Twenties Life

We, TwentiesLife readers, are a people committed to improvement. We spend time evaluating ourselves, identifying and improving our weaknesses, building up and using our skillful strengths for good, and trying our best to be honorable people. Our hope is that with each passing day we are better people than the day before.

And that is a fine type of person to be. We are truly the people who will make tomorrows world a better place. Sadly, though, as a younger, more modern, more connected generation (than those before us), we spend a lot of time “online” and less time “involved.” This lack of involvement could become a detriment to all that we hope for in our world. Read the rest of this entry »

Our lifestyle has become one of hardcore consumerism.  But let’s face it: that’s a lifestyle that leads to unhappiness and failure.  Unless we are to be of the top 3% or so, we’ll never have all of the things we want.  If we don’t find balance, or at least a few good ways to upgrade and increase our life enjoyment without having to spend a fortune, we may find ourselves in hard times in this economy.

But don’t fret.  It’s not really the new Apple iPhone that makes you happy.  It’s just the satisfaction of getting something that you want.  Realign your wants to be happiness and enjoyment (instead of just the retail products that are on TV today), and you’ll surely find success.  Here are a few ways:

Learn a new game

Have you ever played Mancala?  How about Chess?  Tennis?  Volleyball?  There’s nothing like learning a new game to really work your brain (and body) and really pump up the endorphins (happy feeling brain chemicals).  Obviously you aren’t confined to my ideas.  There are millions of games out there played by billions of people across the world.  Pick one and learn it.  For extra enjoyment bring a friend!

Pickup a new hobby

Now I’ll admit, most hobbies do cost some amount of money.  But buying your first guitar and buying a new iPhone are two very different purchases.  And if your new hobby is knitting (not just for old ladies anymore!), it won’t cost you much to get started.  When we learn new hobbies our brains build connections quickly like when we were children learning things for the first time.  This promotes good mental health and is super fun!

Experience another culture

This one is as easy as picking up a new cookbook (from the library) or having dinner at a friend’s house.  Learning about a new culture by experiencing it is a wonderfully enjoyable way to learn.  Taste the foods, hear the music, listen to the language.  Talk to the elders, observe the dress, learn the traditions.  Our lack of experience and knowledge of other cultures in America has led to our ignorance.  Don’t let our generation repeat the mistakes of the previous.

Volunteer

I know you’ve probably heard this one before, and I bet you’ll hear it again.  But let’s not wait till next time to do something.  Volunteering your time and energy is one of the most compassionate things you can do for your fellow man.  And you’ll benefit from it too.  People who volunteer aren’t just the most compassionate.  They are also the most content, the happiest.  People who spend all of their time thinking about themselves often find that there is no happiness at the top if you haven’t brought others up with you.  But those same people would have been content at the bottom if they were in good company.

Submerge into a story

I’m sure I can’t be the only twenty something that’s done this.  When you get your head into a good fictional story, your mind can really take you anywhere.  Through books I’ve seen London, Paris, New Orleans, a vampire underworld, the future, and a whole lot more.  Can Jersey Shore really compare?

Reconsider your relationships

Relationships can be the best part of your life, but they can also be the worst.  When we grew up, we learned to choose friends based on proximity.  Later we learned to build relationships based on common interest.  But now it’s time to learn again.  Now you must learn to choose and develop your relationships with a conscious mind.  You need to choose your friends wisely, and you need to build those relationships into something great.  Your friends don’t need to have a common hobby or live close to you.  They need only to share your newly found zest for a wonderful life.

Forgive

So you’ve been holding bitterness and resentment for years.  Sometimes you don’t even remember why you’re angry.  But you are passionate and you won’t just let it go.

I feel sorry for people trapped in that kind of mentality.  It’s poison.  How can you attract success and happiness in your life when you have room for that kind of poison in it as well?  Learn to forgive, to reconcile, and to let your pettiness go, and you’ll find that your world will instantly seem brighter.  Forgive not for your enemy or friend, forgive for yourself, so that you may find an inner happiness greater than the pettiness that it shall replace.

