, it compensates with a 1,500:1 contrast ratio, a wide color range, and four USB ports to attach virtually every peripheral without reaching down to connect them to a tower. It also releases in November for $379.

One widescreen display joins the lineup. The L194w shifts to a 1440x900 landscape view with a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and both HDCP-protected DVI and VGA inputs that suit it to viewing 720p HD video. Pricing for the display positions it as the least expensive of the three ThinkVisions, costing $259 when it ships in November.

Src: http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/10/23/lenovo.thinkvision.19.inch/
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Lenovo to launch "Blue Sky" green PC

Lenovo is about to launch its ‘green’ ultra-small form factor desktop, the ThinkCentre A61e, in New Zealand.

The A61e, also known as the "Blue Sky", is the first desktop to be powered by AMD’s 45-watt Athlon 64 X2 dual core or Sempron single core processors and consumes about half the electricity compared with earlier models such as the A60.

Lenovo says this means A61e users will save an average of US$20 (NZ$27) a year in electricity costs compared with users of older PCs, and around 180kg in carbon dioxide emissions - the equivalent of two return flights from Boston to New York (four flights of 1 hour 15 minutes duration).

Michael Pierce, Lenovo director of environmental affairs told PC World that apart from the low-consumption processors, energy savings had also been achieved by using a more efficient, notebook-type power supply.

By using notebook (SODIMM) memory and dispensing with expansion slots, the A61e takes up 25% less desk space than the A60 and weighs in at about 3.6kg. Optional extras include a bracket which allows the system unit to be mounted on the back of a flat panel display and even a solar panel which Lenovo claims can be used to power the machine.
Pierce was unable to confirm New Zealand pricing and availability, saying this would be announced in a day or two. However the US retail price of US$399 (system unit only) suggests a New Zealand starting price of around $600.

Src: http://blogs.pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/products/2007/09/lenovo_to_launch_blue_sky_gree.html
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