Two views of Lenovo

Struggling company will unveil dual-screen laptop in Vegas

Lenovo is betting that, when it comes to laptops, two screens are better than one.

The Chinese PC maker, which has one of its world headquarters in Morrisville, bills its new ThinkPad W700ds as "the industry's first dual-screen mobile workstation," or high-end laptop. The latest ThinkPad is among the new Lenovo products being unveiled this week at the Consumer Electronic Association's giant trade show, the 2009 International CES in Las Vegas.

"We like to call it the nitro-burning funny car dragster of ThinkPads," said Craig Merrigan, vice president of global consumer marketing, during a conference call.

A smaller 10.6-inch display slides out from behind the primary 17-inch display to provide two-for-one capabilities.

Research has shown that using two screens boosts productivity, said Wes Williams, marketing manager for ThinkPad laptops.

Lenovo, the world's fourth-largest PC maker, entered the consumer market outside of China at last year's CES and has a lot riding on its new product lineup. Profits at the company, which is losing market share and is facing slowing demand for PCs, fell 78 percent in the third quarter. The company said in October that it would lay off about 50 of its 1,600 workers in Morrisville.

Market research firm IDC projects worldwide PC shipments will rise just 3.8 percent in 2009, down from 15.8 percent in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the value of the PCs shipped next year is expected to fall 5.3 percent.

Lenovo executives said its new products and features are the product of in-depth studies of consumer trends. They include:

* 4-in-1 remote control. You can use it to watch videos or TV. It works as a wireless mouse that needn't be moved along a surface to direct the cursor. You can use it to make and receive phone calls if you have Internet telephony software such as Skype. And, for games, it is a motion-controller "similar to Wii functionality," said Ninis Samuel, director of marketing, referring to Nintendo's popular game player. The 4-in-1 remote will be available as an option on IdeaCentre A600 desktops.

* The IdeaCentre A600 "all-in-one" desktop is designed for entertainment geeks. It shows high-definition images on a wide-screen display, and it has Dolby Home Theatre audio that includes a bass sub-woofer. A Blu-Ray player is optional. A digital TV tuner enables watching and recording TV programs. The A600 will be available in April. Suggested retail prices start at $999, $1,299 for models with 4-in-1 remotes.

* "OneKey Theater" software. With the press of a button, users of Lenovo's Y series laptops can improve image and sound quality while watching movies or playing games. The Y laptops are expected to be available in March and start at $829.

Thinner and lighter is a recurring theme for the new laptops, but not when it comes to the dual-screen model. It weighs 10.9 pounds, versus 4.6 pounds for the lightest Y series laptop.

Still, IDC analyst Richard Shim told the trade publication ComputerWorld that it should score with photographers, software developers and others who put a premium on productivity.

Users who like to employ two screens tend to use the second for "reference information" -- to display a spreadsheet, for example, while doing their main work on the primary screen -- or for managing functions such as e-mail and instant messaging, Williams said.

Prices for the W700ds, which is expected to be available immediately, start at $3,663.