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Lenovo LePad K2010 (IdeaTab K2) hands-on: 1.7GHz Tegra 3, full HD IPS display (updated)
Remember our lovely leak of Lenovo's Tegra 3 tablet from last November? Well, it showed up here at CES under the LePad K2010 moniker for China, while elsewhere it'll likely be known as the IdeaTab K2. We won't comment much on the unfinished software (so no luck with controlling the cursor using the fingerprint scanner on the back), but build quality wise we enjoyed the faux brushed metal cover on the back, and similarly, the sharp 1,920 x 1,200 IPS display between the speakers was very impressive (yes, we double-checked with Lenovo on these numbers).We also received confirmation that the camera on the back has an eight-megapixel resolution, but obviously we'll wait and see if the picture quality lives up to expectation. Alas, there's still no word on availability, but regardless, China will get first dibs on this juicy quad-core slate. On the bright side, this should give ample time for potential buyers to save up -- the K2010 is aimed at high-end business users, after all. Hands-on video after the break.Update: Fresh info straight from Beijing tells us that the K2010's clock speed's been given a gentle bump from 1.6GHz to 1.7GHz. And those speakers sandwiching the display? Those are what Lenovo calls "Super Surround Speaker (3S)" that consists of four drivers. We're also told to expect a charging station.
Lenovo LePad S2005 leaps into China
The Lenovo LePad S2005 is now making the rounds over in China. Our crack team over at Engadget.cn saw the above announcement on Lenovo's official Sina Weibo page. If you haven't got a dictionary to hand, we can tell you that the 5-inch Gingerbread tabletphone has a disappointing 800 x 480 display and runs Android 2.3.5 on its dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm chip. Pre-sale prices are RMB 2,499 ($390) or RMB 2,699 ($425) if you turn up on the day. Sadly you won't be able to get your hands on one of these, as it's a Chinese exclusive. If we see anyone begging eBay for a secondhand Dell Streak 5, we'll guess you just couldn't bear the thought of buying a Galaxy Note.
Lenovo LePad S2005 vs. Dell Streak 5... cuddle!
It's inevitable that these two 5-inch tabletphones -- the Dell Streak 5 on the left and the Lenovo LePad S2005 on the right -- are to meet in the Chinese capital. With the exception of the slightly taller body on the S2005 everything else are suspiciously similar, especially the button and camera layout. Well, there's a good explanation for this: we've been informed that this new tabletphone hails from the same ODM, Qisda, as Dell's counterpart. Too bad Lenovo decided to keep the same screen resolution though. According to Stone Ip from Engadget Chinese, he found that the S2005 has a nicer grip than the Streak, and he also digs its more masculine appearance -- obviously this is open to debate. Performance-wise this slate responded well to our input, but the lack of promise on an Ice Cream Sandwich update will probably make potential geeky buyers think twice. Well, good thing we have some awesome modders around the interwebs these days. %Gallery-140564%
Lenovo unveils the LePad S2007 and LePad S2010, both with Honeycomb and 1.5GHz dual-core chip
Oh no, it isn't just about the 5-inch tabletphone today. Announced at the same event in Beijing just now are a couple of larger tablets from Lenovo: the LePad S2007 and the LePad S2010. Interestingly, the latter 10.1-inch device isn't quite the same as what we saw in our exclusive scoop from two weeks ago: it's 1.5GHz Qualcomm dual-core rather than 1.6GHz NVIDIA quad-core, 1GB RAM instead of 2GB, no funky fingerprint scanner on the back, and it's launching with Android 3.2 instead of Ice Cream Sandwich. But fret not, as we've been informed that its international counterpart -- aka the IdeaTab K2 in our scoop -- will launch with the latest Android OS; so we're just waiting for a release date. Both of these Honeycomb tablets share many similarities: Qualcomm's dual-core 1.5GHz chip, 1GB RAM, 1,280 x 800 IPS display (pretty nice on a 7-inch form factor, with 216ppi density), eight megapixel main camera, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, dual-mode 3G (China Telecom's EV-DO plus China Unicom's WCDMA) for data plus voice calls, and plans to upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich in the future. Aside from the obvious physical differences, these tablets also come with different battery capacities: the 360g-heavy, 9.7mm-thick S2007 comes with 3,780mAh that can last up to eight hours on WiFi; whereas the 670g-heavy (almost the same as the original WiFi iPad, uh-oh), 9.9mm-thick S2010 has a generous 7,560mAh that can push it to 11 hours. Like the S2005 tabletphone, both tablets will be available in China next month; so for now, stay tuned for some hands-on photos from our folks over at Engadget Chinese. Update: It turns out that there was a slight misunderstanding regarding the voice call feature -- the Chinese press release meant using Skype-like software to enable this. Pah.