Find nature

This means something different to all of us.  For some it’s a walk in the park (literally).  For others it’s a weekend camping trip.  For others it’s a month long retreat from the hustle and bustle of daily life.  Whatever it takes, reconnect with nature.  Watch the trees and sense their calmness.  Nature has been here for millions (or thousands if that’s what you believe…) of years, and it will be here once we’re gone.  It sustains not only our own lives, but the lives of every other creature on earth.  We move quickly, work hard, and pursue all sorts of things, while nature just is.  There is a sense of calmness in taking time out of your life to reconnect with that sort of existence.  You should do it often.

Express your emotions

Nothing feels better than expressing yourself.  It’s something innate in us.  But for some reason, we learn to repress it.  For instance, when is the last time you gave your mom or dad a hug?  When’s the last time you told your brother or sister how much you love them?  When is the last time you smiled at a stranger, simply because you wanted them to feel your happiness.  You’ll find that when you get better at expressing yourself, all other aspects of your life get better as well.

Redefine Happiness

All of these examples are ways to help you redefine what happiness really is to you.  Believe me, happiness is not in your next purchase, it’s in your next experience.  At the end of your life, are you going to want to have stockpiled the largest list of retail products, or will you want to have the greatest list of stories to tell.  I don’t know about you, but I want to be the old guy that amazes the next generation with my experiences, even if I don’t have a dollar in the bank.

Life is all about getting what you want from it.  And as we can see Americans are an amazingly efficient group of people when it comes to getting what we want.  If we define what we want, and constantly remind ourselves of it, it wont be long until we surround ourselves with others who want the same thing, and work every day towards achieving it (rather than the next big screen TV).  Trust me, redefine your happiness and you’ll never look at your retail-queen friend with envy again.

Hello readers of TwentiesLife! Stefan here, from StudySuccessful.com. I am Dutch. No I am not from Amsterdam, I’m from another place in the Netherlands, you probably only know Amsterdam because of the Red Light District and smoking marijuana.. I don’t blame you, we have some crazy rules here in our little country, but you know what, I am standing behind them, all of them.

Dutch rules on taboo topics
In The Netherlands a lot of things are legal which are illegal in almost every other country in the world, why is that? Are we just a bunch of pot-smoking douchebags who like to go to the red light district? Or are we one of the most progressive state in the world? I think the last one. I will discuss several topics, which are legal here and illegal over there (which is around every other country in the world). This will be: smoking weed, prostitution and abortion. Quick note: I am an atheist, I think you should know that. Put your clog on, check if the windmill is still turning and get a piece of cheese, you are about to experience Dutch knowledge.

Smoking weed
What is America doing at this point, marijuana is illegal (except the ‘medical use‘) and there is a big ‘War on drugs’ thing going on. But how is it possible that I still see a lot of green sticks at a tv show like Entourage? How is it possible that if there is put in that much money, the drug use still didn’t stop or even decrease? And why is it still one of the biggest problems America face? I believe that is because prohibition is never an answer. In the early 1920’s they’ve tried the same thing with booze and the mafia has grown big because of the bootlegging. Drug mafia is nowadays one of the richest crime sectors in the world and that is because everything is illegal. Prohibition does not takes away the curiosity of experiencing something like smoking weed, nor it is taking away the need. It is only a way to force people to sneak around to smoke something, instead of buying it at a place where you can actually control it.

If somebody who has never been on the earth before is coming to the earth and he has to divide the different ‘drugs’ that exist into ‘hard drugs’ and ’soft drugs’ (as we know it nowadays), alcohol will definitely be on the hard drug side. But that is legal and something which is not even that bad for you (weed) is illegal.

So here we got my point. I think that if you are legalizing something like soft drugs, you are getting control of it. By legalizing it, there isn’t a big underground scene which is providing marijuana, no street sellers who sell their stuff to young kids. We have ‘coffee shops‘ where you can buy what you want, a place which is controlled in the end by the government, where there is control of the customer, of the addicted. The stuff they are selling is of good quality, no crap added, so stuff that is not that bad for you.

