Long before iPad was "ThinkPad."
IBM invented this laptop in 1992 but sold all its PC business to Lenovo in 2005 for $1.75 billion (half cash, half Lenovo stock) plus commitments that Lenovo would distribute IBM products in China.
The Chinese Lenovo,who began life as Legend (hey, remember those QDI motherboards, that was a Legend Subsidiary), operates a lab in Yamato, Kanagawa prefecture in Japan.
That Japanese lab created the IdeaPad U1 hybrid with LePad slate, a unique 2-in-1 device combining the mobility of a media-rich HD slate with access to Android apps and a keyboard base for Windows 7 computing.
At CES, Lenovo showed this hybrid that sports a unique Hybrid Switch dual mode capability.
"Our IdeaPad U1 and LePad truly fits the mobile lifestyle," says Liu Jun, Senior VP, 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..."
At under 2 pounds (and only half an inch thick), the ultraportable LePad, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor, gives users up to eight hours of battery life and a 32GB SD.
The 10.1" widescreen LePad slate runs landscape and portrait modes, giving users the ability to consume video, surf the Internet, access social networks, tap out messages and email. It also has dual cameras (2mp front-facing, 5mp back-facing).
Built upon Android 2.2., Lenovo developed its own 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 is available in four colours with two different textures: scarlet, white, brown leather textured and black leather textured.
For users who need a fully functioning mainstream laptop (for doing content creation with Windows based productivity applications), 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 OS and an Intel CULV processor. With Hybrid Switch feature, users can seamlessly change operating systems to support continuous web browsing experience.
Available in China in Q1, the LePad slate starts at approximately RMB 3499 (US$520). The U1 hybrid laptop starts at approximately RMB 8888 (US$ 1300).
While the LePad can be purchased on its own, the U1 base will only be sold as a full package with the slate included.
Go Lenovo LePad
