Lenovo has just announced their first products for the consumer Chromebook market. Up until now, they have had Chromebooks in the education market or at least they were devices that catered toward that specific section of the market. Those of course being the ThinkPad YOGA 11e and ThinkPad 11e Chromebooks. Today we have the announcement of the N20 and N20p Chromebook, which provides the consumer with two ways getting the most out of Chrome on each device. The N20p is chaining the regular design of Chromebooks, they are generally thought of as just clamshell notebooks, but Lenovo is changing this by giving the N20p a multimode design. They still are offering the traditional clamshell design with the N20 Chromebook.
Besides for the multimode capability of the N20 and the N20p, they have very similar if not exact hardware in many other areas. As most hardware manufactures do, they try to make Chromebooks are portable as possible. This way they can brought on trips, to the office, to school, and more. Both of the two new Chromebooks come in at 17.9 millimeters. The N20 weighs in at 1.3 kilograms, while the N20p comes in slightly heavier at 1.4 kilograms. They come in only one color option as of now and that is graphite grey. Complimenting the portable design is a cool palm-rest, a full-sized keyboard, an oversized trackpad.
In terms of a display, on both models you will find a 11.6-inch HD display. It features a resolution of 1366 X 768, which is on par with what we have seen from other manufactures. While the N20 does not have a touch screen, you can opt for one with the N20p. In fact it upgrades the 11.6-inch HD display and adds in 10 point multitouch technology. This pairs very nicely with the multimode design of the N20p, you will get two modes. These modes are both Laptop mode and Stand mode, Laptop mode is the more traditional of the two. But Stand mode will give you news ways to enjoy and interact with your device. From watching movies, to giving a small group presentation, or even to using to the Chrome ecosystem.
Both the N20 and N20p are powered by an Intel Celeron processor with integrated graphics. For an even larger boost in speed the processor and graphics setup is paired with 4GBs of RAM. Lenovo’s N20 and N20p Chromebooks have a lightning fast boost time of only 3 seconds. The processor is more efficient which means a larger amount of batty life, Lenovo is saying you will get around 8 hours of life on both models. In terms of storage, their will be up to 16GB eMMC storage on the inside and up to 100 GB of free cloud storage from Google Drive. For connectivity on the N20 and N20p you get WiFi 802.11 a/c and Bluetooth 4.02. You can video chat with the built-in 1 megapixel HD webcam. In terms of ports, you will get a 2-in-1 card reader, an HDMI out port, and 2 USB ports.
Now in terms of Chrome as an operating system, it has grown quite a bit. Including the addition of offline support. This means you can create documents with Google Docs and draft up some emails in Gmail. You can open Microsoft Word and Excel files because of new compatibility features. There will be multiple account support via Guest Mode or you can have others sign in with their Google account. Of course parental controls are available to make sure your children are using the Chromebooks responsibly.
Overall, I am very excited to that Lenovo is starting to expand their Chromebook lineup with consumer models. On top of all the great features of the N20 and the unique multimode design of the N20p, the prices may be the best part. The Lenovo N20 Chromebook will be starting at $279 and is landing in July. While the N20p Chromebook is starting at $329 and is landing in August. Stay tuned for our full reviews of both models. In the mean time you can see a gallery and a press release below.
Gallery
Press Release
Lenovo Breaks The Mold By Going Multimode On Its First Consumer Chromebook
Portfolio offers thin and light designs and breakthrough dual-mode, touch experience
N20 Chromebook in clamshell design offers familiar laptop feel with choice features
N20p Chromebook features an HD 10-point multitouch display and easily converts from Laptop to Stand mode for added flexibility and new ways to use it
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – May 6, 2014: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced Lenovo’s first consumer Chromebooks, the N20 Chromebook and N20p Chromebook. These devices offer consumers choices of two ways to enjoy the Chrome experience in a thin and light form factor with a set of comprehensive technologies – all at an unbelievably affordable price starting at $279. While the N20 provides the familiar comfort of a traditional laptop, the N20p Chromebook breaks the mold for Chromebooks with its innovative multimode design featuring Laptop and Stand modes.
These new additions complement Lenovo’s Chromebook family, which includes the ThinkPad 11e Chromebook and the ThinkPad YOGA 11e Chromebook, built with the needs of education customers in mind.Fusing Innovative HardwareDesigned for maximum portability, both Chromebooks are thin and light at less than 17.9mm and weighing less than 1.4 kg. With an 11.6-in 1366×768 HD screen, users can comfortably see their work and type by using the full-sized keyboard with its oversized trackpad and attractive cool-touch palmrest.While the N20 Chromebook features a traditional laptop design, the multimode N20p Chromebook’s keyboard flexes 300° backward to convert from Laptop mode to Stand mode. Stand mode gives users a new way for watching videos up close and interacting with the 10-finger touchscreen for playing games and browsing.With up to eight hours of battery life and powered by an Intel® Celeron processor with integrated graphics, users can quickly and seamlessly boot the Chromebook and immediately begin their task, whether it’s watching videos, video chatting using the high-definition web cam, listening to music, surfing the web and more without bringing their power cord along. They can stay constantly connected with its WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. The Chromebooks also come with up to 16 GB internal and up to 100 GB of free cloud storage from Google Drive for storing digital content.The Chrome ExperienceCombining the Chrome experience with Lenovo’s innovative multimode Chromebook design offers an unmatched value for consumers. With the Chrome operating system, the Chromebooks boot within seconds. Chrome offers fast, automatic updates and tens of thousands of apps available via the Chrome Web Store.Users can work on their N20 Chromebook and N20p Chromebook offline writing email on Gmail and creating documents with Google Docs. To facilitate working with other people and devices, the Chromebooks allow for opening, editing and sharing Microsoft Word and Excel files. Users can even share their Chromebook with someone else through a guest’s personal Google account or by enabling Guest Mode, and they can enable monitoring of children’s web browsing with supervised user profiles. With the Chromebooks, users can print anywhere via Google Cloud Print, and they can employ remote desktop access to access software on their machine.Quote“Our first consumer Chromebooks perfectly compliment people’s changing mobile digital lifestyles,” said Dilip Bhatia, vice president, worldwide marketing and design, PC Group, Lenovo. “Equipped with thousands of apps, the N20 and N20p Chromebooks are also fast, secure and incredibly simple for anyone to use and manage. With touch and two unique modes on the N20p Chromebook, users are getting a great technology experience at a handsome price.”Pricing and AvailabilityPricing for models of the N20 Chromebook and N20p Chromebook start at $279 and $329, respectively. They will be available beginning in July and August, respectively, via Lenovo retailers and www.lenovo.com.
