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Auction PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

Lenovo Kicks-Off Final Global Olympic Auction Leading Up to Olympic Games

BEIJING – Counting down the final days to the start of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, PC company Lenovo today is kicking off its final online auction of limited-edition notebook PCs inspired by the Lenovo-designed Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch.

Over the past six months, a series of “Cloud of Promise”-themed notebook PCs have been available for bidding at www.lenovohopefundauctions.com throughout 10-day periods. Many of these limited-edition notebook PCs were autographed by Lenovo Champions – athlete ambassadors – offering fans the opportunity to bid on and own a part of Olympic history. Lenovo is a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games and the Olympic Torch Relay.

The auctions took place in: Japan, Australia, UK, France, USA, Hong Kong, Argentina, China, India, Brazil and Canada. In this final week leading up to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, 10 notebook PCs, one from each of the participating countries, are being auctioned to conclude the program. By the end of the philanthropic campaign, a total of 31 limited-edition Lenovo notebook PCs will have been auctioned around the world.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the auction will be distributed through the Lenovo Hope Fund to select philanthropies, including Right to Play and the International Red Cross to support the Sichuan earthquake relief efforts.

“These auctions offer an exciting way to count down the last days before the start of the Olympic Games,” said Deepak Advani, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Lenovo. “We are thrilled to offer fans the unique opportunity to own these one-of-a-kind Olympic torch-themed notebook PCs. Our technology helps bridge the physical gaps across different parts of the world, and Lenovo’s goal is to do the same thing with social investments.”

The Lenovo Champions who have signed notebooks available for this final auction round include:

Gail Emms, badminton, Great Britain, 2004 Olympic silver medalist
Libby Lenton Trickett, swimming, Australia, 2004 Olympic gold and bronze medalist
Eamon Sullivan, swimming, Australia, 2004 Olympian
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, beach volleyball, United States, 2004 Olympic gold medalists
Adam van Koeverden, canoe/kayak, Canada, 2004 Olympic gold and bronze medalist
Xavier Rohart, sailing, France, 2004 Olympic bronze medalist
Shingo Suetsugu, sprinter, Japan, 2004 Olympian
“In addition to being able to contribute to charities around the world this is such a unique opportunity for fans to own a piece of Olympic history,” said Kerri Walsh.

The auction lives on a Lenovo micro-site – www.lenovohopefundauctions.com. Bidders are directed to country specific listings where they can find additional information about the notebook PC and bidding process in their native language. Bidders are pre-qualified to bid in US dollars through Kompolt, an on-line auction agency focused on creating successful high-value, high-profile promotional and charity auctions. Due to export restrictions and policies, the Olympic torch-themed notebook PCs may only be purchased for use in their designated country. Bidders from the US only may bid on notebooks offered by countries other than the US.

Like the “Cloud of Promise” on which the design is based, the notebook cover features striking swirls of silver against a pure red base color. Because computer configurations vary by market, Lenovo has added the Lenovo Olympic Torch-themed design to Lenovo 3000 V200 notebook PCs which are configured specifically to market specifications for each country offering the product for auction.

About the Lenovo Olympic Torch Notebook Design

Lenovo’s award-winning design team spent more than 10 months on the design of the torch. Altogether, more than 30 Lenovo design specialists were involved in the torch project. The team was truly multinational, including designers from Germany, Singapore, US, Japan, New Zealand, Italy and China. For its winning torch design, the Lenovo Innovation Design Center group employed a number of innovative materials and techniques, from precision-machining an aluminum-magnesium alloy into the scroll-shaped curves of the torch body, to using rubberized paint for the first time ever in an Olympic torch to provide the sensation of one hand gripping another. Like the “Cloud of Promise,” on which the design is based, the notebooks are characterized by striking swirls of regal red against a pure silver base color, a contrast representative of the traditional Chinese concern for balance and harmony.

About the Lenovo Hope Fund

The Lenovo Hope Fund is a donor-advised philanthropic fund created by Lenovo Group and managed through the Triangle Community Foundation. The mission of the Lenovo Hope Fund is to support the creation and growth of new businesses in distressed communities around the world, as well as innovative nonprofit organizations that serve these communities.

About the Lenovo TOP Sponsorship

In addition to its role as the designer of the Beijing 2008 Olympic torch and Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay, Lenovo is also the technology hardware supplier for the 2008 Games. Nearly every aspect of the management of the Games, from gathering and storing participant data to displaying the scores to organizing all activities for BOCOG, depends on hardware provided by Lenovo. The company was also the Technology Equipment supplier for the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, where Lenovo hardware supported critical Games systems as well as specially designed Internet lounges for athletes and journalists.

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building the world’s best engineered 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.