Lenovo LePhone seen again, Android skinned like Skylight
By Sean Cooper 
posted January 11th 2010 10:51AM
posted January 11th 2010 10:51AM
We've been graced with a stack of new shots of Lenovo's LePhone, and, beauty aside, another standout here is the similarity of this phone's Android / OPhone skin to Lenovo's Skylight OS. Of course, they're not the same UI exactly, but, between that and the optional keyboard accessory that mirrors the IdeaPad U1's detachable display, it looks like the beginning of a happy -- and winsome -- family. Wander on to the gallery for all the shimmering and glossy poses -- including one that looks suspiciously like HTC's typical exploded view of all angles.
Very very sexy - and what a great idea for a keyboard. The central circular DPAD and the dock/protective case are the sort of innovations that should have shown up in the iPhone accessories market.
@Oflife agreed! it's a cool looking phone, i hope the os and ui are as cool too (not just looks, performance too, that is)! success of a phone is more about the total package than just the hardware/ looks! i really hope the software part of the phone is as good as the hardware seen here!
@Oflife I like the "idea" of the removable keyboard, but that thing looks like a terror to use. The phone looks great, though.
@Ryan Deen
Why does it look like a terror? It looks like it suited for thumb typing rather than some faux desktop keyboard.
@Tes The d-pad in the middle looks too cumbersome to me.
@Oflife I want that now. I've had that detachable phone thing in my head for a long time now, but nothing anywhere near as practical as this.
@Ryan Deen
I'd assume it's mostly a text selection thing, unless they're stupid enough to disable the touch-screen when the keyboard is attached. If you were holding it in both hand for thumb typing and from palm to palm it was no wider than an iPhone then my thumb could easily reach from one side of the d-pad to the other.
@Tes Still, this is yet another interesting Android handset in a year of many interesting Android handsets. While it's not planned for release outside of China just yet, it's certainly a handset to keep an eye on from the Chinese company making baby steps into the mobile market
LePhone Details and leaked vids: http://bit.ly/lephone-details-updates
Lol for the Skylight skin..
@Oflife I know !!! I love it ! I like the form factor and the keyboard. It is indeed like a baby Skylight.
@Oflife
Agreed, looks great!
[real innovation at last]
@unwynd Honestly, maybe the smartest phone design I've ever seen. Most iPhone owners I know put a protective case over their phone. Why not get a protective case that doubles as a keyboard AND also actually protects the screen and keyboard when closed? Plus, you can ditch the case if you want to go all sleek and minimal. Genius.
Hopefully this will catch on and many or most phones will be designed for this kind of key-case as an option.
@Oflife
Well, this is not new. There's an LG phone (or samsung, not really sure) that has the same detachable keyboard.
Pretty neat looking.
wow, thats pretty nice looking, the idea for the keyboard is very elegant. i'd like to see this phone work as well as it looks
I think the removable keyboard is actually a great idea. The only issue is that it may make the device chunkier than it needs to be with the keyboard attached, but it will cut down on people who bitch that they either need or don't need a keyboard.
@Rick James
It all depends on what you want to do...on "business2 day, I don't care how chunky things are...I need to be a power user...that's why I'm carrying around a laptop, spare battery, bluetooth mouse, 3G dongle etc.
On "leisure" days I don't need all that junk, detach keyboard, leave it at home, slide this into jeans and I'm gone. It's two phones for one!
what would be REALLY awesome is if the keyboard was packing extra battery juice too!
@Tes
Completely agree!
Guessing the keyboard is bluetooth? If so, I'm wondering when the flood gates will open for all the rest of touch only phones. I think in the end it will negate the need for a smart phone with a built in keyboard.
@Tes
according to gizmodo the keyboard attachment gives the phone extra battery life.
@Chut
Brilliant...that also means it's most probably NOT a wireless keyboard and is detected by some sort of electrical contact...which is ideal as it doesn't drain the battery and need detecting/syncing that could go wrong. It seems it's a no go in the US, but I hope the UK sees this.
@Chut
sweet!
when?????
It's a neat idea, but no one is actually going to want to carry around the shell.
@mr nimblewick
the shell and phone can be combined into one phone just like its skylight brethren making it a bit chunkier like most phones with slideable/foldable keyboards
@xconan The real question is if the touchscreen can face both ways with the keyboar still attached. Obviously as pictured It can face in for keyboard use. But can it be flipped over and have the touchscreen face outwards withe the keys concealed against the backside of the phone component. That way you can still use the phone as just a phone but have the keyboard available to use when you need it. If it can't do than then there is a annoyance factor. Either don't carry the keyboard at all (and how do you really know when you will need to send an email or text), carry two things in your pocket (which kind of defeats the whole purpose here) or be consigned to awkwardly opening the clamshell and removing the phone component when you just need to answer or make a call.
