Remember way back when (about one year ago)… Lenovo revealed a funky and intriguing laptop/tablet hybrid design called the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid. Much like the Dell Inspiron Duo, it promised to double as a tablet running Lenovo’s custom Linux OS called Skylight and a standard notebook running Windows 7 when the tablet’s docked as a display. Since then, Lenovo has dumped Skylight for Android and beefed up the processing power. The detachable tablet is now called LePad and it’s powered by a 1.3GHz Snapdragon processor and runs a custom Lenovo skin called LeOS that’s build on top of Android 2.2. The LePad features a 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) capacitive multitouch display and it works in both landscape and portrait modes. An eight hour battery life is promised. Adobe Flash Player 10.1 is expected to play nice when the product ships. The notebook, or U1 Base, packs a 1.2GHz Intel Core and runs Windows 7. Switching from Android to Windows is a snap, literally. Once the tablet is locked into place in the notebook base, a couples seconds later Windows is fully loaded. When you detach the screen the switch to Android is instantaneous.
Unfortunately for those living in the U.S. the LePad and U1 Base will not ship until Google releases Android 3.0 (aka Honeycomb). The first market Lenovo will hit is China this quarter. The IdeaPad U1 with LePad will go for $1300 and the LePad will be available as a standalone product with an asking price of $520.
With a refreshed look and Android integration the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid is leaps and bounds superior to its original incarnation unveiled one year ago. Here’s to hoping that Gingerbread arrives sooner rather than later so that Lenovo can work on an updated tablet skin and ship this puppy Stateside stat! Product images below, PR after the break.
[Via Engadget]
Best of Both Worlds: Lenovo’s Dual Mode Hybrid System Embraces Android Slate
LePad Multi-touch Android slate for mobility & U1 laptop base for full Windows 7 experience
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – January 5, 2011: Lenovo today announced the IdeaPad U1 hybrid with LePad slate, a unique two-in-one device that combines the mobility of a media rich HD slate with access to Android applications and a keyboard base that provides a full Windows 7 computing experience. Offering great performance, both separately and together for a unique Hybrid Switch dual mode capability, Lenovo delivers consumers an uncompromised mobile and computing experience.
“Our IdeaPad U1 and LePad truly fits the 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 do content creation. Consumers shouldn’t have to adapt their lifestyle to technology, and this product definitely gives them the best of both worlds.”
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 Qualcomm’s SnapdragonTM processor, keeps users incredibly mobile all day with up to eight hours of battery life. LePad is available in four stylish colors with two different textures: scarlet, white, brown leather textured and black leather textured. The 10.1-inch widescreen and rich high definition LePad slate runs in landscape and portrait modes, giving users the ability to consume content such as video, surf the Internet, access social networks from their fingertips, as well as tap out messages and email. It also has a front camera for taking pictures or 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 upon Android 2.2., Lenovo customized the LePad slate with an optimized Android media experience on LePad’s larger screen size, starting with an attractive 4-pane easy to use interface and a distinctive Lenovo developed push service that gives you your email, news, and other content in real time, eliminating the need to constantly open a browser and log in. LePad leverages the Android ecosystem 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 its large screen. Lenovo plans for LePad to support Adobe Flash Player 10.1 to provide users an uncompromised 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 transforms the user interface on LePad into a Windows 7 laptop with a full keyboard. The base features a Windows 7 Home Premium operating system and an Intel CULV processor. With Hybrid Switch feature, users can seamlessly change operating systems to support continuous web browsing experience.
Pricing and Availability
The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 with LePad will be available beginning in China in Q1. The LePad slate can be purchased separately from the U1 Base. The LePad slate starts at approximately RMB 3,499 (approximately US$ 520), and the U1 hybrid laptop starts at approximately RMB 8,888
(approximately US$ 1,300). Detailed pricing and availability for other markets, please contact your Lenovo representative.