Lenovo has just stunned everyone today by announcing no less than 3 tablet models: IdeaPad K1, the ThinkPad tablet and the IdeaPad Tablet P1. The first two are Honeycomb units, that are certified for Netflix, while the last is a Windows 7 unit.
Another novelty is the support for pen input in Honeycomb, that comes with the ThinkPad model. This unit runs Honeycomb 3.1, that brings active N-trig pen input, meaning that you’ll use the pen as a cursor and also you’ll make good use of it in the note taking application Notes Mobile. Handwriting recognition is also supported and you get an on-board slot for docking the pen.
As far as specs go, the K1 comes with a 10.1 inch 1280 x 800 pixel display, a Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core CPU and 1GB of RAM. You’ll find this model in 16, 32 and 64GB flavors and in the connectivity section you get WiFi, Bluetooth and optional 3G, plus microHDMI out. Two on board speakers and a 2 megapixel front camera, plus 5MP cam at the back complete the hardware features.
The ThinkPad model uses the same screen, same resolution and same CPU as the previous model, except for the fact that it relies on an IPS Gorilla glass display. Also, it’s a tad larger and comes with a full size USB 2.0 port and pen dock. There’s also a SIM card slot on board, 3 in 1 card reader, miniHDMI port, microUSB port and WiFi. Bluetooth 2.0 and a 3G option round up the list. You’ll get 8.7 hours of fun out of the battery on this model (with WiFi on).
Since this is a ThinkPad, you get the usual IT-friendly stuff: anti theft software, security apps, Citrix virtual app support, secure email and more. There’s also a leather keyboard folio that can be added to the slate, creating some sort of ThinkPad notebook.
Finally, the P1 model runs Win 7, weighs two pounds and sports a 10.1 inch 1280 x 800 pixel display. Inside there’s a 1.5GHz Intel Atom CPU, up to 2GB of DDR2 memory and 32GB or 64GB of storage. WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth and 3G are also supported and ports include USB 2.0 and microSD card reader. As far as pricing goes, the IdeaPad K1 (32GB) and 16GB Thinkpad can be ordered right now from Lenovo.com and partners, shipping in August. They both have the same price: $499.
For $529 you get a ThinkPad with pen and the keyboard folio will set you back $99. 3G units will come later and the P1 doesn’t have a price yet.
