Lenovo IdeaPad Y460

Introduction
The Lenovo IdeaPad Y460 is a very sleek powerhouse machine. With its Intel i5 processor and 4 GB of RAM, there really is anything this machine cannot handle. The 14” screen and plastic encasement keeps this laptop extremely light. If you are looking for a very powerful compact machine that has some useful controls, this is the computer for you.

Specs
• 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5-520M Processor
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
• 4 GB DDR3 Ram
• 14” HD LED glossy display
• 500 GB 5400 RPM drive
• Duel Layer DVD burner
• 6 Cell Lithium Ion battery
• Starts at $799, $999 as is

Outside
The first thing that I noticed was the flashy Lenovo logo and the intricate hexagon design. While I prefer a lower key design, it looks pretty cool and today’s laptops are getting flashier and are being offered in all kinds of colors. I really like the orange stripe the goes around the perimeter of the case; it reminds me of the red stripe around Canon professional lenses or the orange glow inside the BMW 7 series. There are a few features that show this machine is built to last: very little give on the backside of the screen, is held closed without a latch, and the heavy-duty hinges.
Picking up the Lenovo Y460, I was presently surprised to find how light it was. Lenovo accomplished this by using plastic for pretty much every external part; but this is not the cheap stuff. The plastic felt like the exact same grade as my Nikon D80; that camera took a beating and never had a mark to show for it. This laptop should hold up against anything that you could encounter, short of a dive into the river or dropped in the sand.
On the front side, there is a convenient SD card slot, and two switches. One switch switches between the discrete graphics card, the ATI Radeon HD 5650, and the integrated graphics card. That graphics card is the main reason why this machine looks awesome when connected even to my DLP 61 inch 1080P TV, and one of the main reasons its own screen looks brilliant. This graphics card will be able to handle anything from the high end games to downloaded HD content. For those times that you don’t need to use the high-end graphics card, you can easily switch to the integrated graphics to save battery life by about 25%. To switch, you just need to close all applications.
Next to the graphics card switcher, is what I call the wireless kill-switch. Instead of having to go into control panels and menus to turn off wireless connections, you can turn them all off simultaneously with the flick of your fingertip. Personally, it is rare for me to not be on a wireless connection, but for those who travel, this is a very convenient way to save battery life without the hassle of going through menus and the like.
Along the left side of the Y460 is a fairly large vent. From what I can tell, this is where all the heat is dissipated; which is a welcome difference from the Macbook Pro, which pushes the heat right to the bottom through my legs. It is surprisingly quiet for how powerful it is, I can barely hear a fan coming from it. It comes with the usual slew of ports, including an esata port for fast hard drives, and an HDMI output for connecting to devices such as my 61 inch TV.
On the right side is the DVD burner. For me, flash media has pretty much replaced burning DVDs, and I could care less about a CD drive, I don’t think I’ll touch mine this decade. It has the same design as all of my Dad’s old IBM Thinkpads, where you press the button and the tray comes out. I’d prefer the slot drive that all the Macs use along with the PS3.
Inside
Opening up the front cover, the first thing you will notice is the 14 inch LED display. It displays higher than HD quality, my own complaint is how glossy it is. In certain offices or dark rooms, this should not be a problem. The screen will reflect any light that is behind you, I sometimes see my reflection perfectly in front of me. Glossy screens do look better when watching movies, and there are 3rd party films that you can purchase to block reflections that should solve most of the issue; just don’t expect to be able to use this computer outside that often in the sun.
The keyboard is by no means a simple classic keyboard. The Snazzy JBL speakers with their big JBL logos produce pretty good sound that would be more than adequate for any dorm room; and can be adjusted by the designated volume up and down above the keyboard, or using the function key along with the direction keys.
Above the keyboard is horizontal textured track-pad. It is shortcut bars that you can have it trigger to open applications or files but sliding your finger down it. Sliding it from left to right will “Zipper it shut”, a closed zipper will appear on the screen and all inputs (keyboard) are denied access until it is unzipped. I do not know why anyone would use this, except to deny access to a friend trying to use it. Going from right to left changes the wallpaper to the next one in the folder.
The actual keyboard is nice to use, and has a lot of shortcuts to menus that control the battery life and screen settings using the function and F keys. Mine came with a sticky E key, but I called customer service, and they told me if I sent it in, it would be replaced or repaired.
Lenovo included its Veriface software to be used with the webcam, that uses facial recognition for login. This is a cool feature, and you can use a password if it does not work. If you use the Y460 in the same location every day, this is a very easy quick way to login without touching a key. It does get confused in different lighting conditions sometimes, so it may not always work if you are on the go. If my brother did not live a thousand miles away, I would try to see if I could trick it into thinking he was me; oh well.
The track-pad is one of the weaker aspects of this laptop, but you have to remember everything is relative; every other aspect about this machine is very strong. The track pad is textured for grip and can take command such as pinch zoom, two finger scrolling, and three finger scrolling; exactly what Macs are known for. I am spoiled for I am used to Macs’ perfectly designed track pads. The Ideapad trackpad is just not quite as responsive or consistent as my Macbook Pro; then again I have yet to find one that is. This aside, for anyone not coming from a Mac, this track pad will accomplish more than anything anyone would need.
Recommendation

The Lenovo Ideapad Y460 is a very compact and powerful machine that does not skimp on battery life, looks, or practicality. I would have no problem working on it all day. You do get what you pay for, it is more expensive than most laptops out there. This would be the perfect laptop for any college student, media guru, or business traveler; it does have a SIM card slot for mobile broadband. If you do not plan on taking advantage of the graphics card, opt for the cheaper model, but the discrete graphics card is worth if you are doing anything graphics related.

Posted in: Lenovo