No, that’s not a typo, Lenovo is rebranding all consumer tablets "IdeaTabs". IdeaPads are not going away, but that moniker will forever more denote Lenovo’s consumer laptop line (they’re also getting a refresh).
The Chinese computer maker is actually launching a passel of new products, but it’s the Qualcomm-based IdeaTab S2-10 that’ll catch your eye. It's thin (.34 inches) and light (1.3 lbs.). More importantly, it’ll be running Google’s latest Android tablet experience: Android 4.0 (also known as "Ice Cream Sandwich").
The tablet is packed with all the goodies you’d expect, including forward and rear facing cameras (the rear is 5 MP), Wi-Fi and 3G (with voice call support!), an LED display and even HDMI out. Inside are 64 GB of storage and a dual-core 1.7 GHz Qualcomm CPU (a tad faster than the 1 and 1.3 GHz processors found in most tablets).
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As is common with most 10-inch tablets, the S2-10 can operate for approximately 9 hours on a charge. However, you can double the battery life if you add the $200 keyboard dock, which includes a second battery, full-sized keyboard and touchpad and adds two USB ports and a storage card reader. In other words, it turns the IdeaTab S2-10 into a laptop.
Lenovo’s S2-10 should ship sometime this spring. Pricing has not yet been set. Mashable should have a hands-on report later this week.
Lenovo has some other tablets in the works, but they’re primarily for the Chinese market. These include 5- and 7-inch S2 models, a new 10-inch IdeaTab K2 and a 9-inch A2 running Android 4.0 and, most intriguingly, including SRS sound.
Four Screens
Lenovo isn’t just focusing on tablets. It’s grown, by its own measure, to the Number 2 desktop manufacturer in the word and is working on a “Four Screen Strategy” that includes new desktops, laptops, smartphones and even TVs.
For now, Lenovo’s new TV and phones will only arrive in China. That’s a shame, considering the Lenovo K91 Smart TV sounds more like a giant flat screen computer than your traditional HDTV. It’s bulked up with 1 GB of RM, Android 4.0, apps, voice control, a built-in, front facing 5 MP camera, Bluetooth, WiFi, parental controls and a gamepad. It should ship by the first quarter of this year in China and then, perhaps, roll out to other “select markets.”
The company also has a number of new LePhones, including the S2, K2, S760 and S790. They’re running Android 2.2 and 2.3, range in size from just over 3-inch screens to the K2, which is 4.5 inches and just 141 grams. All of these phones will, at least initially, be being offered exclusively in China.