The six regional winners have been announced in the YouTube Space Lab competition powered by Lenovo.
Is it really possible that space-bound snowflakes, spiders or alien superbugs could hold the key to the world's next scientific breakthrough? You never know. YouTube Space Lab has entered its final phase. We began with thousands, we’re down to just a few. The Lenovo-powered competition invited teenagers from all over the world to dream up science experiments that could be performed in space. The winners will get to see that happen—NASA will conduct the winning experiment at the International Space Station later this year. (It will also be live-streamed on YouTube.) Thousands of young scientists from all over the world stayed up late (for how many nights?!) formulating ideas and shaping them into compelling Space Lab video submissions. A public vote narrowed it down—from 60 finalists we’re now left with six very good teams asking intriguing questions: Could alien superbugs cure disease on Earth? (Dorothy & Sara, USA) Can you teach an old spider new tricks? (Amr, Egypt) Could liquid magnets take us deeper into space? (Sachin, India) Does the future of computing rest in a drop of liquid? (Maria & Laura, Spain) Can hot air in space help keep us cool on Earth? (Patrick & Derek, New Zealand) Could a snowflake unlock the mysteries of the universe? (Emerald, USA) Who will win? We’ll find out soon. In the meantime, the finalists have already received some goodies in the mail from Lenovo, including...
Continue reading “Alien Superbugs? YouTube Space Lab and the Science of Space”
Luis Hernandez is the vice president, ThinkPad Edge Business Unit, for Lenovo. As the dust settles from yet another busy CES, it’s is only fitting we take time to reflect on what we learned from the largest ever consumer electronics show – this year’s had more than 150,000(!) attendees from around the world – all making the pilgrimage to Las Vegas. From a business perspective, we had a great show. We saw lots of excitement around our ultrabooks, new AIO and personal cloud strategy - which is all about integrating content across devices, whether it’s a PC, tablet, smart TV or smartphone. We felt beyond honored to receive 19 great awards, and we certainly didn’t mind seeing IDC’s latest report on our market share climb to 14.0 percent and 37% growth this past quarter. But what I, and I think I speak for many of us here at Lenovo, found most gratifying about CES is that Lenovo absolutely thrived at a show that is entirely dedicated to the consumer – not businesses. I’ve been thinking about that over the past few days. First and foremost, we are a company comprised of tens of thousands of consumers. Granted, some may have a few more engineering degrees than most consumers, but nevertheless we have the same demands for technology that you do: we expect reliability, cutting-edge features and a dash of style. It’s the consumer in each of us at Lenovo that translates into products that shine at CES....
Continue reading “CES 2012: For the Consumer, By the Consumer”
Consumer Tech Forecast Calls for… Clouds
Nick Reynolds is director of marketing and strategy for Lenovo. Remember when cell phones were only capable of making phone calls? Or when the only way to access the Internet was through a desktop computer? It’s no secret that consumer expectations for technology have evolved at a blistering pace over the past several years. With the advent of smartphones, tablets and the cloud, consumers have now come to expect lightning fast connectivity, the latest whiz-bang features and powerful processing capabilities - all in increasingly thinner, lighter and ascetically pleasing devices. In order to meet consumer demand, everything we use to communicate, connect and consume simply has to be smarter, better and more tightly integrated. This is why we at Lenovo are so excited to unveil our “Personal Cloud” vision, which seeks to provide consumers with a comprehensive solution spanning all of their devices – from smartphones to PCs, tablets and televisions. Throughout 2012, every consumer and SMB product Lenovo delivers will not only meet the core requirements of faster, thinner and richer, but they will also support Lenovo Cloud capabilities – which add up to greater access anywhere at any time. The way we see it, while the cloud is often described in abstract terms, the reality is that it all comes down to access. We want to simplify how you access data as well as communicate and share with family, friends and coworkers. Because there...
Continue reading “Consumer Tech Forecast Calls for… Clouds”
International CES
First time at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas? Don’t worry; it’s the first time for everyone at some point. We’ve been heading to CES every year as far back as we can remember, so we wanted to share a few fun tips that we’ve picked up along the way to make the most out of the show. Make a plan for what you want to accomplish and which venues you want to hit – use the offical CES website. Here you can find almost everything you need from floor plans to schedules to shuttle information. Drink up … water that is – Avoid buying $5 water bottles from hotels and stock up at Walgreens on the Strip to save money! The dry desert air and walking the miles of ground CES covers makes you extra thirsty. Remember to bring some chapstick too! Eat all three meals throughout the day – this might be a no-brainer, but you’ll need every bit of energy you can get. Keep snacks on hand and avoid questionable buffets no matter how attractive the price (read: if the buffet looks anything like Cousin Eddie's favorite spot in National Lampoon’s Las Vegas Vacation, steer clear!) We recommend sandwiches at Jean Philippe Patisserie in the Bellagio (and a crepe if you have time to spare). Also, Lotus of Siam has some of the most authentic Thai food and is a restaurant gem to all in-the-know foodies. Put comfort first – wear flat shoes with a slight arch that are well-worn...
Continue reading “Ten Tips for Surviving CES”
When we first launched the EExtraordinary 10-Second Hero Contest in conjunction with Microsoft this past summer, I didn’t know what to expect. What can people do in just 10 seconds to impact others? As I previously described, I was moved by the astonishing stories from people around the world making an impact every day in such a short amount of time. From Steve Mazur (US), founder of The Lisa Altobelli Foundation, the one and only cancer specific transportation provider in New York City, to Claudia Flores (Argentina) who takes 10 seconds to bundle a baby with a new blanket- each story was unique and inspirational. In the end, we learned about the powerful impact of a smile. Our grand prize winner, Carlos Arturo Vargas Ayala, works at Operacion Sonrisa Colombia (Operation Smile), a non-profit organization dedicated to surgically repairing malformations of children born with cleft palates in Colombia. After each operation, it takes less than 10 seconds for Carlos to see the smile on the children and their families’ faces- a simple yet impactful gesture for everyone involved. Lenovo was thrilled to be able to award $50,000 to this wonderful organization. At the check signing ceremony, I had a chance to speak with Carlos to ask him about his work with the organization: How did you get involved with Operacion Sonrisa? “I was fortunate to learn about Operation Smile, an organization based in Norfolk Virginia, dedicated to addressing...