Controlling is better than a big expensive offensive, in my eyes at least. Of course, we (the Dutch) are also against hard drugs, as they are really, really bad for you. But fighting something which you can never win, is probably not a good idea, especially when the need isn’t that big. If you can control the use and the quality of marijuana, it is better to legalize.

Prostitution
This taboo is a tough one. You will never see scenes where women in really short skirts are on the side of the road looking for potential customers in the Netherlands. Over here, prostitution is actually legal. There are houses where you can go for your needs. A good thing? I think so.

Here is the same with the legalization of soft drugs. This is a problem which can cause a lot of trouble and it is hard to prevent these kind of crimes. But now it is about people. If prostitution is illegal, there is a lot of underground work. There will be a need of big organization who will control where is who. There will be different levels of pimps, controlling women who are paid for sex. And that can’t be a good thing, fur-wearing men who are controlling women who have to have sex, right? That is why it is legalized in the Netherlands. I have to be honest here, there are problems every once in a while. Sometimes it turns out that there are under-aged girls who are put out there, but at least we have an idea about the size of the problem. We know what is going on, where. If something isn’t right, the human rights are coming in, houses will be closed and the government will take care of the girls. Ban the oldest profession in the world will be impossible, controlling it won’t.

Abortion
Abortion means ending the life of an unborn child. Ending your pregnancy before it should end. And yes, this is legal in the Netherlands.

There are a lot of rules about this though. You can’t just go to the doctor to get it removed without consultations and time to think. Women who go to the doctor with this request will be forced to think about it.

Why I think this should be illegal is not the everyday arguments you hear all the time. Not about ‘what if it is a rape’ or ‘what if the girl is way too young?’ I think we shouldn’t think about the mom, God or anybody, but we should think about the baby. What is best for the unborn child? What is happening here is a problem of timing. It is not the time for the baby to be there yet. If the mother doesn’t want the baby, if she is not ready, if the father is a rapist who impregnated the mother, this is just not the time for the baby to be there. Selfish? No, not at all. Because if abortion wouldn’t be possible, if the baby will come anyway, there will be nothing but problems. The mother will love the baby anyway, for sure. But what are the future plans? If this woman just could have finished her major, if she is with a father which makes her happy, the future chances of the baby are way bigger than ever before. The baby will have everything he needs, including a loving mother and a loving father. Without abortion? He also has a chance of a good life, but I think a slighter chance.

Is abortion murder? Am I able to just murder an unborn child in order to greater his chance of a good life? No. I don’t think it is murder as the fetus isn’t viable yet. It doesn’t have a mind yet, it isn’t a human being yet.

Concluding thoughts

Well, these opinions are mine. These opinions are shared by a great part of the Dutch population, we think that taboo topics aren’t topics we should forget. These topics are important and while we have these rules, there is a lot of talking about these rules. Are these rules the right ones? Shouldn’t we change the rules? The answer is always no. This country is a country of possibilities, of freedom to choose. What do you think about the Dutch rules? Are we insane? Are we out of our mind? Or are we actually progressive in a way a lot of countries will follow, eventually? Let me know in the comments!

This is a guest post by the Dutch Stefan Knapen who runs the blog StudySuccessful.com, a blog full of study hacks and personal development tips.

Here’s a new feature TwentiesLife will be rolling out.  We will be randomly posting real life advice from guys and gals to the opposite gender.  This is something that you can only find on Facebook and Twitter, so if you aren’t our Facebook Fan and aren’t following us on Twitter then you won’t get the news. <—-Click each of the links there to follow us and get the tips.

Want to share a tip?  Email us at contribute[at]twentieslife[dot]com.

Here’s two just for stopping by:

Things SHE wishes you knew #16:  ”Real men drive stick!”

