ThinkPad X1 – Ultimate UltraPortable

Having had eyes and hands on, we can tell you that The ThinkPad X1 is the most desirable ThinkPad UltraPortable ever.  Lets add to that and go out on a limb for all those Macbook Air fanboys and girls out there, it’s the best UltraPortable ever!

With the combination of size, its as high as the lower part of a T420s with the lid open, classic ThinkPad styling but looking very slim and sleek, a responsive, island style backlit, (yes, backlit!) keyboard, up to a 2nd generation Core i7, and 8 hours of battery life, The ThinkPad X1 will surely sit at the top of everybody’s UltraPortable want list.

Amazon in the UK has just put the X1 on back order for May, at a price of £1,292 which equates to about $2120. We have seen a lot of comments from people saying that’s expensive but they still want it.

Well get this, the price of the ThinkPad X1 will be around the $1400 mark in the US! How about that for aggressive pricing?

ThinkPad UltraPortable Domination

Lenovo are clearly going for sector domination with the ThinkPad X1 specifications and price, and of course a yet to be announced aggressive pricing strategy on the ThinkPad T420s.

At a guess, we think there is going to be long queue for the ThinkPad x1 when it’s released in June/July. More details as we have them so watch this space!

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Whilst this isn’t a full ThinkPad X1 review, we give you all the goodness we have so far.

The ‘Art of Thin’ as it was branded really caught the attention of the serious travelling exec. The challenge was it was slightly underpowered. The new ThinkPad X1 is super slim, super light, and really does fix the power problem because Lenovo have squeezed  a  2^nd generation Sandy Bridge 2.5GHz Core i5-2520M Processor into the slim 21.5 mm, .85 inch chassis!

Bearing in mind that this is the same 2^nd generation processor that Lenovo have in the new ThinkPad X220, this is an amazing achievement.

We all crave ‘lightness’ when we travel but most of the time we get less power with less weight.

Lightest ThinkPad Ever

The X1 however, looks like it’s going to be a little demon. To take a quick look at the ThinkPad X1 specifications it has a 2.5GHz Core i5-2520M Processor with a 160GB Solid State Drive. The display is 13.3-inch at 1366 x 768 resolution with Corning Gorilla Glass screen with 350 nits of brightness, and at 21.5mm thick and at 3.8lbs this is going to be the thinnest and lightest ThinkPad ever.

Also in the specification we have gleaned from the Lenovo pdf, there is 8GB of RAM, an SDXC card reader (Secure Digital eXtended-Capacity), an LED backlit keyboard, USB 3.0 ports, and a built-in, sealed battery that lasts 3x longer than a typical notebook battery. The battery has Lenovo’s new RapidCharge technology that achieves an 80-percent charge in just 30 minutes. Now there is a first for a ThinkPad, an LED backlit keyboard!

From the looks of the images it looks like the keyboard is the outstanding island style keyboard that we have seen in the Edge range and come to love so much.

If the ThinkPad X1 is anything like the gorgeous IdeaPad U260, albeit in its ThinkPad guise, then this is going to be a real head turner. Lenovo really are taking the brand to a different level, without losing that iconic ThinkPad look. On top of all this of course we get the legendary, build quality and enterprise level global support that ThinkPad is renowned for.

ThinkPad X1 – New Battery Technology

Of course none of this is any good if we can’t work whilst we are toting our new X1 around so Lenovo has introduced a new battery technology for this super lightweight ThinkPad. The battery is a sealed unit like the MacBook Air, with a 5 hour claimed life but with the ability to recharge to an 80% capacity in 30 minutes.

So that means that even if your away from the office all day, a quick recharge to almost full will be possible at Starbucks, your flight gate, or meeting  venue! Charge and go!

We said at the start the this wasn’t a full ThinkPad X1 Review, but we are going to visit ‘Think’ world HQ  in Raleigh NC, over the coming weeks and hope to have hands (or at least ‘eyes’ on!) on the new ThinkPad X1 plus several other goodies including the new ThinkTablet.

ThinkPad X1 Price and Release Date

Price and release date? Well, a number of pundits are calling it for June/July in the US but we think it will be closer to the end of July. As for price, well, expect the ThinkPad X1 to start around $2500 we do believe. We’ll update you when we know more.

