Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid: laptop by day, unhinged tablet by night
By Joanna Stern 
posted January 4th 2010 7:38PM
posted January 4th 2010 7:38PM
Updated: Hit the break for the press release.
One PC, Two Devices: Lenovo Introduces the Industry's First Hybrid Notebook
Innovative New Design Lets Users Switch Between Full Function Notebook Mode and 3G Multitouch Slate Tablet for Mobile Internet
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – January 6, 2010: Lenovo today announced the industry's first hybrid PC for consumers, the IdeaPad U1 hybrid notebook, a groundbreaking concept and new genre in PC form factors. The IdeaPad U1's unique design is engineered to provide consumers with two PCs in one device – each with its own processor and operating system – that work together and independently as either a clamshell laptop or a multitouch slate tablet.
"The IdeaPad U1 hybrid notebook is a game-changing technology in the PC industry that lets the user switch at will their PC experience to match their dynamic lifestyle," said Liu Jun, senior vice president, Idea Product Group, Lenovo. "By fusing the functionality of a notebook with the slate tablet's rich multitouch entertainment and mobile Internet experience, U1 provides consumers the freedom to choose the device they prefer for any activity."
The IdeaPad U1's fashionable scarlet red exterior has a footprint just smaller than a piece of paper and is paired with an equally impressive 3.8 pound thin and light design. With its unique detach-and-converge form factor, users can easily remove the screen to instantly switch from clamshell mode into a multitouch slate tablet. When the IdeaPad U1 is in its traditional clamshell form, the system boasts an 11.6 inch HD LED screen and runs Windows 7. When the 1.6 pound, multitouch screen is removed, it becomes an independent slate tablet with a powerful ARM processor, running Lenovo's customized Skylight operating system.
Two Brains are Better than One
Leveraging the benefits of both CPU, the two devices can synchronize to work as one with the ability to share battery power, 3G wireless, data and documents. In this way, the base laptop system can serve as a hub and docking station and the slate tablet as a mobile device. The two PCs have been engineered to work together and independently through Lenovo's Hybrid Switch technology that enables seamless toggling between the two processors. For instance, users can surf the Web in laptop mode and then continue from the same point without interruption if they detach to tablet mode.
"Me Centric" User Interface Provides Instant Gratification for Today's Consumers
Lenovo's hybrid notebook also features a customized "Me" centric tablet interface for comfortable landscape and portrait viewing. Users can switch between a six-section display and a four section display. U1's six-section screen display is designed to enhance the mobile internet experience by letting users easily multitouch access multiple Web-based applications at once such as email, calendars, RSS readers and social networking Web sites. The four-section screen display option is perfect as a media center on the PC such as photos, music, videos and to view/edit documents.
IdeaPad U1 Doubles Entertainment Fun
The IdeaPad U1's laptop and tablet modes each support more than five hours of 3G Web browsing and 60 hours of 3G standby. In addition, the U1 comes with integrated video camera and two stereo speakers with integrated microphone with echo cancellation make this the ideal PC for users who need flexibility but do not want to compromise features or functionality.
Pricing and Availability
The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 hybrid notebook will be available June 1, 2010 with an estimated retail price of $999.1
For the latest Lenovo news, subscribe to Lenovo RSS feeds or follow Lenovo on Twitter and Facebook. Follow Lenovo's activities at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas at LenovoSocial.com/Live.
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building exceptionally 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.
1 Price and availability vary by region.
Innovative New Design Lets Users Switch Between Full Function Notebook Mode and 3G Multitouch Slate Tablet for Mobile Internet
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – January 6, 2010: Lenovo today announced the industry's first hybrid PC for consumers, the IdeaPad U1 hybrid notebook, a groundbreaking concept and new genre in PC form factors. The IdeaPad U1's unique design is engineered to provide consumers with two PCs in one device – each with its own processor and operating system – that work together and independently as either a clamshell laptop or a multitouch slate tablet.
"The IdeaPad U1 hybrid notebook is a game-changing technology in the PC industry that lets the user switch at will their PC experience to match their dynamic lifestyle," said Liu Jun, senior vice president, Idea Product Group, Lenovo. "By fusing the functionality of a notebook with the slate tablet's rich multitouch entertainment and mobile Internet experience, U1 provides consumers the freedom to choose the device they prefer for any activity."
The IdeaPad U1's fashionable scarlet red exterior has a footprint just smaller than a piece of paper and is paired with an equally impressive 3.8 pound thin and light design. With its unique detach-and-converge form factor, users can easily remove the screen to instantly switch from clamshell mode into a multitouch slate tablet. When the IdeaPad U1 is in its traditional clamshell form, the system boasts an 11.6 inch HD LED screen and runs Windows 7. When the 1.6 pound, multitouch screen is removed, it becomes an independent slate tablet with a powerful ARM processor, running Lenovo's customized Skylight operating system.
Two Brains are Better than One
Leveraging the benefits of both CPU, the two devices can synchronize to work as one with the ability to share battery power, 3G wireless, data and documents. In this way, the base laptop system can serve as a hub and docking station and the slate tablet as a mobile device. The two PCs have been engineered to work together and independently through Lenovo's Hybrid Switch technology that enables seamless toggling between the two processors. For instance, users can surf the Web in laptop mode and then continue from the same point without interruption if they detach to tablet mode.
