PC-maker Lenovo is to sell PCs that come with an optional hand-held motion-based remote controller as well as a standard wireless mouse, which enables users to interact with a computer in the same way as they do a Nintendo Wii machine.
The IdeaCenter A600’s motion-based remote control will function as an ‘air-mouse’, working at a distance from the main unit of the all-in-one PC so that a user can control the system without having to hold a mouse against a flat surface.
The additional remote that comes with the machine also provides all the handset features that are needed to make and receive PC-based voice over Internet calls.
The IdeaCentre A600 is one of a new portfolio of entertainment PCs that Lenovo plans to show this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Pitched to sell just under the $1,000 price tag, the unit is built as a thin all-in-one unit much like the iMac, and comes with a 21.5-inch screen, Intel Pentium Dual Core or Core 2 Duo mobile processors.
The company, which bought IBM’s PC business in 2005, has developed its latest IdeaCenter unit with the home entertainment computer market very much in mind. It is part of its strategy to reduce its reliance on corporate IT budgets and business PCs.
CBR Opinion
The arrival in April of the new IdeaCenter A600 model from the Beijing-based vendor could be seen as more than a gimmick. It could kick start more serious consideration by the industry of motion-tracking pointer devices as alternative input options for business computer users.