Looks very cool. Hope its got decent insides
Based on the form-factor alone, this is everything I want in a phone. I just hope the OS can match the hardware's beauty.
hope the os's as good as the hardware engineering
Looks to me like its one of those gadgets that you look at and your first thought is "damn that's sexy... i want one!!!". but, in the end i would have to see so how the OS feels and looks in the end. in my opinion its a hard balance between OS and hardware
Where are all the zealots saying "iphone ripoff, its has a chrome bezel."
This is a great idea, if this phone is anything like their laptops it's going to be an instant success.
I hope the guys at Sprint are taking a good look at what Lenovo is up to.
Lenovo phone on 4g, yes please!
Wow. I love the look and layout of that keyboard. Great idea for having both a tablet phone, and a keyboard phone, without having two models. When do we get to hear more about this phone (size, carrier, specs, etc.)?
Why do people keep asking about/expressing hopes for the OS? They clearly say above it's Android with some custom skin on top.
@Tes
There doesn't seem to be any data port on this thing apart from micro-USB port on the keyboard...so I guess it has to come in the box rather than an additional accessory. That's kind of disappointing as they could have driven costs down by making it totally optional.
@Tes
On second thoughts, it doesn't seem to have Androids obligatory home/menu/back buttons.
@Tes
On the left side of the phone, there seems to be a little door for a hidden compartment. Maybe there's a couple of ports in there.
What I don't see is a physical connection between the phone and the keyboard. Bluetooth?
@joe23521
From C-Net: "interesting proprietary 9-pin dock connector that lets you latch on an optional external keyboard"
There seems to be a door on one side that would open to a proprietary port...not the seamless touch contact I was hoping for, but cool either way.
Doesn't this use Android? I thought they said it was a skin for it. I really like this idea and having the circular dpad in the middle will actually be a good thing, your fingers won't have to stretch across it on either side like with the Droid to each the keys.
To quote that Hoe-bag Paris Hilton,"That is so Hot".
Windows Mobile 7 ??
j/k
If only it was socially-acceptable for guys to carry a hand bag of some sort...
great looking design, but generating questions:
1. what wireless interface is b/w the screen and keyboard? this extra feature might be battery killer.
2. do they need two chargers for one phone? or they got cordless charger?
@liutui
C-Net: "interesting proprietary 9-pin dock connector that lets you latch on an optional external keyboard"
Not wireless
Phone looks really good, and the keyboard attachment is pretty nice. Having to pop the phone out and turn it around each time you want to use the keyboard is a little impractical. If they put a swivel hinge on the device is would be better, but still have the phone detachable from it's keyboard dock.
Other than that, beautiful design. But does it feature the processing power it needs to keep up with the "spec" race in the smartphone market?
"It has a really nice 3.7-inch 480x800-pixel resolution display and a completely touch-based interface for navigation--no buttons here. It also boasts a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 3.5mm headset jack, 3G data, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, plus a 3.0-megapixel camera and camcorder... a representative from Lenovo has said that it has no plans to release it in the U.S. market."
http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10428159-269.html
@(Unverified)
Of course! Why would a cool phone like this be released in the US market?! >:\
Looks pretty cool, but I can't see myself ever going back to a physical keyboard on a phone ever again.
@ebgolfin Then don't buy the keyboard attachment.
Release this in America, please!
Exellent concept.
Not enough Balls.
Make the detchable keyboard features full and it's a killer phone.
E.G. : More juice, more power ? more memory ? more syncing ? more connectivity.
I say more battery and HDMI or such. or a more business oriented thing.
Coming from an E90 thatd be the perfect thing - always loved small phones (just got that E90 and it wont be for long...) and physical keyboards. As long as the battery life without "add-on" is comparable to other android devices (which means very long with it ;)) i absolutely want that thing!
@b0rndead E90 in it's day was the best phone. For the life of me I'll never understand why nokia would not produce a US spec 3G model. Nokia has only itself to blame for it's virtual banishment from the US marketplace. Kind of a shame that a company once so advanced has retreated into patent troll like behavior instead of making a product people want at a price they can afford. I know Nokia doesn't like the "carrier subsidy" model prevalent in the US but they need to get over it. It's just the way it works here. Most US consumers just aren't going to pay $600+ up front for a cell phone.