IdeaPad Tablets

The IdeaPad Tablets from Lenovo are consumer-oriented, Android and Windows 7 based tablet devices meant for home use or entertainment, rather than business purposes like the ThinkPad Tablet. Based on the Honeycomb version of the Android OS, the IdeaPad K1 tablet was released, followed by announcements of the IdeaPad A1 and P1 tablets. The IdeaPad P1 was based on Windows 7.

Contents

2011

Three Tablets were announced by Lenovo in the IdeaPad Tablet line in 2011: the IdeaPad K1, A1 and P1.

IdeaPad K1

The IdeaPad K1 Tablet was announced in July 2011.[1] The IdeaPad K1 tablet offered the following specifications:[2]

More than 30 free apps were pre-loaded on the IdeaPad, including Angry Birds HD, Need for Speed: Shift, Kindle for Android, Documents To Go, and Norton Mobile Security.[2]

In its review, Gizmodo appreciated the value that the IdeaPad K1 represented, with the offer of a 32GB tablet for only $499.[3] The reviewer described the Tablet as one of the most attractive that Gizmodo had reviewed, with its “matte, chrome-colored side and back trim and deep red back panel”.[3] The IdeaPad K1 tablet featured interface improvements as compared to other Android 3.1 tablets.[3] Gizmodo indicated that the battery life was above average for Android Tablets: 8 hours and 3 minutes, despite continuous Web surfing over Wi-fi.[3]

The IdeaPad K1 was summarized by LAPTOP Magazine as offering “a strong mix of style, performance, and uniquely compelling enhancements to the Android 3.1 UI”.[4]

IdeaPad A1

The IdeaPad A1 Tablet was announced in September 2011.[5] The PCWorld review indicated that the A1 would be the first 7-inch tablet prices at $200 or less.[5] The reviewer stated that the low price was achieved through a reduction in storage capacity, not functionality.[5] The basic unit offered 2GB of internal storage and other variants with more storage would be made available.[5] The A1 contained a Micro SD card slot, which allowed expansion of up to 32GB.[5]

The A1 tablet was powered by a single-core 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor.[5] It was suggested by the reviewer that the "single-core CPU may be the reason why no Honeycomb is on board, and may explain how Lenovo can achieve its aggressive price".[5]

A feature indicated to be "most notable for a tablet at this price" was the capacitive touch screen.[5] This was in contrast to the resistive touch screen found on value tablets.[5] The display also offered a higher-than average resolution, of 1024x600 pixels and 170 pixels per inch (ppi).[5] The ppi value made the display sharper than even that of the Apple iPad 2, which offered only 132 ppi on a 9.7-inch screen.[5]

The fact that the A1 included Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) as opposed to Android 3.2 (Honeycomb), was indicated to be a point of concern.[5] The reviewer said that those companies which did incorporate Android 2.2 or 2.3 only achieved this by making significant customizations to the on-board apps as well as the interface.[5] At the time of announcement, Lenovo had not provided information on what customizations had been made, if any.[5]

The IdeaPad A1 tablet was 0.47 inches thin and weighed 0.88 lbs.[5] The A1 was offered in four different colors: white, black, pink, and light blue.[5]

A feature of the A1 announced by Lenovo was the inclusion of a magnesium-alloy roll cage, which protected internal components through bumpers.[5] Another key feature of the A1 was the GPS which did not require a data connection to be used.[5]

IdeaPad P1

The IdeaPad P1 Tablet was different from both the IdeaPad K1 and ThinkPad Tablets in that it featured Windows 7 as the operating system instead of Android 3.1.[6] Additionally, unlike the K1 and ThinkPad Tablets, the P1 Tablet included an Intel Atom processor as opposed to an NVIDIA Tegra processor.[7]

The specifications of the IdeaPad P1 are as follows:[6][7][8]

References

  1. ^ Peter Cartwright (25). "Lenovo IdeaPad K1 and ThinkPad tablet announcement dates discovered (update)". http://www.netbooknews.com/28879/lenovo-ideapad-k1-and-thinkpad-tablet-announcement-dates-discovered/. Retrieved 26 December 2011. 
  2. ^ a b "IdeaPad K1 Tablet on Lenovo". http://shop.lenovo.com/us/products/tablets/ideapad/. Retrieved 26 December 2011. 
  3. ^ a b c d "Lenovo IdeaPad K1 Tablet Review: Cheaper, Brighter… Better?". 2. http://gizmodo.com/5826976/lenovo-ideapad-k1-tablet-review. Retrieved 26 December 2011. 
  4. ^ Avram Piltch (29). "Lenovo IdeaPad K1 Tablet Review". http://www.laptopmag.com/review/tablets/lenovo-ideapad-k1.aspx?page=3. Retrieved 26 December 2011. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Robert S. Anthony; Melissa J. Perenson (1). "Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet A1, a $199 Bargain". http://www.pcworld.com/article/239317/lenovo_ideapad_tablet_a1_a_199_bargain.html. Retrieved 26 December 2011. 
  6. ^ a b Darren Murph (20). "Lenovo intros 10.1-inch IdeaPad Tablet P1 with Windows 7, should've waited for Windows 8". http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/20/lenovo-intros-10-1-inch-ideapad-tablet-p1-with-windows-7-should/. Retrieved 26 December 2011. 
  7. ^ a b Pawel Piejko (20). "Windows 7-based Lenovo IdeaPad Tablet P1 announced". http://www.gizmag.com/lenovo-ideapad-tablet-p1/19277/. Retrieved 26 December 2011. 
  8. ^ Chris Davies (19). "Lenovo IdeaPad K1 and ThinkPad Tablets official, plus IdeaPad P1". http://www.slashgear.com/lenovo-ideapad-k1-and-thinkpad-tablets-official-plus-ideapad-p1-19166013. Retrieved 26 December 2011. 

External links