Back in the consumer game: Lenovo unveils new desktops

Morrisville, N.C. — Lenovo is taking another step in its global search for consumer business, rolling out a new lineup of desktop PCs.

The IdeaCentre K210 machine, including a variety of new features such as an application that automatically corrects monitor brightness based on the user’s head movements, went on sale Monday in the U.S. and other western markets.

The K210, with much of the design work being done at Lenovo’s global headquarters in Morrisville, augments the K200 model that is being sold in China and elsewhere in Asia.

K210 model prices start at $379 after a $50 mail-in rebate and sell for as much as $899 when equipped with “all the bells and whistles,” a Lenovo spokesperson said.

Lenovo, which is the world’s fourth largest PC manufacturer, has made consumer markets for desktops and laptops a major part of its growth strategy this year. IBM sold its PC business to Lenovo three years ago, having abandoned the consumer market long before that sale.

The desktop machines are a follow on to the recently announced IdeaPads, Lenovo’s laptops geared for consumers.

Most K210 models include the Bright Vision feature, which is designed to help users deal with glare on their monitors.

“That gives us an interesting selling feature,” the Lenovo spokesperson said.

Bright Vision detects how far the user is from the monitor and adjusts the monitor’s brightness.

Other performance highlights include a mini-tower design to save physical space as well as Intel Quad 2 processors and optional high-end graphics cards designed to meet needs of PC game players.

To enhance security, the K210 also offers VeriFace, a facial recognition strategy.

Keyboards, meanwhile, include anti-microbial materials in order to combat germs.

Other features include Lenovo’s Vantage Technology, a one-touch application to help machines recover from a system crash or a virus.

The K210s can be purchased at Lenovo’s Web site and at other Lenovo partners, including Tiger Direct.