Watch this space (subscribe to our feed) and we’ll keep you up to date on all the ThinkPad X1 news and release dates as we get them. I don’t know about you, but this is one ThinkPad that’s on my want list!

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The ThinkTablet is fact, not fiction! Back in October last year (’10) we broke the rumour that a ThinkPadTablet may very well be in the final design stages. We knew then that an ‘enterprise’ level Tablet was definitely something that the boys in Raleigh were thinking long and hard about

During a conversation with Dilip Bhatia Executive Director, ThinkPad Product Marketing for Lenovo, we tried to squeeze confirmation out of him, but all Dilip would say at the time was that Lenovo was ‘thinking about it’. Well, as we know, with Lenovo, a statement like that is tantamount to an admission that they are at the design stage!

We had muted at the time that we thought the ThinkPad Slate or ‘ThinkTablet’ would be a Hybrid device like the then much vaunted Lenovo IdeaPad U1. That’s not to be. The Hybrid design is being reserved for Lenovo’s consumer IdeaPad brand

Talking to UK Tech Site V3.co.uk, product specialist William Cai, from Lenovo’s Idea Product group confirmed the launch of not 1, but 3 Lenovo Tablet and Tablet Hybrids over the coming months.

First off the blocks will be the Android based LePad, coming around May time, then the Windows 7 based IdeaPad S1 Slate in June, with the Win 7 Enterprise ThinkTablet arriving in September.

The LePad of course is the tablet from the reincarnated IdeaPad U1 Hybrid with Android Honeycomb instead of Lenovo’s own Linux Skylight that we saw at CES in January 2010.

Now, this is where it gets slightly confusing because of the naming conventions. So let’s see if we can clarify this for you. You will be able to buy the Android LePad as a standalone slate, and it’s been much improved over the one we had hands on at CES 2010 with a faster 1.3GHz Snapdragon processor and a 10.1” 1280 x 800 resolution multitouch capacitive screen.

To turn this into the full blown Hybrid, you can purchase the Windows 7 IdeaPad U1, with a base 1.2GHz Intel Core i5-540UM with the option of going up to an i7 processor. The latest version of the U1 has been fitted out with a very nice Island Style keyboard al la the ThinkPad Edge range.

So that’s that one, its LePad as a Tablet, and then it becomes the IdeaPad U1 when you clip it into the Windows 7 base. Nice. We can’t wait, and surely we can find an excuse to buy one for the office?

Where things get really intriguing is when you take a look at the IdeaPad S1 and the ThinkTablet. Windows 7 is very much more resource hungry than any Android platform, so to make these work, we need more processing power, more graphics grunt, and more memory. So what do we think Lenovo will slip inside either of these for our edification and delight?

Will it be the 1.6-GHz Intel Atom Menlow processor like the HP Slate 500? Maybe not, the Menlow architecture is only single core and really don’t see it having enough oomph to deliver a decent enough performance.  Could it be the AMD  Fusion E350 dual core ‘ZACATE’ processor  like the ThinkPad X120e or the HP Pavilion dm1z?

Nice thought. It’s got the power and the graphics capability without consuming too much power.

One thing’s for sure. The IdeaPad will be funky, appealing to the younger go ahead Exec and ProSumer, with a choice of either silver or orange, and the ThinkTablet will be black, or …. Black?

No, we are sure that the Big L will give us a ThinkTablet in Edge red as well! Personally I can’t wait to see the styling of the ThinkTablet, and see how the design team incorporates those iconic ThinkPad design elements that we all love.

We know that both the IdeaPad S1 and the new ThinkTablet will both include pen as well as finger input. What we would also like to see on the ThinkTablet, is plenty of power to run Windows 7 and run it well, 1080p video playback, HDMI out and USB, plus card slot and dual camera’s.

But here’s the real deal maker that will make the ThinkTablet stand out as a real enterprise level tablet and a market maker in the corporate sector, and that’s a decent expansion dock, with keyboard input, additional connectivity and storage options.

We will be visiting Lenovo ThinkCentre World head Quarters in Raleigh, North Carolina the first week in May ‘11, and we will be digging out as much information as much as we can. Watch this space.

