Event Coverage

Hands-on with Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet

By Seow Tein Hee - 25 Aug 2011

Hands-on with Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet

Hands-on with Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet

Almost a month back, we made a quick mention of Lenovo's business-centric Android tablet, the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet, during the launch of the Lenovo IdeaPad K1. Following up, we have more details related to the ThinkPad Tablet, and here's a quick hands-on of the Android 3.1 tablet.

To recap, the ThinkPad Tablet shares some common features, but comes with a few differentiating factors from its K1 sibling. Both tablets employ Google's Android 3.1 Honeycomb OS, with NVIDIA's Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz processor being the brains behind the tablet. While its overall dimensions might differ slightly, both tablets utilize a 10.1-inch display with the same WXGA (1280 x 800 pixels) resolution.

The ThinkPad Tablet takes one step further with a scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla glass display. Additional hardware features such as a full-sized USB port and SD card slot to expand the storage capacity on the ThinkPad Tablet are included to strengthen its features and usability.

The ThinkPad Tablet takes on a robust and business-centric feel with its all-black and non-glossy design.

The inclusion of full-sized USB ports (shown here) and SD card slots is a welcomed addition to enhance the overall usability of the ThinkPad Tablet.

On top of that, the ThinkPad Tablet has optional accessories such as the ThinkPad Tablet Dock, ThinkPad Tablet Pen and foldable ThinkPad Tablet Keyboard Folio case to complement the tablet. The ThinkPad Tablet Pen is particularly useful to digitally sign contracts, and even pen meeting notes at a moment's notice. From what we've seen during the hands-on session, the pen does make itself useful with the handwriting-to-text conversion. Likewise, the Keyboard Folio case is practical for two purposes. Its function as a casing is overshadowed by the ease at which we managed to type and use the trackpad.

Accessories such as the ThinkPad Tablet Pen is useful for digital signatures, and if you're feeling bored, perhaps a little doodling during a meeting.

The Folio Case connects to the ThinkPad Tablet via its full-sized USB port.

The keyboard shares much similarity to its ThinkPad notebook counterparts in its design. An optical track point is situated at the center, with the familiar black and red mouse buttons below the space bar.

For its software features, the ThinkPad Tablet differs from the IdeaPad through its suite of work and security apps. For the former, Documents to Go is preloaded onto the app, which lets you create and edit the standard Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents on the ThinkPad Tablet.

Its security features is enhanced by apps such as Computrace Mobile by Absolute Software, which lets you disable the tablet if the device is lost or stolen. SD card encryption is also added in as a security measure against unauthorized access.

The ThinkPad Tablet also gives corporate customers the freedom to create unique corporate preloads from the Lenovo Image Technology Center as well as share and distribute company purchased or developed apps to numerous devices through a custom, corporate-controlled app store. As such, companies can gather, approve and distribute Android apps that are suitable for corporate use under a controlled environment.

The Folio case takes the same design approach as its ThinkPad series: predominantly black with a somber overall look.

According to Lenovo, the ThinkPad Tablet will be available by the end of September, with only the 32GB 3G version available to purchase. Regarding the availability of its 16GB and 64GB variants, Lenovo mentioned that the company is not ruling out the possibility of bringing both models in, depending on the market demand and feedback. Pricing will be announced at a later date.

And if you're still thinking of getting the Lenovo IdeaPad K1, Lenovo has also announced that it will be bringing in the 3G variant by the end of September. Pricing is fixed at S$799 for the 32GB version. Should you decide to live without the 3G connectivity option, you can purchase the 32GB Wi-Fi version at Comex 2011 for S$699.

Both tablets come with a one-year warranty, with the option to extend the IdeaPad product warranty for one additional year, and the ThinkPad Tablet for two additional years.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet

  Key highlights of the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet

  • Google Android 3.1
  • 10.1-inch WXGA (1280 x 800 pixels)
  • NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz processor
  • 1GB RAM
  • 32GB internal storage
  • HDMI-out / USB / microUSB / dock connector
  • Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n / HSDPA
  • 5-megapixel (rear) / 2-megapixel (front) camera
  • 3250mAh battery
  • 730.5g
  • 260.4 x 181.7 x 14mm
     
  • Available from September 2011
     

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.