The IFA trade show in Berlin has been a busy week for product announcements, with all the major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) unveiling and launching new tablets, smartphones, laptops and gadgets. Lenovo joined the party with its lineup of products, including three new IdeaPad laptops designed for budget-conscious customers looking for an Ultrabook-like device without the steep price tag of Ultrabooks.

IdeaPad S Series Laptops

Lenovo's new IdeaPad S Series Laptop lineup is designed to bring a balance between performance and portability, providing more power than a netbook and longer battery life than a traditional notebook. These lightweight laptops borrow a number of features from Ultrabooks, but they are not technically Ultrabooks.

"Equipped with the latest technology, the Lenovo IdeaPad S300 and S400 laptops are available with Intel's third-generation CoreTM i3 or i5 processors, while the IdeaPad S405 is packed with up to AMD A8 quad-core processors," said Lenovo.

"Up to 500GB hard disk storage capacity (up to 1TB HDD in the S405) offers plenty of space to store music, movies, and documents, and an optional 32GB solid-state drive on the S400 and S405 can help speed boot time and application responsiveness. In addition, intelligent energy management features not only increase time spent between charges - up to 5 hours - but also protect the long-term disability of the battery."

The S Series laptops are 21.9mm thick and weigh less than 4 pounds, have up to 14-inch HD resolution displays, HDMI outputs, Dolby Audio, and more. All of the S Series machines ship with Windows 7 Home Professional and are eligible for Microsoft's Windows 8 upgrade program.

Each of these units works with Lenovo's Quick Start "Instant On" functionality as well, allowing users to go online in just a few moments. They also come with Lenovo's OneKey Rescue System out of the box. Each S Series unit also has an AccuType keyboard, as well as an intelligent touchpad with functions for Windows 8, including scrolling and zooming features. All three models feature the same chassis with a tactile metallic finish available in crimson red, silver gray, or cotton-candy pink.

All of the three new IdeaPads come with affordable price tags starting at $499.

In addition to the S Series updates, Lenovo has also showed off several other new and updated laptop offerings, including Ultrabooks and powerful multimedia laptops. With Windows 8 coming soon, Lenovo is gearing up to attract prospective customers.

IdeaPad U510 Ultrabook

This 15-inch, high-end system is 21 millimeters thick and weighs in at 4.8 pounds, which makes it a bit bulky by Ultrabook standards. According to Lenovo, components include "up to a third-generation Intel Core i7 processor, and as much as 1TB of HDD storage with an optional 32GB solid-state drive cache, and a battery life of up to 6 hours. The U510 is also equipped with an integrated DVD reader/writer or Blu-ray Disc drive."

IdeaPad Y400 and Y500

These two IdeaPads are bigger, and are designed to handle multimedia and gaming tasks. According to Lenovo, both the Y400 and the Y500 "feature the unique UltraBay - an interchangeable bay that users can instantly swap out for dual graphics capability, increased storage space, or an additional fan for cooling."

CPU options go up to a third-generation Core i7, Nvidia GeForce GT655M graphics, and HDD storage goes up too 1TB. The Y400 sports a 14-inch display, while the Y500 has a 15.6-inch screen. Both models come with backlit keyboards, clickpad-like touchpads, as well as JBL speakers.

IdeaPad Z400 and Z500

Lenovo's Z Series comes in somewhere between the slimmer U Series Ultrabook and the larger Y Series laptops. These two units are 25 percent thinner than a traditional laptop, according to Lenovo, and both use full-voltage CPUs rather than the ultra-low voltage versions most super-slim laptops use.

The Z400 and Z500 will be available in various colors, including blue, dark brown, pink, and white, and all have a soft-touch surface. In addition to the full-voltage CPUs, users can also opt for what Lenovo touts as "the latest Nvidia GeForce graphics technology."

According to Lenovo, the IdeaPad U510 and Z500 will become available in September, starting at $679 and $549, respectively. Meanwhile, the Y400 and Y500 will be available in October, starting with a $649 price tag, and the IdeaPad Z400 will arrive in November, starting at $549. The S Series units are available immediately, with prices starting at $499.