Tags: Beijing, Beijing 2008, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Hong Kong, Lenovo, Olympic, Olympic Games, Olympic Villages, Paralympic Games, Qingdao, ThinkPad

Lenovo today announced that two PC service centers and two Internet lounges will open on July 25 for the approximately 30,000 journalists expected to use the Main Press Center and Beijing International Media Center during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. For the first time in Olympic history, journalists will be provided support services for whatever brand of notebook PC they carry.

Lenovo, a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games, is providing a team of nearly 600 engineers and technicians to support the Olympic Games, of which about 100 will support the Main Press Center and the Beijing International Media Center. Support will continue during the Paralympic Games in September.

These Lenovo Internet lounges and service centers entered the test operations phase this week. On July 25, the centers will officially enter the Olympic Games period, and journalists will be provided with Lenovo PCs, Internet access and notebook PC services. The services include hardware repairs for Lenovo- and ThinkPad-branded notebook PCs, troubleshooting and technical consulting for non-Lenovo-branded notebook PCs, free virus checking and repair, operating system rescue and recovery, and application software installation and testing.

Most of the services will be provided without charge, although if hardware parts replacement or accessories are required, there will be minimal charges, and replacement part services will not be available on all brands. The centers are on the first floor of the media centers and will operate between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m., seven days a week.

“As a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games, Lenovo is providing high-quality PCs, services and technology to successfully build the information system for the Main Press Center and Beijing International Media Center,” said Alice Li, vice president of Olympic marketing for Lenovo. “By providing these support services for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, Lenovo is ensuring that journalists from throughout the world will have properly functioning equipment to distribute news.”

The 100-square-meter Lenovo i.lounge in the Main Press Center will offer 24 Lenovo desktop PCs for journalists, as well as Internet access and document printing services. The MPC i.lounge and BIMC i.lounge are two of eight Lenovo i.lounges, the rest of which are located in Olympic Villages in Beijing, Hong Kong and Qingdao. With a total of 260 PCs, the Lenovo i.lounges will provide free and convenient computer and Internet access services to athletes, coaches, trainers, and news media from around the world.

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building the world’s most innovative personal computers. Lenovo’s business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information, see www.lenovo.com.

About the MPC

The Main Press Center is the working headquarters for registered print and broadcast media during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. It is also the working headquarters for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG). The MPC will provide 24-hour facilities, information and other related services. It will also support the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in September. The MPC is located centrally in the Olympic Green.

About the BIMC

The Beijing International Media Center will support journalists who are not accredited with the International Olympic Committee. The BIMC is located at the Gehua New Century Hotel in central Beijing, about 10 minutes by car from the Olympic Green.

Contacts

Lenovo
Bob Page, +86 135 5296 7295
rpage {at} lenovo(.)com