Lenovo Olympic notebook gets specs, photos

Lenovo's Xiang notebook has been demonstrated at a southeast Asian expo, revealing features that have previously been available about the Olympic-themed device. Originally created to recall the "sacred fire" theme of China's 2008 sports event with red and white on the outside as well as a swirl imprint on the inside shell, the Xiang will be a 12-inch widescreen ultraportable with a 1.66GHz low-voltage Core Duo that strikes a balance between performance and the efficiency needed for the thin frame; the system goes without an optical drive but includes a multi-format card reader, ExpressCard slot, and three USB ports.

Launch information for the Xiang is unavailable, but the computer should arrive well in advance of the 2008 Olympics preloaded with Windows Vista and shipping in a limited run. The cost of the system is also expected to rise above that of the reference design. A release outside of China is doubtful without an equivalent standard model in the US. [via AVING]