Lenovo Expands IdeaPad Notebook Line

Lenovo's Ideapad U330, Y430, Y530, and Y730 add sizes and - dare we say - color options to Lenovo's consumer notebook line.

Lenovo has rolled out four new notebooks in its IdeaPad line of consumer notebooks, adding size choices and (dare we say it?) color choices to Lenovo’s famously staid lineup. Along with colors—orange, black, red, and blue—Lenovo is also rolling forward with facial recognition as a login system, along with offering HDMI and optional Blu-ray drives.

“From San Francisco to Paris to Singapore, customer feedback on our inaugural IdeaPad notebooks has been exceptional,” said Lenovo Americas VP Stephen DiFranco, in a statement. “Our new styles, colors, and innovations are all about customers and the ways they express themselves and their ideas.”

The IdeaPad U330 is less than an inch thick, weighs less than four pounds, and offers Lenovo’s VeriFace facial recognition technology. The system also sports Dolby Home Theater, HDMI output, and optional integrated DVD burner, and touch sensitive multimedia controls. The U330 also offers switchable graphics: use integrated graphics when trying to conserve battery life and do everyday things like Internet and email, then switch to discrete graphics when you’re plugged in and looking to take in a movie.

The new IdeaPad Y430 and Y530 feature textured cases, come with either a framed or frameless screen, and an optional Blu-ray disc player, whlie the Y730 expands on Lenovo’s existing Y710 with a frameless screen, HDMI, an optional Blu-ray player, VeriFace recognition technology, up to two 320 GB hot-swappable hard drives, and a 17-inch widescreen display. An orange edition will also feature Lenovo’s Game Zone feature, with oversized gaming control keys, a switch to control CPU overclocking, and a secondary display with performance information.

Lenovo says all the new IdeaPads will be available “this fall” (northern hemisphere) from retail and online partners, but didn’t reveal any pricing information.