Techmamas

Giveaway - Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z All-in-one PC!

**Winner is LisaC. My3Sons33 Congrats! .

While gadgets are getting more mobile, I suggest every family have a Desktop PC. Desktop PC's are budget friendly, have bigger screens then laptops and can do double duty as a "work at home" PC for work at home parents. Desktop PC's also make it easier for mom and dad to keep an eye on what the kids are doing online - because if they are set up in the family room - they stay in the family room.

  

I recently had the chance to review the Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z All-in-one Desktop PC, which has become not only a valued family PC, but also a work PC for a "work at home mom" (i.e. ME!). I am happy to say that I also have the fun of announcing a giveaway of one Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z All-in-one PC to one lucky reader. Here are the details:

1. TIMING: Contest starts July 6th and ends July 10, 10pm pst.
2. PRIZE: One Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z All-in-one PC
3. HOW TO ENTER: Each contestant can only comment 2 times - one (1) with how they would use the PC and another (2) only if they share the contest details over Twitter - and provide a link to the Tweet in the comment text. For use of a new PC, would you be looking for a family, work at home or small business PC? The tweet should have the Twitter IDs @TechMama and @lenovosocial, the bitly of this post "http://bit.ly/bTiQZe" and the hashtag "#A70z". **Only 2 comments/entries per person will be used to determine winner.
4. HOW WINNER IS CHOOSEN:We will be entering the number of comments into Random.org to randomly choose a winner.
5. OTHER RULES:

--A Valid email address must be entered in the private "email" section of the comment (not in the comment text). If a valid email address is not provided, another winner will be choosen.

--Winner must be located in North America (Canada/US). Shipments can only be made to Canada/US.

--Lenovo are not responsible for any lost packages or incorrect shipping addresses. The prize is not redeemable in cash and must be accepted as awarded. Approximate value of prizes may vary. By claiming the prize, the winner authorizes the use, without additional compensation of his or her name and/or likeness and/or voice/photograph and municipality of residence for promotion and/or advertising purposes in any manner and in any medium (including without limitation over the internet and picture data storage).

--This giveaway is running on other sites. Individuals who've won at another site are ineligible to win a second time. Here are the other sites: 

• June 28 - July 2: The Gadgeteer
• June 29 - July 3: Slash Gear
• July 1 - July 5: Chip Chick
• July 2 - July 6: Tech Virtuoso
• July 3 - July 7: Mobile PC World
• July 5 - July 9: Moosh In Indy
• July 6 - July 10: Tech Mamas
• July 7 - July 11: Morningside Mom
• July 8 - July 12: Digital Home Thoughts
• July 9 - July 13: Geeks Room
• July 10 - July 14: Twenties Life
• July 11 - July 15: Gear Live
• July 12 - July 16: The Art of Accessories
• July 13 - July 17: Hack College
• July 14 - July 18: Neowin
• July 15 - July 19: Absolutely Windows
• July 16 - July 20: SDR News
• July 17 - July 21: Gear Diary
• July 18 - July 22: Clinton Fitch
• July 19 - July 23: OSNN
• July 20 - July 24: Active Win

Here is the link to find out more information about the Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z All-in-one PC.

Here is the link to my Hands On: Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z All-in-one PC

Disclosure: The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z was provided to TechMamas.com on a long term review. There were no requirements to blog, just to experience the computer. My words are my own.

Hands On: The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z For Work At Home Moms & As Family PC

When I first received the package for my review of the Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z  All-in-One (see disclosures below), I was excited but also worried about having the time to set up a new computer. I wondered how a desktop would fit into our full house and be shared by my three boys and me, a mom working from home. I was also curious what it would be like to have a 19" screen computer in our house versus the smaller laptop screens. After unwrapping and using the Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z, my concerns were quickly put to rest as the computer is now a welcomed (and much needed) addition to our home.

TECHIE DETAILS: The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z I am reviewing has an integrated 19” Widescreen Flat Panel Display (16:10), Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 processor, 320GB hard drive, 2 GB Ram, 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, web cam, USB mouse, optional built-in microphone, DVD slot,  1.3MP webcam,  integrated speakers,DirectX® 10 integrated graphics card and 6 USB ports (3 rear and 3 side). It comes pre-installed with Windows 7 Professional 32 bit and is Energy Star 5.0 compliant.

Best yet - there is a 1 year on-site warranty which means someone will come the customer's location to fix the computer should there be a problem. Access to the hard drive and memory is well designed. The starting price is same as a netbook: $499, with the configuration above costing $729. The hard drive options are 160GB, 250GB, 320GB and 500GB. The RAM options are 1GB or 2GB with 2 slots allowing an upgrade to 4GB.  The form factor is only 2.44″ thick and it is a "all in one" so the desktop and monitor are a single unit. The A70z can be wall-mounted using additional hardware if the use prefers a fixed location for the computer.

There are  three mounting options: stand, desk arm and wall (all optional and sold separately) and Simple cable management for crowded work spaces.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z  PRODUCT FEATURE PAGE

TRANSLATION: This is a budget friendly family desktop PC, yet it can also be a solution for work at home parents. We don't have a separate work space for a desktop so we use our dining room table (the one in our living/dining room that get's used twice a year for holidays and used daily for homework). The Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z was light and compact enough to be moved when we needed the space for entertaining. The 19" screen is a welcome change  (along with crisp graphics) from a smaller laptop screen. The wired keyboard and mouse shipped with the A70z was comfortable for both my kids and me. The boot up time was quick, and the Intel Core 2 Duo processor fast enough to perform all the family computing tasks.

 
The picture above is an press kit image. I wish I had a home office that looks like this... If this was a picture of me it would include baskets of unfolded clean laundry around the desk and assorted Lego structures on the floor from my sons...But the picture does show the clean looking - slim form factor of the Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z.