Exclusive: Lenovo also working on a 5-inch Android tablet, because pockets need love too
No matter how tempting the specs on Lenovo's leaked 10.1-inch tablet are, you might prefer something fairly more portable just for the sake of your regular pockets. Well, it looks like Lenovo's got you covered, too. Freshly delivered from the same anonymous tipster are a stash of photos depicting a dual-core 5-inch Android tablet, which will apparently be marketed under the usual LePad brand in China as well as an upcoming IdeaTab brand for elsewhere (to help differentiate tablets from the IdeaPad laptop line). Not much else is known about this device, but the photos below do show a micro-USB port, HDMI output, a front-facing camera and presumably three capacitive buttons (which could mean it won't be launching with Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich). There's a strong resemblance to the Dell Streak 5 here if you ask us, though despite the earpiece-like feature next to the front camera, our source couldn't confirm whether this tablet packs voice call capability (like the Galaxy Note and Pantech Vega No.5). Anyhow, stay tuned as we dig for more info. %Gallery-140034%
Exclusive: Lenovo to release a 10.1-inch Ice Cream Sandwich tablet with 1.6GHz Tegra 3 by year's end
You wouldn't think a giant like Lenovo would stop at just three (or four) Android tablets now, would you? In fact, a little birdie has informed us that said Chinese company will release a new 10.1-inch tablet by the end of the year, and unsurprisingly, Ice Cream Sandwich along with NVIDIA's Tegra 3 T33 are on the menu. Other features include 2GB of speedy 1,600MHz DDR3 RAM, a standard USB host socket (covered by a not-so-elegant pop-out flap), a back-facing camera of unknown resolution, a "Special Fusion-Skin Body" and, most interestingly, a fingerprint scanner that apparently doubles as an optical joystick on the seemingly flat backside -- only time will tell whether this layout makes sense. Our source hasn't spilled any info on the dimensions and weight, but judging by the photos in our gallery, this 1.6GHz quad-core slate should be significantly thinner than the IdeaPad K1 or LePad sitting underneath. As always, you'll hear from us as soon as we find out more. [Thanks, Anonymous] %Gallery-139296%
Lenovo LePad A1-07 tablet makes Chinese debut in beach-ready attire
Lenovo's been playing coy with the A1-07, giving us little to go on since we first caught wind of it at the FCC last month. Well, it appears it's time to ditch those Blurrycam photos for some real-deal promo stills, because this mysterious slate quietly made its debut in China earlier this week -- and from the looks of things, it's already got its mind set on a vacation. Along with a smattering of photographs that picture the slab kicking it seaside, the official LePad A1-07 page shows off some familiar looking specs. As we'd previously heard, this LePad sports a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 display and a microSD slot. Unfortunately, our instincts were also right about the A1-07 lacking Honeycomb; this one's running Android 2.3. What's more, it packs a 1GHz TI OMAP3622 processor -- not the OMAP3621 previously reported -- 512MB of RAM, 16GB of storage, front and back-facing cameras, and a micro-USB port. The LePad A1-07 will set our friends in China back ¥2,500 (about $390), but Lenovo's not giving up US details just yet. Perhaps we'll see this 7-incher on the other side of its late summer vacay, but until then, check out its beach body in the gallery below. %Gallery-130917% [Thanks, Peter]
Lenovo's LePad going global with IdeaPad Tablet K1 moniker?
At last, here's a sign of Lenovo's Android tablet making its way out of the fertile land of China. While there's no direct mention in this FCC application, the speakers at the bottom suggest that this slate -- dubbed IdeaPad Tablet K1 and made by Compal -- is a variant of the China-only LePad as opposed to the shinier U1 Hybrid (which is more likely to be the Skylight slate, anyway). Also bear in mind that Lenovo's already confirmed a global June launch for the LePad, so the timing of this document is just right. Of course, the only question left is will we be seeing some Honeycomb love here instead of Froyo? And should we not bother with this hefty 10-incher and just wait for Lenovo's slimmer offering a few months later? We'll see what the price tag says.
Lenovo's LePad gets LeTeardown
Lenovo's long awaited LePad finally made its Chinese debut back in March, and while we may not ever see the tablet stateside -- not as LePad, anyway -- we can at least get a peak under the hood. Thanks to a teardown by IMP3, we're seeing the inside of the machine for the first time, and while there's not much in the way of surprises here, it's always nice to see what makes these things tick. As we already knew, LePad's packing the 1.3GHz Snapdragon chipset with Adreno 205 integrated graphics as well as an internal 27Wh battery. It's also appears to be rocking Toshiba flash memory and a Wolfson audio processor. So we might not have much in the way of revelations here, but at least now you know what the LePad, or Skylight, or whatever, looks like underneath its skin.
