India gets a cool new computer before U.S.

It's a sign of the globalization times. And of the United States' technological decline.

Lenovo, a Chinese company which bought IBM's Personal Computing Division in 2005, has started to get into the home computer market.

I'm interested, because my wife and I each use Lenovo-made ThinkPad notebooks that still bear the IBM logo. We like them. They're rock solid and nicely designed with a great feeling keyboard.

Further, Consumer Reports rates Apple and Lenovo as the computer companies with the best support and most trouble-free products. So I've been perusing Lenovo's one and only notebook aimed at home/home office users, the Y410.

I'd like a computer with better multimedia capabilities. And Vista. (Mac addicts: I've seriously considered a PowerBook but have my reasons for sticking with Windows.)

But the Lenovo Y410, which is sold only through retailers like Office Depot, has some drawbacks. Like, the smallish 14.1 inch display. And sound that doesn't seem deserving of a "Dolby Home Theatre" description.

Plus, it looks pretty much like my ThinkPad. Utilitarian. Lacking in cool.

So I decided to Google my way into any news about forthcoming Lenovo notebooks aimed at home users. I hit a blank for a while. Then, Eureka!

There it was. A search result that included the terms "Lenovo Y510, the ultimate entertainer" and "boasting to be a way cool entertainment PC."

The only problem was another word: "India."

Yes, the Lenovo Y510 notebook is prominently featured on the company's India home page. And I could learn all about the three Y510 models, which range from Rs. 45990 ($1,164) to Rs. 58990 ($1,494).

I liked the look of the computer so much, I even checked into ordering it. I found a web page with a drop down menu for states that looked promising. Only problem was, the states had names like Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Browsing further, I learned that currently the Y510 is available in India/South Asia. So people can get it in Afghanistan and Nepal. But not in the United States.

Hopefully that'll change soon. I'm going to call Lenovo tomorrow and try to learn when the U.S. rollout will be. I'll willing to wait a while, since moving to India just to be able to use a cool new computer doesn't make a lot of sense.

I'm not saying that this tale proves that the United States is heading toward becoming a second class technology power. But there sure are signs pointing to that conclusion.

Such as, this comic in the most recent issue of Funny Times. This right-on view of how India and the United States are changing places comes from the mind of Jen Sorensen, creator of Slowpoke Comics.

As she says, "Soon, Americans will be providing tech support to Bangalore. In broken midwestern-accented Hindi."

Sounds plausible. Americans already are drooling over computers available only in India.

Comments

[Randy]

Brian, I'm sure you already know that you can have a Mac and Windows. I just cranked up Leopard on my new iMac and the back up system is about the coolest trick I've ever seen on a computer.

[Anand]

Time wheel keeps on rotating Mate, Once u will be booming and next time u will be in great depression