One thing is for sure. The Tablet market is predicted to hit $75 Billion by 2015, and that is a huge paradigm and spending shift, and the post PC era is upon us. The LePad is fighting in a space that is difficult to define right now. The IdeaPad S1 and the ThinkTablet however could take a huge share of the prosumer, SMB and corporate markets if Lenovo gets this right. And we think there is a pretty good chance they will.

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The ThinkPad X120e is now available plus we have release dates for the ThinkPad T420, ThinkPad T520, the ThinkPad W520 and the ThinkPad L420 and L520 with the new Sandy Bridge architecture. Current ThinkPad X120e Specifications are listed below.

STOP PRESS: March 18th ’11 The ThinkPad T420 and ThinkPad T520 with Intel HD 3000 Integrated Graphics are now available on the Lenovo site. With the new Sandy Bridge Architecture with the 12EUs Graphics cores, the Intel 3000 HD Graphics option is going to do a great job of handling most business applications.

Visit Lenovo to configure your superb new ThinkPad T420 and T520

Our Lenovo insider informs us that the ThinkPad T420 and T520 will hit the site on Monday 21st March, with the ThinkPad W520 available on the following Monday 28th. Right now we believe that is a pretty good guestimate!

The ThinkPad L420 and ThinkPad L520 will probably be ‘released’ on the 21st March but the corporate channel will be getting the first allocation, so they may not hit the site for a couple of weeks. So if you do crave the greenest ThinkPad ever, hold tight, it wont be much longer!

2011 ThinkPad Release Dates

Here are the new 20011 Sandy Bridge ThinkPad Release dates as we have them right now. This is very much subject to change, we just hope by not much! ThinkPad T420 Release date Monday 21st March – ThinkPad T520 Release date Monday 21st March – ThinkPad L420 Release date Monday 21st March – ThinkPad L520 Release date Monday 21st March – ThinkPad W520 Release date Monday 21st March

We have had a lot of readers asking what we know about the new ThinkPad x220 and ThinkPad x220 Tablet release date and specifications. What we can say is that it is close. We have been told that but we are under NDA. What we can tell you is that the new ThinkPad X220 will be nearly 20% lighter, closer to 3lbs, with upto the 2nd Generation Sandy Bridge core i7 processor, hopefully we will get the Core i7 2657M Sandy Bridge mobile processor the ULV Core i7 2657M which with the Intel HD 3000 graphics is going to pack some real punch.

The Core i7 2657M is not due until next month so, we will have to wait and see.

Watch the ThinkPad promotional video which covers the new 2011 range and you’ll see some enticing snippets and clips of the ThinkPad X220 and the ThinkPad X220 Tablet. 23 Hours battery life any one!

2011 ThinkPad New Models Video Review

ThinkPad X120e Specifications

AMD Fusion E-240 1.5Ghz Processor to AMD Fusion 1.6Ghz E-350 Processor both with AMD Radeon HD 6310 Graphics – Windows 7 Home Premium 32 to Windows 7 Professional 64 – 11.6 HD AntiGlare Display with WWAN – 2 GB to 4GB PC3-10600 DDR3 1333MHz Memory – UltraNav with TrackPoint and TouchPad – 250GB 5400rpm Hard Disk Drive to 320 GB 7200rpm Hard Disk Drive – Low-light sensitive web Camera – 3 cell or 6 cell Li-Ion Battery – Optional Bluetooth – ThinkPad b/g/n – Upgradable to Integrated Mobile Broadband, Gobi 2000 3G with GPS Base Price right now is $399 fully loaded, around $784 which includes the Gobi Mobile broadband

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The new ThinkPad T520, ThinkPad T420 and ThinkPad X220 should be with us by the end of March with the new Sandy Bridge architecture, and boy do they look good. We did grill ThinkPad Engineers at CES and whilst they were keeping their cards close to their chest we are going to stick our necks out and go on record with the following ThinkPad T520, ThinkPad T420 and ThinkPad X220 predictions.

STOP PRESS: March 18th ’11 The ThinkPad T420 and ThinkPad T520 with Intel HD 3000 Integrated Graphics are now available on the Lenovo site. With the new Sandy Bridge Architecture with the 12EUs Graphics cores, the Intel 3000 HD Graphics option is going to be more than adequate for most business applications.

