Size reduction has been a yearning trend whether it be reducing your tummy for a perfect 6 abs or reducing the reckless websites you have to go through to get any information. People are so desperate these days that they wish to be sorcerers with the magic that would grant them anything in this world below their feet. With the discovery of Computers, the trend to diminish the size and to retain the magnanimity came to limelight resulting in a scourge of discoveries in the passing years, with every people craving for such alien ideas. That is exactly why the creators of think pad have come up with the All in one Lenovo A600 desktop PC. This is an all in one PC embedded with every feature one could possibly imagine. Starting from the 21.0” inch frameless screen to the wireless keyboard and mouse to the exclusively distinct remote, the features are umpteen. Indeed, the makers have shifted focus from their routine straightforward designs to product aesthetics. They have sauntered down the style runaway with a new take on what a desktop PC should be, with A600 PC.

But on the contrary, this product is not without flaws and definitely not the most perfect design ever made. So what does it project? Is it worth? Let the final verdict tell it.

Lenovo Idea Center A600 All in one Desktop PC

Design:

Sharp and Angular:

An ultra thin chassis, with a combination of sharp and angular design, and a 21.5 inch display gives the A600 an extra edge over other competing traditional desktops. This smarty, with a clean sweeping, gloss black design is something irresistible, though the lack of touch screen capability may turn off a few. It also includes an automatic screen dimming to prevent eyestrain. The front design appears flat with a frameless screen able to support 1080p, definitely good news for movie freaks who demand a high resolution. The convex back holds the Gigabyte Ethernet, 4 more USB ports along with the TV tuner card.

On the contrary, the little space between the screen and the stand might end up pinching your fingers as well as damaging the cables. The makers have put a warning sticker just for our notice. It is unfortunate that this stands out to be a unique black mark, as no other PCs are found to give this trouble.

Keyboard and mouse:

The mouse and keyboard in Idea Center A600 comes with USB connectors with ports on the left side. The keyboard includes a touch pad, positioned exactly where the num pad would have been, just in case you are too lazy to reach the mouse. In addition, a left click mouse button lives within easy reach. The black mouse of laser variety is definitely attractive.

The left side has 2 microphone connectors along with 2 USB ports with an IE 1394 fire wire port along with a multi SD card reader which reads SD, MMC or Memory Stick PRO. Even then, one would feel 2 or more ports missing. The speakers have good quality and are embedded on the back of the screen.

Absence of HDMI port:

The HDMI port seems to be absent, which makes the coaxial cable connector as the only option to get a video into the system. This could be stated as one of the major drawbacks in the system. With such high resolution and attractive options for gaming, it would have been better without a few USBs but dropping this does not seem appealing even though tons of features are crammed into this piece. Truly, the makers would not have had enough room to include it, and as a result, the system falls short of becoming a ‘do it all’ entertainment device for the dorm dwellers.

Power box:

Compared to other designs the power box consumes around 150 watts higher than the normal 750 watts consumed by traditional PCs. But unfortunately, this power brick is too big and poses a major concern if we want to stick the system on a desk, as one could have a tough time hiding the box.

Optical Drive:

The right side holds the optical drive. The system comes with a Blu ray player which highlights the HD capabilities of the monitor. The placement of the drive though, is cumbersome. Though it has an elegant slot loading model, it is mounted backward and as a result that we can feed the CD and DVDs with the shiny side facing us. This would cause clearance problems if this system is placed in a space that lacks some real space on the right side.

Features:

Attractive Speedy Easy and Friendly:

The term ‘All in one’ definitely suits this device because of the range of peripherals it has: A gorgeous 21.5 inch,1080 p screen, built in TV tuner, Wii Remote gyroscopic controller, spacious hard drive, DDR 3 memory, ATI Radeon HD 3650 graphics. Add a Blu-ray drive on top of this, and this is the new all in one entertainment to beat. The cost range is definitely customer friendly. The system is very speedy and easy to set up, needing only a power cable while using a wireless mouse, keyboard and network options. The assembly cannot be simpler, just take it out, plug it and you are in business.

This Lenovo Idea Center A600 high end PC is shipped with a 2.13 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB RAM, 1TB hard drive. This sounds an offer hard to refuse, as you could get a capable PC with a full HD of 1900 *1080 pixel display with loads of styles, quite profitable if you compare it with Apples iMac steep starting price, which still offers a lower resolution. It might as well cost you a bit more than existing desktops with weak atom processors, but it is worth the bill.

Operating system:

The system comes with rather an interesting package including Windows Vista Home Premium (64 bit). This operating system comes with a peer to peer technology, making the sharing of files and media between computers and devices. Though criticised on its licensing terms this smart baby comes with many new changes and features dubbed Aero, which includes new refreshing looks and graphic user interface. Include a redesigned search function, multimedia tools including Windows DVD Maker, and redesigned networking, audio, and display subsystem this package is too cool.

