The final part of our test was to check the laptop’s most advertised features. We are of course referring to the biometric face scanner and the shuttle center progam. The biometric face scanner works on a hardware and software combination. Using the bundled Lenovo Veriface program, it scans your face and retains the image.
This same image is used as the reference point for the security program which scans your face whenever you start the laptop. If the image is matched the laptop will login and allow you to work without the need for entering a password. Lenovo claims that this program has very great accuracy and can be used for multiple accounts. This is not very far from the truth. We put the program through several tests by using different people and the program worked as advertised. However it was not too friendly to people wearing spectacles (like this reviewer) preferring not to recognize faces at all. This is a rather negative point in my opinion.
For the final part of our comprehensive test we checked out The "Lenovo Shuttle Center" application which is a media-center type application overlay. Through this interface you have direct access to the TV tuner and other digital media such as movies, pictures and songs. As compared to the Lenovo 3000 Q desktop which is also a media center machine, the interface that is present here is far more user friendly and works without any issues. It scrolls easily and does not slow down in the least even after hours of operation.
After taking all the facts in consideration we can safely say the Lenovo 3000 Y500 is a good effort from Lenovo despite a few niggling problems. Though a Core2Duo effort would have been preferable, the Core Duo option used here still has a lot of juice. A lot of optimization still needs to be done for the Core Duo platform, in terms of software. The security aspect of this laptop which Lenovo has touted as being "revolutionary" works... to a certain extent.
Priced at Rs. 60,000, the Lenovo 3000 Y500 is a safe purchase for anyone who is looking for a Core Duo laptop with media center functionality and an added layer of security.
Dear Sir/Madam,