Visit Lenovo to configure your superb new ThinkPad T420 and T520

One thing is for sure, the new ThinkPads designated T420, T520 and X220, will feature Intel’s revolutionary new “Sandy Bridge” iCore processors, and seamless integration with NVIDOIA’s Optimus Technology.

We’ll examine the individual machines in later articles. For now, though, let’s take a peek at the broad enhancements that are coming for Lenovo’s latest high-end machines.

“Sandy Bridge” 2nd generation iCore Processors

Particularly exciting about this new batch of ThinkPads is the company’s use of Intel’s new iCore processors, which have been dubbed the “Sandy Bridge” series.

Five years in the making, these processors are intended for both mobile and desktop machines, and will provide vastly superior processing than the already staggering first-generation models.

Not only will the new iCore processors feature increased performance, but they will also include new dual-core integrated graphics cards that are more than capable of handling 3D graphics. That’s virtually unheard of in current models, so gamers, designers, and animators will really appreciate the changes.

Also notable with the new processors is the reinvigorated Turbo Boost that was so popular with the first-generation units. In fact, the company says that the new chips will be able to increase output to 37 percent above listed capacity for up to a minute. That’s exactly what you’ll need to make sure that you don’t suffer from lags or processer sputtering.

Both the ThinkPad T420 and T520 will feature the full line of iCore processors, topping out with the Core i7-2820QM, which features four cores, a stated capacity of 2.3GHz, but which could achieve bursts as high as 3.0GHz with the Turbo Boost technology.

The ThinkPad X220 will feature similar offerings in terms of processors, but, if current trends are any measure, will not likely include the quad-core processor option.

Lenovo Enhanced Experience 2.0 with Rapid Drive Technology

There is absolutely no doubt that you will be staggered by the boot times of the new ThinkPads. We saw Lenovo Enhanced User Experience 2.0 in action at CES and combined with Rapid Drive, it just blew us away!

Originally created as a workflow improvement for the first release of Windows 7, the Lenovo Enhanced User Experience has grown to include an array of tweaks to software and hardware integration that make ThinkPads the envy of the business laptop market.

The highlight of this generation’s suite of innovations is the Rapid Drive Technology, which creates blazingly fast startup times and incredibly nimble program interaction.

Some computer systems come outfitted with solid-state drives for the operating system and regular disc-drives for applications. This isn’t new. What’s striking about Lenovo’s technology is the way in which it incorporates dual drives which operate as a single unit, making data transfers and program use seamless and lightening fast.

ThinkPad NVIDIA Optimus Graphics

Should you want an additional discreet graphics card instead of the incredible ‘Sandy Bridge’ dual-core integrated graphics GPU, you’ll be staggered by the new ThinkPad T420 and ThinkPad T520 graphics capabilities.

Both the ThinkPad T420 and T520 will feature NVIDIA Optimus graphics cards as an option and that means that you’ll have truly high-end performance on demand. It also means that you’ll get seamless switching to less power-hungry modes when you are surfing the Web, checking e-mail, or conducting business that isn’t graphics-intensive. Your battery will love it.

The ThinkPad X220 we believe should be equipped with the Intel 3000HD integrated graphics chip, but that doesn’t mean that it will be the only option. In fact, judging by current offerings, it’s highly likely that more robust systems will be available here as well.

ThinkPad T520, ThinkPad T420 and ThinkPad X220 – Conclusion

Though there may not be much in terms of detail right now, what we do already know is cause for excitement. There’s sure to be much more detail to come so the ThinkPadToday rumor mill will keep you posted as soon as more information becomes available. Stay tuned and watch out for our pre-launch and extended ThinkPad T520, ThinkPad T420 and ThinkPad X220 Reviews coming soon!

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Win a ThinkPad T410 T420 valued at over $1000 in the ThinkPadToday ‘Win a ThinkPad‘ competition. Quick and simple to enter, just let us know who you are and tell us why you love ThinkPads. Stop Press: Updated to new model ThinkPad T420!

<– Get your ‘Win a ThinkPad‘ entry and then come back here and tell us why you love ThinkPads to qualify your entry.

