Posted on Wednesday, January 05 2011 @ 20:32 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
Lenovo introduced the LePad and the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid at CES 2011. The LePad is a 10.1" slate device that runs Android 2.2 on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.3GHz processor. It has a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution and features 1GB RAM, 16/32GB flash storage and a battery life of up to 10 hours. The interesting thing about the LePad is that it can be morphed into a laptop with the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid, this docking station features the Intel Core i5-540M 1.2GHz processor, 2GB DDR3, a 320GB HDD and the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. The LePad slate will start at $520 and a bundle with the U1 hybrid laptop will start at $1,300.
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced the IdeaPad U1 hybrid with LePad slate, a unique two-in-one device that combines the mobility of a media-rich, high-definition slate featuring access to Android applications and a keyboard base that provides a full Windows 7 computing experience. Lenovo delivers an uncompromised mobile and computing experience to consumers through great performance and a unique Hybrid Switch dual mode capability that seamlessly switches between two different operating systems.
“Our IdeaPad U1 and LePad truly fit today’s mobile lifestyle,” said Liu Jun, senior vice president, Idea Product Group, Lenovo. “Use the light-weight slate when you’re mobile, and then simply slide it into the U1 base when you need to create and edit content. Consumers shouldn’t have to adapt their lifestyle to technology, and this product definitely delivers twice the functionality and fun in one device.”
LePad Slate – Light, Long-Lasting and Application Rich
At under two pounds and only half an inch in thickness, the extremely portable LePad, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor, keeps users incredibly mobile all day with up to eight hours of battery life. LePad is available in two stylish colors – scarlet and white – and with two different textures - brown “leather” and black “leather.” The 10.1-inch widescreen, high-definition LePad slate runs in landscape and portrait modes. Users can consume content such as video, surf the Internet and access social networks from their fingertips, as well as tap out messages and email. It also has a front camera for taking pictures or for video chat.
"We are excited that Lenovo has chosen our Snapdragon processor to power the LePad slate," said Luis Pineda, senior vice president of marketing and product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. "Lenovo’s innovative 3G connected slate, powered by our Snapdragon platform, enables a high performance, always connected experience for consumers on the go.”
Built on Android 2.2., Lenovo customized the LePad slate with an optimized Android media experience for LePad’s larger screen size, starting with an attractive four-pane, easy to use interface and a distinctive Lenovo-developed push service that delivers email, news and other content in real time, eliminating the need to constantly open a browser and log in. LePad leverages the Android ecosystem that Lenovo has already established in China for the LePhone Smartphone. LePad users, in addition to enjoying many preloaded applications, also have access to thousands of custom Android apps from China’s top content partners that are optimized uniquely for the LePad’s large screen. Lenovo plans for LePad to support Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 to provide users a more complete Web browsing experience.
IdeaPad U1 for a Complete Laptop
For users who need the full functionality of a mainstream laptop for doing content creation with Windows-based productivity applications, the LePad can slide into the U1 base. The IdeaPad U1 hybrid laptop with a full keyboard transforms the user interface on LePad into Windows 7. The base features a Windows 7 Home Premium operating system and an Intel CULV processor. With the Hybrid Switch feature, users can seamlessly change operating systems to support a continuous Web browsing experience.
Pricing and Availability
The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 with LePad will be available beginning in China in the first quarter of 2011. The LePad slate can be purchased separately from the U1 base. The LePad slate starts at approximately RMB 3,499 (approximately US $520). The U1 hybrid laptop with LePad slate starts at approximately RMB 8,888 (approximately US $1,300).