Things He wishes you knew #8: “It’s not what you’re wearing that’s sexy, it’s how you wear it.”

Please contribute your tips and help the opposite gender get a clue.

Some of us are headed back to school.  Others of us just want some new gadgets.  So what gadgets are hot right now?  TwentiesLife has got you covered.  Now be forewarned:  Most of these gadgets will make you cooler.  Many of them will impress your peers.  Some of them will help out your dating situation.  And one or two might actually be useful when that dating situation progresses to something worth watching over and over, if you know what I mean…  Here come some pretty awesome stuff.

Canon PowerShot A490 10.0 MP Digital Camera

Have you ever used a Canon Powershot?  If you have, you know why I’m recommending it.  If you haven’t, you need to get your hands on one of these.  It’s the only point-and-shoot camera that I could use.  In fact, it’s the only camera I like that isn’t a Digital SLR.  Need something that just works well and takes phenomenal pictures?  This is the camera for you. Price $84.00

Logitech Webcam C210

Are you using Skype?  Google Chat?  AIM?  MSN Messenger?  Yahoo Messanger?  Are you video chatting?  If not, it’s time to get with the times.  Video chatting is so much more fun than text chatting.  You can see and hear your friends/family from all over the world.  It’s awesome!  And this webcam will help you do just that.  Logitech makes solid products that will last you as long as you want to use them.  Don’t think, just buy. Price $29.99

Sanyo HD Waterproof Camcorder

Over the summer I went to Antigua, West Indies.  The beaches were amazing, and I could actually swim with the fish.  How awesome would it have been to be able to capture that for less than $200, and in High Definition?!?  I need to grab this thing, and if you live a life worth sharing with others, you do too.  It’s insane to think that just a few years ago, camcorders were only for rich people.  Now we can all make our own HD movies! Price $179

Apple iPad

I’m going to explain this as simply as possible;  if you are the average computer/gadget user, this product will blow your mind.  If you are the kind of person who doesn’t like the iphone because Apple limits what you can do with it, you’ll still like this product, but you wont love it.  I am the latter, and I still like the iPad because I can watch videos, read books, browse the internet, and even control my desktop computer, all from my bed/car/office/wherever.  It can’t do everything I might like it to, but the things it does do, it does well.  Read more about what I think of the iPad here.  At the end of the day, the product just has to work, and iPad works well.  At $599, it’s a little steep, but when you consider just how often you can use this over your phone/kindle/laptop/desktop/magazines/books/coffee table(?!) it’s worth it’s weight in gold.  Or at least $599.  Price $599

Macbook Pro

At the risk of sounding like an Apple Fanboy, let me preface with this:  I own a mac, but I don’t use it.  It is my wife’s new Macbook, and because she just started medical school and needs something functional, simple, with a long battery life, and without worry, we chose the Macbook Pro.  Sure, we could have found a laptop with twice the hardware for half the price.  Sure we could have installed Linux and figured out a way to make everything work.  Sure we could have installed a bunch of anti-spyware software and hoped for the best.  But we didn’t want to have to worry.  We just wanted it to work.  And since she isn’t as “techie” as me, I knew the Macbook was the perfect solution for her.  If this sounds like you, then it’s perfect for you too.  Just buy the Macbook.  Or don’t.  You won’t hurt my feelings (my laptop is an HP)… Price $1139.89

That’s it for the back-to-school round up.  Did I leave anything out?  What do you have to run out and get before school?  What’s your favorite back to school gadget?  Tell us in the comments below.

When it comes to sex, people from every corner of the world have their own stigmas, morals, beliefs, and in many cases even laws.  There is merit in many or at least some of these beliefs, but some are just bizarre.  You start to wonder what the motivation behind them is.  I’m going to explore a few different ideas that relate to sex and rules.

Sexual Double Standards

This is probably the most prevalent sexual stigma in western civilization today.  It is quite commonly accepted that men will engage in sexual activity before marriage, and frankly they are rewarded socially.  It is seen as some sort of accomplishment.  But when a woman engages in the same amount of sexual activity she is seen as “slutty” or “whorish.”  Why is this?