Lenovo 7-inch Honeycomb tablet coming Q4 according to leaked PDF, Le OS genetics in tow
Hot on the heels of yesterday's leaked 10.1-inch ThinkPad tablet comes another juicy tidbit about another forthcoming device from Lenovo. This is my next reports that in the PC-maker has a 7-inch Honeycomb-equipped slate in the pipeline sporting a high resolution 1280 x 800 display and ARM dual-core processor. The slides also indicate the presence of the "Lenovo family UI," which most likely means Le OS. Release is purportedly slated (ugh) for Q4, but given the presence of a placeholder image and the fact that these slides are at least a month old, most of this is subject to change. Still, we hope Lenovo takes the time to get things right with its Honeycomb customizations, since its the little differentiating touches that make all the difference in burgeoning sea of screen-centric devices.
Lenovo CEO: LePad's slimmer successor should arrive in September or October
Lenovo may have just launched the much delayed LePad in China, but it's already giddying us with a surprisingly early date for said Android tablet's successor. At last night's opening banquet for the 2011 Chinese IT Leadership Summit, CEO Yang Yuanqing revealed that the second-gen LePad will be slimmer (which is a given these days), and is expected to be launched in September or October -- merely three or four months after le original LePad's upcoming global launch in June. Shedding no light on specifications, Yang added that the next LePad was developed in parallel with its predecessor under a separate team, allowing it to come to fruition in just nine months. Very well, but actually making it to the market is an entirely different story, so we shall sit tight and watch -- hopefully Mr. Blurrycam will deliver the goods beforehand, too.
Lenovo Skylight slate hits the FCC, no longer the LePad?
You remember Lenovo's 10.1-inch, Android LePad tablet, right? Well, we hope you didn't get too attached to its name since according to this fresh FCC filing it appears Lenovo's renamed it the Skylight slate. Yep, it looks like the company just didn't want that Skylight name to perish along with its never-released smartbook. We found the tablet hanging around those good old federal stomping grounds and from the images it looks exactly like the LePad we saw back at CES. According to the Skylight slate's user manual, it also has the same specs as the version we saw back in January -- there's a 1280x800-resolution 10.1-inch display, Snapdragon 8650A processor, Android 2.2, SRS speakers, and 1GB of RAM. There are also a few very clear shots of its two-cell, 27Wh internal battery. We don't have any details on the US arrival of the new slate and its U1 dock (if it's even still called that), but we're still assuming it won't arrive stateside until Honeycomb has been ported over. Hit the source link for a bunch of internal and external pictures and a glossy user manual.
Lenovo LePad set for a global June LeLaunch
Lenovo's ready to get specific with dates now that Google's got itself an honest to goodness tablet OS. A company spokesman said that its LePad tablet -- first announced by that name back in June 2010 but previewed at CES all the way back in January 2010 -- will ship in its home country of China in March before making its way to the global stage in June. Unfortunately, Lenovo isn't saying anything about final specs or which countries are first on its list -- we already knew it was coming to the US in 2011. The company's also not talking price. Last time we saw LePad in January it was sporting Android 2.2 with a custom "LeOS" skin riding a 1.3GHz Snapdragon processor and 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 pixel display with a price just north of $500. Question is: will Lenny set it free with vanilla Honeycomb or will it feel compelled to apply the LeOS skin in order to avoid becoming just another Android tablet?
