#CES – Lenovo’s New Two-in-One Mobile Device
Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
Lenovo has 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 says that the new product delivers a 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,” says 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.”
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” 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.
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.
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.
The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 with LePad will be available beginning initially 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).
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