Lenovo IdeaPad Z400 Touch: Affordable, Touch-Enabled

The Lenovo Z400 includes several pre-installed programs. For malware protection, Lenovo installed McAfee Internet Security with a one-month subscription to get you started. The program handles virus and spyware protection and includes a software firewall. Other tools include backup and restore features and parental controls.


We typically uninstall security software to avoid interference with system benchmark. I uninstalled McAfee Internet Security without any hassle. If you prefer other security software, it’s nice to know that yanking McAfee and installing your own shouldn’t be a problem.

Other software includes Evernote Touch, Skitch, and Skype. These are all free programs that you can download easily on your own, but they’re popular apps, so having them onboard when you first fire up your laptop probably isn’t going to be a big deal. I was surprised to see that Microsoft Office 2010 is installed, but not surprised to see that it’s not activated and that the laptop’s materials don’t include an activation code. Why Office 2010, which is an older version of the Office suite? In any event, when I tapped the Try button to use the software as on a trial basis, Internet Explorer opened and took me to the Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium trial page.

One program you can’t just pick up on your own is the CyberLink OneKey Rescue System software. This is actually a hardware/software combo: in the event that your laptop suffers a catastrophic crash and you can’t get Windows to boot, you can press this button (it’s a tiny button near the power port; you’ll need a pen or paperclip) and you can restore the operating system. If you haven’t already created any of your own, the software will use its original backup to restore your system. That’s a handy feature and one that adds to the laptop’s value. CyberLink PowerDVD is another handy app that comes with the laptop.


Lenovo also packs several of its own (well, branded) programs onto the Z400 Touch. Lenovo PowerDVD (related to CyberLink PowerDVD) handles DVD playback and can also play movies and music stored on the laptop. It has ads and encourages you to upgrade to a paid version.

Lenovo included (CyberLink) YouCam 4 video and photo capture software as well, which is easy to use. Adjusting capture quality and resolution is easy, and it has a countdown timer that gives you a chance to get ready before the recording light comes on. It also has an avatar creator that is mildly fun to use. The photo side of the software is a little more limited – the settings here are mostly related to shutter speed and image format – but the picture quality is good and the timer is particularly useful for the camera. Once the time starts, you see live video of the area to be shot and make quick adjustments to improve the photo. There are buttons for sharing to Facebook and YouTube too.


Although the Z400 touch comes with much more software than you would find on a boutique system, it’s generally useful software. You’re sure to see some apps that you don’t normally use, but I didn’t spot any that looked inappropriate for a typical user.  The laptop’s complement of included apps doesn’t strike me as bloatware, but rather as an honest (and probably fairly successful) attempt to get you up and running faster.