Lenovo puts Android 4.0 in dockable tablet and smart TV

By Jonathan Angel
2012-01-09

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Lenovo announced two new devices that run Android 4.0 ("Ice Cream Sandwich") on a dual-core, 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 processor. One is a 10.1-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard dock and up to 20 hours' battery life (the IdeaTab S2), while the other is a television with an in-plane switching (IPS) display and voice-activated remote control (the K91 Smart TV), according to the company.

Lenovo has a thing for unusual combo devices. In 2010, it announced the IdeaPad U1 (pictured), a 3.8-pound notebook that ran Windows 7 on a dual-core Pentium processor, and Linux on a detachable, ARM-based touchscreen component. The product resurfaced last year with the tablet half running Android and carrying LePad branding, but it's still not on sale, according to Lenovo's website.

Last week, the company fielded the ThinkPad X1 Hybrid, a more conventionally styled device that includes both an Intel Core processor (i3, i5, or i7) running Windows 7 and an ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU dedicated to a customized Linux environment. That followed the August 2011 release of the ThinkPad Tablet, an Android "Honeycomb" device that features an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor and its own optional keyboard dock that, like the X1 Hybrid, sports the red pointing stick common to all ThinkPads.

Now -- are you still with us? -- Lenovo has announced the IdeaTab S2, another Android tablet with an (apparently standard) keyboard dock. This one runs Android 4.0 ("Ice Cream Sandwich) on the dual-core, 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8960 processor, according to its enterprising manufacturer.

Lenovo's IdeaTab S2
(Click to enlarge)

Lenovo touts the IdeaTab S2 as "one of the lightest 10-inch tablets available today," at 1.1 pounds. The tablet will offer the company's own "Mondrian" user interface, display customized content, and include "easy access to the Lenovo App Shop and the Android Market for thousands of useful apps, such as Amazon Kindle, ooVoo, Angry bird and mSpot."

Lenovo's release didn't go much further, but a CNet report specified a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels for the 10.1-inch screen, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, and an eight-megapixel camera on the back. With the help of one battery in the tablet and one in the keyboard dock, the IdeaTab S2 can run for 20 hours, author Donald Bell adds.

CNet adds that the tablet has a microSD slot, a micro-HDMI port, and a micro-USB port, while the dock accessory adds two full-size USB ports, a full-sie HDMI port, and an SD slot. It's said the IdeaTab S2 will be available during the second quarter, starting at just under $400.

The K91 Smart TV

Lenovo announced that it's also putting "Ice Cream Sandwich" and the Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8960 in a significantly larger device, the K91 Smart TV (pictured below). Just how much larger we can't say, since screen measurements weren't provided -- but the company did cite a five megapixel webcam as well as an IPS (in-plane switching) display with a 240Hz refresh rate.

Lenovo's K91 Smart TV
(Click to enlarge)

According to Lenovo, the K91 will come with a remote control that allows voice command via "natural language processing" and speech recognition. The TV may also be controlled by a smartphone or tablet, and files may be transferred from one device to another, the company adds.

Again, the K91 will offer a customized Android user interface (this time called "Sandwich"), which "unites three major smart TV functions, including video on demand (VOD), internet applications, and traditional TV programs." The device is compatible with application downloads from both the Android Market and the Lenovo store, Lenovo says.

Availability

According to Lenovo, the IdeaTab S2 tablet and K91 smart TV are available immediately in China. These products will be released worldwide at a later date, the company added, though pricing was not cited.

Jonathan Angel can be reached at jonathan.angel@ziffdavisenterprise.com and followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense.

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