I have a crazy theory.  In our society women aren’t supposed to enjoy sex.  They are especially not supposed to enjoy sex outside of marriage.  Women are supposed to engage in sex only to please men.  This is why you’ll find that both men and women condemn a woman of “loose morals” while only (some) women will condemn a man of the same actions (although this is also evidence that women judge each other more harshly than men do, but that’s a topic for another day).  Our patriarchal society has deemed it appropriate, (i can only assume because of a man’s insecurity), for men to engage in as much sexual activity as they possibly can, while women are meant to be selective and only have sex under certain constraints.

Sexual Stigmas

There are way too many stigmas here to possibly try and explore them all, but a few stick out in my mind, so I’d like to explore them.  First off, sex without emotional and/or physical commitment.  It has been made appropriate (whether by religion, morals, or whatever) that in order to not be a whore, one must be in some sort of committed and faithful relationship.  Why is this?  What difference does it make if I say I love you before I have sex with you?  Why does me not having sex with anyone else make it ok for me to have sex with you?  50 years ago the stigma was sex outside of marriage, but something changed.  Had it been the same as before, I might consider that it had something to do with religion or at least the sanctity of marriage, but that is obviously not the case.  So tell me, why is it important to be committed to a person before sexual activity is deemed appropriate?

Sexual Orientations.  Some people are gay.  Some are straight.  Some are bisexual.  Some are transsexual.  Some are trans-gender.  Some are confused.  Some are sure.  Some are just pleasure seekers.  Some are filling a void.  But here’s my question for you: why do you care?  How does any of this affect you?  What makes you so arrogant that you think you know better, or that somehow by being who and what you are you have the right to tell anyone how to live his or her life?  Assuming that these people aren’t hurting anyone, what gives you the right to oppress them with your beliefs?  Please, do tell…

Sexual Fetishes. Similar to different orientations, some people are into different sexual fetishes.  You might argue that they are oppressing others or “crossing the line,” but I think we both know that there is no line.  What you find degrading, someone else might find liberating.  What you find to be immoral, someone else might find exhilarating.  Again, assuming that nobody is being hurt (or engaging in an activity that they do not want to), what right do you have to try and control or limit, or even judge silently, their actions?  Remember that religion is not an arguing point, because you cannot force YOUR religion on someone who doesn’t believe the same.

I might be Muslim, Christian, or Jewish, but in America where there is no religious law, what right do I have to express or oppress my views on others?

Sexual Legislation

In some countries it’s illegal to be gay.  In some countries sodomy is illegal.  There are places where it is illegal to be in possession of a sex toy.  There are places where group sex is illegal.  Maybe you can help me understand this.  Why, where, and how would it be a good idea for a country to impose legislation on the sexual lives of it’s citizens?

Here’s an example I know of personally.  In Saudi Arabia it is illegal to be a homosexual.  The reasoning for this is that Saudi Arabia is a country of Islamic law, and it is forbidden in Islam to be homosexual.  As an American, I would wish that all countries had the freedoms that I have, but I know that this isn’t possible.  Or maybe it isn’t wanted by everyone else in the world.  What do you think?

I think we often take on the beliefs of our parents and elders unknowingly, and we never stop to question them.  But in the society we live in today, we need to question.  Because questioning leads to knowledge, and knowledge leads to understanding and appreciation.  I might not be gay, but I appreciate a persons right to live how they feel fit, so long as nobody else’s rights are infringed upon.  Do you feel the same?  Why or why not?

