Waiting for a device to bridge the gap between tablet and laptop? Lenovo has an option that just might appeal to you. The Lenovo LePad (is that French for “The Pad”?) is a slick Android 10.1-inch tablet that looks like it could be a nice iPad challenger. It’s going to run Android 2.2 and feature 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and will support Adobe Flashplayer 10.1. It appears to have a custom UI that Lenovo has placed on top of it, and judging from the screenshots, it looks nice. What’s more, you’ll have a couple of options available to you if you want to convert to a more “laptop” experience. It will have a very slick-looking dock with full keyboard available for it, although the price on that has not yet been announced. Or, you go straight for the full experience. If you’re willing to drop the $1300, you can get the setup you see above: the IdeaPad U1 dock will let you slide your tablet into it and it will give you the option to boot up in Windows 7 (or seamlessly transition between Win7 and Android, accord to the press release) for the more “traditional” laptop experience. Although the price tag is a little steep at this point, I love the idea, and I hope that it inspires more manufacturer to consider options like this.

No word on availability outside of the Asia market (where it’s on sale today) at this point, but we should see it hitting our shores in the near future. The tablet itself will run about RMB 3,499 ($529) and the IdeaPad U1 Dock will run RMB 8,888 ($1,342). I assume at that price it includes the tablet, but it’s specifically stated in the press release. As always, more info as it becomes available. Full press release after the break, and more pictures available at the source link.



Best of Both Worlds: Lenovo’s Dual Mode Hybrid System New Two-in-One Mobile

Device Speaks Android and Windows

LePad multi-touch Android slate for mobility and U1 laptop PC base for full Windows 7 experience

CES 2011, Las Vegas – January 5, 2011: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced the IdeaPad U1 hybrid with LePad slate, a unique two-in-one device that combines the mobility of a media rich, high-definition slate featuring 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 to switch between two different operating systems, Lenovo delivers to 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 create and edit content. Consumers shouldn’t have to adapt their lifestyle to technology, and this product definitely delivers twice the functionality and fun in one device.”

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 a Qualcomm’s Snapdragon™ 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. Users can 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 four-pane easy to use interface and a distinctive Lenovo-developed push service that delivers 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, looking to provide users a more complete 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 laptop with a full keyboard transforms the user interface on LePad into Windows 7. The base features a Windows 7 Home Premium operating system and an Intel CULV processor. With the Hybrid Switch feature, users can seamlessly change operating systems to support a continuous Web browsing experience.

Pricing and Availability

The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 with LePad will be available beginning in China in the first quarter of 2011. 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). For detailed pricing and availability for other markets, please contact your Lenovo representative.

[via Phandroid]