Lenovo Idea Center A600 Remote Control

4 in 1 Remote:

The peripherals are also impressive. The remote is a Swiss army knife that has the 4 in one specialty. It lets you flick through the files and channels, moves around the screen while away from the desk, play a handful of including Wii like games while waving around. If all these features do not impress you, built in speakers and microphone enables you to use it as wireless VOIP handset.  Microsoft Vista Media Center users, can use it to operate DVDs, the remote also functions as an air mouse which could control the cursor movement on the screen.

Processor Memory and Security:

At the core of this Lenovo A600 powerful computer lies the Intel Core 2 Duo with optional ATI Radeon graphics card technology with Direct X10 support and up to 4 GB DDR3 memory for multitasking and a 1 TB hard disk for storing videos and music. Coupled with high performance mobile technology, the all-in-one runs whisper quiet even with intensive tasks. Yet another feature is the VeriFace facial recognition technology which allows users to use his or her facial image to log on password promising a strict and tough security. This has been made possible by the 2 mega pixel webcam which works well for video conferencing.

Speaker:

The speaker’s maximum volume and sound quality though reasonably good is definitely not great. It is likely that one must connect external speakers to hear spoken dialogue in a large noisy open room. The integrated speaker includes a bass sub woofer and Dolby Home Theatre audio certification with the Blu ray player completing the Home Cinema Experience.

Drawbacks:

Coming to the draw backs, the ATI’s Mobility Radeon HD 3650 chip is far away from the top of the line, but it is expected that this system will at least be able to handle some of the latest 3D games. The 4 in 1 remote allows a motion drive feature which controls on screen object according to the movements. But truly, A600 is not a gaming machine but it would definitely support latest games at a lower resolution. Along with the absence of HDMI port, this provides an average gaming experience. Software in Idea Centre could have been made more productive especially the low priced versions. Though a fair amount of applications could bog down the system it is still disappointing.

Hard drive is apparently quite noisy and the noise of the cooling fans never seems to fade into the background. This would be irritating especially while watching movies. The positioning of the optical drive adds another discomfort. Portability can also be seen as a problem with the absence of a carry handle. The unit is unwieldy for the users to carry to a meeting room or to their living room to watch a movie. The current Windows Vista Home Premium Edition may not serve the Small and medium businesses with more operating system choices.

Performance:

What exactly would you expect from a 1 TB hard disk 4 GB Ram and Intel Core 2 Duo processor?  High performance? But this system gives an unbeatable high performance compared to the almost all recent desktops.  The performance falls marginally short of Apples Desktop, but definitely is in the top list of performance. The resolution is one thing that is appealing to the core. Well, High definition is defined at its best when it comes to 1080 p view in a huge 21” LCD. This is going to glue you in front of it, and you are going to love it.

Warranty:

Along with a 24*7 toll free phone support Lenovo Idea Center A600 comes with a parts and labour warranty of one year which starts from the original date of purchase.

Verdict:

The first all in one PC by Lenovo Idea Centre A600 is something very impressive. Designed with a unique style, and appealing starting price the company has incorporated ergonomics with style to create this stunning desktop hardware making sure that it delivers on promise of performance. On the whole, the speakers could have been louder and HDMI could have been included. To be true, whenever you find something very attractive and catchy, something which knocks down your mind whether it be mobile or a computer, minor flaws appear big. The reason, of course is that you have been spellbound by its charm and you are craving for it. This stellar all in one PC is one such example and as said earlier it has retained the magnanimity to its full extend in its miniature size. Lenovo is yet to improve, but surely it has placed the right foot into the market with its splendid design. With this design hitting the bulls eye, they are determined to stay.

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Lenovo Idea Center A600 All-in-One Desktop PC – Technical Specifications

Manufacturer Lenovo
Model Name Idea Center A600 Desktop PC
Model Number A600
Series A series
Display & Screen Size 21.5 inch integrated LCD(1080p)
Dimensions ( H x W x D) 18.22″x 20.47″ x 1.06″ to 2.36″
Hard drive Capacity 1TB
Optical drive BD- ROM/DVD RW
Graphics hardware ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 (512 MB)
Memory 4GB DDR3
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo P7450
Processor speed 2.13 GHZ
Sound High definition(HD) Audio,RealTek ALC272 codec
Operating system Windows Vista Home Premium (64 bit)
Mouse Wireless RF 2.4 GHZ Laser Wheel Mouse,800/1600 dpi
Keyboard Wireless RF 2.4 GHZ keyboard with touch pad,
6 row 84 key,touch sensitive multimedia and short cut
I/O ports Rear : Four USB 2.0,Ethernet(Rj 45),TV tuner
Left: Two USB 2.0,IEEE 1394 FireWire400(4 pin connector)
Software Lenova One key Recovery
Driver Application Installation
Lenovo Recovery Disk Maker
Veriface
Media Show
Trend Micro PC cillin Internet
Security 2008
Microsoft Office 2007 Trial (60 days)
Cyberlink Power2Go
Core WinDvd (BD player)
Warranty 12 Months

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