When I first heard of the iPad, I wondered why anyone would be willing to pay the price for it.  It’s expensive, and seemingly not nearly worth the cost.  Plus have you ever met an Apple Fanboy?  They are basically the biggest losers of the tech world.  But everything changed when I got one for free (I won a drawing for one at my apartment complex…).  I was excited at first, just because I’ve never really won anything before.  But when I started using it (I’ve had it for a week now), I realized that it could fill holes in my life that I just got used to, but never should have.  As you’ve probably heard before, it fills voids that you didn’t know existed.  Now granted, it doesn’t really do any of them better than a device dedicated to doing the same thing does, but it also means you don’t have to carry 20 devices.  Allow me to explain a few:

Books and Magazines

Plain and simple, books and magazines look awesome on this thing.  This is actually something I could fall in love with, since I’m the kind of guy that loves to have at least 1 book and magazine with me at all times (I love to read).  Sure, I have to pay for them all (or share with a friend), but now I have about 40 books and 15 magazines with me everywhere I go.  My reading productivity will definitely increase.

Videos and Music

Youtube, Netflix, ABC Player, iPod, and iTunes.  Basically you can watch or listen to whatever you want.  The screen is crisp and bright and looks great.  I have the Wifi version and it streams fantastically, as long as you have decent internet service.  I heard that there is even a DJ software that you can use, and the iPad can become the only hardware you need to power your party.  I’m no DJ, but that sounds pretty awesome to me.  And even with the 16 gb version, you can fit plenty of music and videos on this bad boy.

News Reader

As a young professional as well as a citizen of this world, it’s important that I keep up with current events, politics, and other worldly news.  With the iPad and a few trusty news apps (BBC, USA Today, Fluent News, NYTimes, AP News, Newsweek and Wired), I can keep up with everything going on around the world without having to head to my office or boot up my laptop (I’m not a paper reader).  All of these apps are free and will keep you connected to your fellow humans.

References (or B.S. checker)

A perfect bet settler or just reference tool, the iPad has access to apps that can help you reference just about anything you are looking for.  With apps like Wikipanion, Google, Dictionary, Google Earth, and WebMD you can find whatever you need, and fast, faster even than you could with your computer.

Internet Browser

I’ll be honest: I owned an iPhone when the first generation one came out.  I kept it for about a year, then switched to  Blackberry.  I loved the iPhone, but I couldn’t stand typing on a touch screen (responding to emails and such).  The thing I missed most about the iPhone was it’s amazing internet browsing.  It’s unbeatable… unless of course you own an iPad.  This thing is the greatest internet browsing tool I’ve ever used.  It’s faster than Chrome, which in my experience is the fastest browser for PC (I’m not a mac user).  I love browsing on the iPad.  Other than it not having flash (which I’m not a huge fan of anyways), it just works well.

Gaming

I’m a bit of a gamer, so I really wanted to test this aspect.  I haven’t played many games on this thing yet, but the games I’ve played are ok.  They are fun and I’d definitely play them if I was waiting in line or just sitting around, but I haven’t played any that I’d choose over booting up the PC for some hardcore action.  Anyone have an iPad game they love?  Recommend a good one to me.

My Favorite Tools

I’m a computer nerd.  You probably aren’t.  But in case you are, you’ll enjoy these tools which make the iPad really fun for me.  TwentiesLife.com is a Wordpress blog; there is a Wordpress app for iPad, which means I can now be a mobile blogger.  I invest with Etrade; there is an Etrade app that makes investing and managing my money a breeze.  I am a Dropbox addict, and the ipad Dropbox app is just about the greatest app of all time.  I love Stumbleupon, and of course there’s an app for that.  I also love watching TedTalks, and there’s an app for that.  There are plenty more, but I won’t waste your time explaining them all.

Overall

The hardware of the iPad is great, but it’s not groundbreaking.  I don’t think they’ve squeezed anything super amazing into this thing.  What makes the iPad so amazing is the App Store.  The developers of the iPad apps are the ones who make it something worth having.  Basically you pay $500 (or whatever they cost) for access to the simplest, greatest mobile apps you could get your hands on.

You can grab your iPad here!