Lenovo LePad tablet and IdeaPad U1 Hybrid return with Android 2.2 in tow
Remember last year at CES 2010 when Lenovo made a huge scene with the tablet / netbook U1 Hybrid, which ran Windows when docked and Lenovo's Skylight Linux in tablet mode? And then Lenovo killed Skylight in favor of Android and put everything on hold? Well, it's back -- and we just got some serious hands-on time with production-ready Chinese versions of what's now being called the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid with LePad tablet. Things have substantially changed for the better in the past year and since we saw a pre-pro model last month -- in addition to Lenovo's skinned version of Android 2.2 (called LeOS, sigh), there's now a newer 1.3GHz Snapdragon in the LePad and an 1.2GHz Intel Core i5-540UM in the U1 base, with an optional i7 available. Switching from Windows to Android just requires disengaging the latch on the base -- the flip to Android is basically instantaneous, while getting back to Windows takes a few seconds. The U1 base is much nicer than the unit we played with last year -- it's been restyled and features a chiclet-style keyboard and dimpled trackpad. Best of all, the LePad now features a 10.1 1280 x 800 capacitive multitouch display, instead of the floppy resistive unit we saw last year. Both pieces are pretty thin individually, but docked up it makes for a pretty chunky laptop -- but you are getting two machines for the price of one. Now for the bad news -- the LePad will run for about $520 when it arrives in China this quarter, but the full U1 kit will run $1300. There's also no US availability or pricing right now -- and Lenovo told us the U1 won't hit the States until it runs Android 3.0, so we could be waiting months while the company reskins the OS. And we might have to wait even longer for Lenny to retool the LePad to meet that supposed dual-core CPU requirement -- but then, it's already been a year. We can wait a little longer, we suppose. You know, for love. Video and PR after the break. %Gallery-112528% %Gallery-112532%
Lenovo LePad and U1 Hybrid early hands-on
Believe it or not, it's been almost a year since we caught a look at Lenovo's IdeaPad U1 Hybrid, and while we've heard numerous times that the device and a new tablet part -- the LePad -- were still kicking, we've got some rock solid evidence this time around. Okay, we got some of the best evidence out there -- pictures and early impressions of the China-bound 10.1-inch LePad tablet and its U1 dock / shell. Now, we don't want to get your hopes up too much -- we didn't get to spend all that much time with either of the units and they were in very early form, but that didn't stop us from playing around with both of them and taking some notes. Interested? We thought so. Hit the break for a short rundown and don't forget to peruse the gallery below on your way. %Gallery-111893%
Confirmed: Lenovo LePad headed to US in 2011
Lenovo led us to believe that our LePad chances weren't terribly good, but CEO Yang Yuanqing recently told the Wall Street Journal that the Android tablet is indeed slated for a 2011 US launch. Though Lenovo's COO Rory Read was pretty clear that the LePad wouldn't ship stateside until a tablet-ready version of Android was ready to go, it seems the company's now confident that Google will deliver the goods. However, our gain is apparently China's loss, as the publication reports that the slate's been pushed into 2011 (as opposed to this December) in its country of origin as well. What's a multinational computer corporation to do?
Lenovo says no Android tablet in US until Honeycomb; no Windows 7 tablet, period
If you happen to be enthusiastic about Lenovo, tablets, and your American residency, look away now. Lenovo still plans to ship the Android-based LePad in China some time soonish, but its US roadmap can pretty much be summed up as "wait and see." The company's COO Rory Read has been cited as saying there are no plans to release a slate for the US market until at least Android's Honeycomb version comes out, agreeing with Google on the point that Froyo is not "the right base to have a fully functioning pad." Lest you think Windows 7 will fill the void until whenever in 2011 that Android tablet does arrive, Lenovo's director of new technology, Howard Locker, sets you straight: "Windows 7 is based on the same paradigm as 1985 -- it's really an interface that's optimized for a mouse and keyboard," and the Thinking machine team doesn't intend to build a slate around it. And if you were thinking of maybe picking up a LePhone as a consolation prize, tough luck, that won't be arriving in the US for at least another two years (which in smartphone terms is basically "never"), although it's good to know that it's now got 13 percent of the smartphone market in China. You know, in case you own stock in LeCompany.
Lenovo LePad to ship in December, IdeaPad U1 Hybrid dock slated for January 2011
Seeing that swiveling Dell Inspiron Duo earlier this week immediately made us think of the other really enticing tablet / laptop we've been waiting for... Lenovo's IdeaPad U1 Hybrid. To recap: it was over eight months ago that the company unveiled it at CES only to tell us a few months later that it was being shelved for the time being. However, we're hearing now that it's definitely still kicking! According to Lenovo, the 10.1-inch LePad (the tablet part of the U1 Hybrid) will be released in China in December running some version of Android. The LePad (apologies for repeating the name, we just love saying it in a French accent) will then be greeted in January by its "hybrid option" -- a separate case containing a keyboard and laptop guts. Lenovo didn't have any updates on the internal specs of the docking / hybrid part, though we're assuming it'll still pack some sort of Intel processor and Windows 7 to transform it into a real life laptop. Unfortunately for now, Lenovo's saying the LePad and the Hybrid part will only be available in China, but we're gonna keep wishin' and prayin' that both actually see the light of day and journey across the rough seas.
Lenovo promises LePad Android tablet for the end of the year
Liu Jun, Senior VP and President of Lenovo's Consumer Business Group, has revealed his company's intention to deliver an Android tablet by the end of this year. To be known as LePad, this apparent resurrection of the Skylight / U1 Hybrid R&D effort seems destined to follow LePhone in seeking its fortunes in China first before expanding out to the rest of the world. Lenovo's chairman did recently note that Apple's relative inaction toward mainland China creates opportunities for others, so this may well represent the IdeaPad maker's play for that burgeoning market. Of course, we'd love to be wrong and see a simultaneous release around the world -- it's about time the iPad got some legitimate competition in the slate realm.
