IBM prunes Lenovo stake

Trading in shares of Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo was suspended today when news broke of a major sell-off by large stakeholder IBM. Reports indicate that Big Blue offloaded some 300 million shares, or roughly one-quarter of its stake in Lenovo. The sale reduces IBM's total interest in Lenovo below the 10 percent mark. Lenovo burst onto the international computing stage in 2005 with the purchase of IBM's line of desktop and notebook computers and notebook products, including the highly regarded ThinkPad laptop brand. ThinkPad has remained the high-profile performer for Lenovo, which retained IBM's ThinkCentre enterprise PC mark and replaced the struggling Aptiva consumer brand with the 3000 series PC. The move further distances IBM from the desktop computing business it was once literally synonymous with, during a time when second-tier x86 computers were routinely referred to as "IBM clones" or "IBM-compatible." Now a diminishing minority stake is all that remains of IBM's interest in the market it pioneered with the original XT personal computer.

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Lenovo Starts a New Engine in Formula One

Lenovo, a leading computer company that creates the best-engineered PCs in the world, today announced a top sponsorship agreement with the AT&T Williams team competing in the Formula One World Championship. Lenovo's announcement took place at the launch of the team's 2007 race car at AT&T Williams headquarters near Oxford, UK. Lenovo PC technology will be used throughout the AT&T Williams team, on functions ranging from ignition checks to race operations and inventory and the Lenovo logo will be displayed in the dominant branding position on the 2007 cars of drivers Nico Rosberg and Alex Wurz. "Lenovo is an international technology company obsessed with innovation, and they will undoubtedly help us achieve success in every area of our business," said Frank Williams, Team Principal of AT&T Williams.

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Lenovo said to sponsor F1 Williams

LENOVO Group, the world's third largest PC maker, is expected to announce its sponsorship of Williams, the BMW-backed Formula One team, Sina.com reported today citing a well-informed source. A "Lenovo" decal was found on Williams' new 2007 car on January 22, the report said. Lenovo refused to confirm the report with Sina.com. The new car will be unveiled today and Lenovo might become the team's main sponsor, according to the design scheme of the new car. Lenovo might release the information this afternoon, according to the source and the sponsorship might be worth US$40 million a year. William J. Amelio, Lenovo's CEO, said yesterday that the company will announce a new sports sponsor today. He also said Lenovo has prepared an advertisement, which is related to the new sponsorship. In the next three months, the advertisement will be shown around the world.

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Lenovo Expands Desktop Lineup To Go Small on Size, Big on Value

SINGAPORE, January 31, 2007 -- Lenovo announced the new ThinkCentre A55 Small Form Factor (SFF) desktop PC, packing in leading technologies, such as Intel Core 2 Duo processors and the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system, all in the size of an average briefcase. As companies look for ways to efficiently use office space, desktop real-estate can quickly become the target of IT managers and business owners. The ThinkCentre A55 SFF desktop is approximately 64 percent smaller than Lenovo’s traditional tower form factor and 25 percent smaller than its conventional small desktop. Its smaller footprint can free up desk space for other items, such as an extra monitor for dual-monitor work environments or a personal printer and scanner. "We are seeing an increased adoption of small form factor desktops in settings such as healthcare, education, financial institutions and call-centers," said Tom Tobul, executive director, desktop marketing, Lenovo.

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News Bits: Samsung Releases 60GB 1.8-Inch Hard Drive, Lenovo ...

Samsung recently introduced their 1.8-inch hard drive with a 60GB per disk capacity and a super-slim form factor that is just 5-millimeters tall. Samsung's sleek new 1.8-inch N-series features 20GB, 30GB, 40GB and 60GB per disk capacities. This new 60GB 1.8-inch hard disk can store data equivalent to 60 135-minute movies, 1,500 40MB music videos or 15,000 4MB MP3 music files. This should make you entertainment fiends happy. Samsung's 1.8-inch N-series hard disk drives are available in both internal and external HDD type and they are currently shipping. Read More Lenovo Releases Vista Drivers for X60 Tablet PC Lenovo X60 owners your wait is over. Lenovo has just released Vista compatible drivers for the X60 Tablet PC. The only drivers missing at this point are for the fingerprint reader.

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Lenovo PCs in UAE schools

Lenovo will fit out UAE public schools with desktop computers, following an agreement with the Ministry of Health. The PC vendor will install its M55e Lenovo ThinkCentre desktops to 173 schools in country's northern emirates. The deal is part of a UAE national initiative to increase technology use in education. .

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Movers: Lenovo shares gain on higher shipments

TAIPEI: Shares of Lenovo Group, the largest maker of personal computers, rose Thursday after a research report said the company increased shipments and its share of the global PC market. Lenovo stock gained 0.9 percent to finish at 3.35 Hong Kong dollars, or 43 U.S. cents, after rising as much as 5.1 percent, compared with a 1.1 percent gain in the benchmark Hang Seng index. The company posted a 9 percent gain in fourth-quarter shipments, driven by sales in Asia, and raised its market share 0.1 percentage point to 7.1 percent, or third place in the industry, according to the researcher Gartner Dataquest. Hewlett-Packard, whose share rose to 17.4 percent from 15 percent a year earlier, took over as market leader from Dell. "Lenovo continues to benefit from its leadership position in Asia-Pacific," the research company IDC, based in Framingham, Massachusetts, said in a separate report.

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