Lenovo Announces IdeaPad Y560d 3D Laptop

Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d 3D Laptop

Lenovo is launching their IdeaPad Y560d today, which will be the company's first 3D enabled laptop. The display in question is a 15.6" 16:9 panel with a rather low 1366x768 resolution. To provide the 3D experience, Lenovo provides their "TriDef" technology that consists of the display, the glasses, and the software. The latter is of particular interest as Lenovo says the "TriDef Media Player" and "TriDef Photo Transformer" software will be able to convert and display conventional 2D video or photos as full viewable 3D versions.

The IdeaPad Y560d is available with one of 13 Intel Arrandale processors from the lowly Core i3-330M up to the quad-core i7-840QM and just about everything between. Graphics consist of ATI's Radeon HD 5730, with switchable technology available with CPUs that include integrated Intel HD graphics, providing some extra battery life. The Y560d supports up to 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 memory.

There are plenty of storage options available with 250GB, 320GB, 500GB, 640GB and 750GB drives spinning at 5400RPM, or 320GB and 500GB 7200RPM drives. You can also team the HDD with an optional 32GB or 64GB SSD, which enables Lenovo's "RapidDrive" technology. This is part of Lenovo's "Enhanced Experience for Windows 7", which should dramatically improve performance with up to 66% faster boot times, reductions in application launch times, and faster file copying. A good SSD can do that for any laptop, of course, but the ability to use two drives in the Y560d means you can still get mass storage while reaping the performance benefits from a smaller SSD.

A Blu-Ray drive is a welcome addition for multimedia enthusiasts and the laptops comes with the requisite HDMI port for showing 1080p content on an external display. The multimedia experience also includes JBL designed speakers with Dolby Home Theater surround sound. Lenovo's "OneKey Theater II" technology offers a one-touch optimization for clearer, brighter video and richer audio to make the most of the multimedia experience.

Other extras include an ambient light sensor that will dynamically adjust the brightness of the display based on ambient light to reduce eyestrain (we prefer to manually control display brightness, but at least it can be disabled) and Lenovo's Energy Management tools that are designed to protect the longevity of the battery by minimizing unnecessary charging/discharging.

External connectivity consists of three USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA combo port, 6-in-1 flash reader, ExpressCard/34 slot, headphones/mic ports, and VGA and HDMI output. Gigabit Ethernet and wireless 802.11b/g/n come standard with Bluetooth and WWAN optionally available. An integrated 1.3MP webcam is also included.

The chassis is a respectable 20mm thick and weighs in at 2.7kg with the standard 6-cell battery providing up to five hours on integrated graphics and up to four hours with the discrete card. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d will be available at the end of June starting at $1200. That may be too expensive for most, once you upgrade to a Core i5/i7 processor and cast aside the 3D glasses for your regular daily laptop activities.