"Me Centric" User Interface Provides Instant Gratification for Today's Consumers
Lenovo's hybrid notebook also features a customized "Me" centric tablet interface for comfortable landscape and portrait viewing. Users can switch between a six-section display and a four section display. U1's six-section screen display is designed to enhance the mobile internet experience by letting users easily multitouch access multiple Web-based applications at once such as email, calendars, RSS readers and social networking Web sites. The four-section screen display option is perfect as a media center on the PC such as photos, music, videos and to view/edit documents.
IdeaPad U1 Doubles Entertainment Fun
The IdeaPad U1's laptop and tablet modes each support more than five hours of 3G Web browsing and 60 hours of 3G standby. In addition, the U1 comes with integrated video camera and two stereo speakers with integrated microphone with echo cancellation make this the ideal PC for users who need flexibility but do not want to compromise features or functionality.
Pricing and Availability
The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 hybrid notebook will be available June 1, 2010 with an estimated retail price of $999.1
For the latest Lenovo news, subscribe to Lenovo RSS feeds or follow Lenovo on Twitter and Facebook. Follow Lenovo's activities at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas at LenovoSocial.com/Live.
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building exceptionally 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.
1 Price and availability vary by region.
I have to say this is a cool looking device. Nice to see Lenovo innovating. The tablet space is going to be interesting in 2010.
Now to the trolls: I still can't understand the Apple hatred that has to go along with each and every one of these types of announcements. Man, it is so tiring to read the "fanboy", "iSheep" comments. Just stupid.
I love the stories and up to date gadget info on Engadget. But the level of intelligence of the large majority of comments is just so low.
nice... but of course it couldn't possibly be any good if it's not from apple
I dub thee "Laptimus Prime."
I look forward to your sequel: more Fox, less LeBoeuf.
So on tablet mode it is turn into slow pos Linux gadget? That's stupid!
Interesting looking device, but as Homer Simpson once said "It's needlessly complicated". If you have to run two different operating systems, and the tablet hardware basically does dormant when you use it in laptop/AIO mode I really don't see what the point is in having them share the screen.
Glad to see people getting excited about this in lieu of a possibly mythical iTablet, but for my money, I'd rather get a regular tablet/mid ($300), a conventional laptop ($650), and some good syncing software so I can replicate my data between the two ($50). If for no other reason than that I could have all that this offers but also use both machines at the same time if I felt the need.
To each their own though. It will be interesting to see the reviews for it and market reception once it drops...
@OddManOut
I'm impressed with the idea and would rather have this device(If done well) than two devices. Convergence
@Techmeout
Sure, convergence is great, but on what level do these yeo devices actually converge ? Is it JUST that they share one screen (and attendant power supply and such) or do they have some kind of functional convergence as well ? Is it designed so that your favorite places in IE from the docked mode are present when using the slate by itself ? Your contacts and email and such as well ? Media library ? True, most of that can be accomplished by placing things judiciously in common storage on known file paths, but there are potentially application databases involved. Are they shared or does each os have its own, thus necessitating that the machine need re-sync itself every time you switch modes ?
If it doesn't do some or all of that then I personally (as in my opinion) don't really see much convergence going on at all. I mean I could glue my iPaq 4700 and my old motorola Razor back to back and call it a smart phone, but there would really be any convergence...
Like I said though, I won't pass judgement until I know more about the software AND hardware integration at work here...
Having Linux on both the base and tablet would provide a more contiguous computing experience.
Looks cool, but isn't it reasonable to assume that the mac tablet/islate could hookup to a bluetooth keyboard? It would be easy, wireless, and the data delocalization problem that this lenovo has wouldn't be an issue. It just seems simple and effective. PS I'm really waiting for the Microsoft Courier.
it needs:
~2 bateries(1 in the keyboard 1 in tablet).
~Quality camera for video chatting.
~The abilty to easily sync files between operating systems.
~The ability to share processing power.
~32 gb ssd. (16 is too small)
It would be splendid if the tablet could access files from the keyboards hdd via bluetooth or wifi. That feature would allow for remote media consumption.
OMG this is so awesome! Take this, Apple! :)
does the keyboard base have an additional battery? as in, a dual batter ultra high battery life device. this is extremely interesting
Could they just remove the Intel/Windows 7 option and make it cheaper?
This style of detatchable netbook has been around since last year. It's called the touchbook by always innovating
My only gripes are it probably isn't using the SU9400 but the SU7300 and the fact that its not shipping next week.
In Persian:
http://www.handheldusers.com/forum/t4272.html#post57552
Find out if the base needs to be turned off for the screen to be undocked or if it can remain running and connected to the network - streaming tunes and downing the torrents, etc...
I was just talking the other day about how I want a tablet, but I don't want to ditch the physical keyboard of a laptop. Hell, give me a decent 10" netbook that can do this and I may have to go get one.
Is it just me or is this thing truly beautiful. Lenovo is going to have an amazing year based on their product line!
Looks like the old school Windows CE powered Windows Smart Display http://www.microsoft.com/windows/smartdisplay/default.mspx
Except in a laptop.