[SGVLUG] IBM/Lenovo - the company you love to hate...

[Emerson, Tom (*IC)]

I'm not sure (yet) if I truly hate IBM/Lenovo, but this is VERY annoying:

   1) go to the Lenovo site [http://www.lenovo.com/us/en/index.html]
      [make sure this is /specifically/ the U.S. site - if not, this next step won't make sense]
   2) select "products / S Series" from the HTML drop-down menu
   3) note the models available:
       basic ideapad: 4231-36U [blue]
                      4231-2CU [white for $10 more]
       ideapad w/more memory & disk
                      4231-A8U, -A9U, -27U, -AAU, -33U; this time the pink one is $10 more
       ideapad w/more memory, disk, and 6-cell battery
                      4231-AGU, -AFU, -ADU, -AEU, & -AJU; black & white are cheaper...

      ALL are only offered w/windows XP only -- note also these are all (technically) the "S10" line [base product number "4231"]

   4) change the "region" to "United Kingdom" [or just about ANYWHERE other than the U.S.]
   5) select "products / S series" again
   6) note the [rather prominent] item offered in the middle of the page

       ideapad S10e white cover LINUX
        [product base number "4187"]

You can download the "IdeaPad S series tech specs" pdf, even from the "US" site, and see the s10/s10e differences.  Interestingly, if you search for "s10e" on Lenovo's site, you can't (easily) get to the actual s10e models if you're still pointing to the "US" version of the site.

BUT if you search for "lenovo s10e" on Google, and select the shopping result for lenovo, it takes you straight to the page that offers model 4187-39U, again, "windows only".  Even more interesting is that it is priced at $379 on their own site, but the "39U" version isn't their "top of the line" version (IMHO) -- search again for "41872NU" and you'll find, for only $349 the model with not only the larger drive and memory, but the 6-cell battery AND bluetooth built in!

[aside: while searching google for "s10e", I did find a lenovo press release that essentially indicates the "e" suffix is the "educational" version]

And finally, if you search for model "4187eru", you'll find the linux version priced at $379 -- and this is where it gets really interesting: the linux version uses a 4GB "SSD" drive instead of a spinning-platter HD (and no bluetooth either) BUT you get the larger battery pack

And that will lead me to another topic [potentially appropriate for April 1...]