Wow! As if giving away one awesome lenovo computer wasn’t enough, we’ve got another one for you! This one is super cool as well. It’s a Lenovo A70z all-in-one computer (read about it here). It’s sleek, sexy, and free to one of our loyal readers. So how do you win it? Here’s how the contest will go:

1. Subscribe to TwentiesLife here.
2. Become a Facebook Fan.
3. Create a funny theme song for TwentiesLife.  Look over the site, get an idea of what we are all about, and write (and perform if you have the equipment) a funny theme song.  If you have a webcam we’d love for you to sing the theme song, and if not just set the song to a common tune (like mary had a little lamb or old mcdonald had a farm…) and send us the lyrics. ]
4. Leave a comment below telling us why TwentiesLife is so awesome…!

send all entries to admin[at]twentieslife[dot]com

Entries will be judged on how funny, clever, and original they are.  Entries with video will receive higher points.  Good luck and have fun!  I know I will!

Contest ends July 14 at 11:59 p.m. central time.  Good luck!

Alright folks, the time you’ve been waiting for is here.  We’re giving away an awesome Lenovo A63 and two matching 19 inch monitors to go with it.  This is the perfect solution to your small business computing needs.  To learn everything you need to know about this computer check out this review.

So here’s how to win it

1. Come up with a small business plan.  Send your plan to admin[at]twentieslife[dot]com  (replace [at] with @ and [dot] with . )  Remember that the more details and the better thought out your plan is the better chance you have of winning.  This is not a random contest.
2. Leave a comment below using your correct email address exclaiming that you entered.  Also give me 1 good tip on how to improve TwentiesLife.com.
3. Become a fan of TwentiesLife.com on facebook

That’s all it takes.  The contest will run till Tuesday, July 13 at 11:59 p.m.  The winner will be announced as soon as he/she responds to the congratulatory email.  Good luck to all and thanks for reading TwentiesLife.com.

Get those business plans ready.

Here’s the deal folks.  I was recently offered the opportunity to use and review a brand new Lenovo A70Z all in one computer.  Having not heard much from Lenovo in the past few years, I accepted the offer, just to see what they were cooking.  Though I entered into this with little opinion on Lenovo, I’ve left with much more.

First off, this computer is beautiful.  It comes with a 19 inch screen and the entire computer built into it.  The colors of the screen are vivid and the viewing angle is pretty great.  Also, only 1 plug means it’s easy to set up.  My initial opinion is that this is an easy computer to get used to, and a hard one to give up once you have.

Then I got into the hardware of the computer.  It’s a snappy 2.93 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, that out clocks my own AMD tri-core 2.9 Ghz processor.  It comes with 2 Gb ram standard, and is upgradeable to 4 gb.  The geek in me would love 4 gb, but I’ve honestly found no use for more.  It also sports a 320 Gb hard drive, and a pretty great front-mounted webcam for video chatting (which my fiance and I have tested many times).  She loves the quality of the Lenovo camera.

And with stereo speakers and wifi built in, a dvd-burner, and Windows 7 to manage it all, it’s the perfect computer for just about anyone.  It takes up little space on your desk, and can be out of your way when not in use.  I’ve got to say, after not hearing much from Lenovo in the past few years, they’ve really built a machine to get my attention.  I could definitely see this computer being the front end machine for any small business, with it’s small footprint and large power.

I do have one complaint though.  It will probably be minor to most of you, but any super-serious computer user like myself will understand.  It has no secondary monitor option.  There is no video out to plug in a second monitor.  Now for many of you, this may not matter.  But for a user who’s main computer is outputting to a 26 inch monitor with a 20 inch monitor on each side, this is a bit weak.  But as an all in one, you have to realize that that isn’t the ultimate goal of a machine like this.  This thing is a get up and go kind of machine.  And as such, it works fantastically.
If you’ve made it this far in the review, I have great news.  In just a few weeks I’ll be giving this machine away to a lucky ready.  So stay tuned for your chance to win this awesome computer. What would you use this computer for?  Leave a comment below and share with us…

Wanna know more about it?  Check it out here!