To complete your entry just tell us in no less than 50 words in the comments box below why you like ThinkPad laptops and why you want to win the ThinkPad T410 T420. And don’t forget to tell us which ThinkPad you use or have used. Is it ThinkPad T510, a ThinkPad X60 or maybe a ThinkPad T61? Or maybe your using a venerable older ‘classic’ ThinkPad and still getting everyday use out of it? Let us know below and your in the draw to win a fabulous ThinkPad T410 T420!

To remain qualified as an entrant you must continue to be subscribed to the ‘Win a ThinkPad’ list for the duration of the contest.

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A ThinkPad Tablet Hybrid? Well, maybe! We had a fascinating tele conference on Monday 4th October with Dilip Bhatia who is executive director, ThinkPad Product Marketing for Lenovo. The purpose of the tele conference was to kick off the Lenovo 60 Million celebration and also to announce the launch of the new NVIDIA Optimus enabled ThinkPad T Series

What really struck us during our call was the absolute dedication and enthusiasm that Dilip has for the ThinkPad brand. Its great to know that ThinkPad is in such good hands.

Dilip told us that ThinkPad is now the Number 2 worldwide business brand in terms of sales and growth continues to be very strong. It was also interesting to hear that the ThinkPad defect free rate is now higher than 99%, a pretty impressive number!

We couldn’t help asking Dilip about Lenovo’s thoughts on a ThinkPad Tablet or Slate form factor. In the past Lenovo has emphatically denied that it will introduce a Think ‘Pad’. What we do know is that ThinkPad introduced the first real Slate or pure Tablet form factor computer. Up until recently however, they have emphatically denied any interest in producing a 2010 version

That however may be changing. “We are certainly looking at the possibility of a ThinkPad slate or pure tablet. Of course we do currently have the best enterprise convertible tablet in the form of the ThinkPad X201 Tablet. We are seeing iPad’s creep into the corporate space, and its something we are talking to our enterprise customers about.” says Dilip

He continued, “The slate or pad form factor seems to be all about the consumption of content, whereas the clamshell design is better suited to production of that content. We are looking at the usage model whether that would be mainly secondary or primary, but we are certainly now keeping our eye on things.”

Thanks Dilip, you will let us know first at ThinkPadToday won’t you?

If you look at Lenovo’s direction in China, they have just introduced the stunning LePhone smart phone, and are due to launch the LePad slate/tablet form factor in China around about the end of the year.

Our view is that the NetBook and sub 13″ Ultraportable sale’s will suffer under the onslaught of tablet pc’s hitting the market. And it goes back to what Dilip Bhatia was saying about the tablet as a content consumption device. People only really ever bought a NetBook like the Lenovo S10 as a means of consuming content.

Let’s face it, I don’t want to sit in a conference any more with my laptop on my knee, and I certainly don’t want to sit in the chair or bed in my hotel room struggling to keep one balanced!

Now, how about this for a killer ThinkPad? the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid is a stunning concept and one that needs to be launched and quickly. What we would really like to see is that technology applied to the ThinkPad X Series or coolest of all a ThinkPad Edge 13 Hybrid. So how about it Dilip?

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ThinkPad with NVIDIA Optimus. Lenovo introduced NVIDIA NVS 3100m Optimus Graphics today on the full range of ThinkPad T Series notebooks. The NVIDIA NVS 3100m Optimus Graphics system will be available on the ThinkPad T510, ThinkPad T410 and the ThinkPad T410s.

<– Learn More about the ThinkPad with Optimus Technology. The T Series is the first range of business notebooks to benefit from the Optimus automatic switching system that seamlessly moves between the dedicated graphics processor and the onboard integrated graphics chip, depending on the graphical demands of the application.

The real benefit as far as we as users are concerned is the nearly 1 hour extended battery life that Optimus achieves. Having NVIDIA NVS 3100m Optimus Graphics onboard completely eliminates the trade off between battery life and performance once and for all.

This literally means that you longer have to manually switch between integrated and discrete to reduce performance and save battery life.You can have extended battery life and great multimedia performance. ThinkPad laptops with Optimus achieve up to 33 percent longer battery life over discrete only or switchable models.

Pairing NVIDIA Optimus with the ThinkPad T Series is an innovative move for Lenovo and once again shows it’s commitment to keeping the brand at the forefront of business computing for mobile professionals. Take a look at the range of ThinkPad T Series notebooks with Optimus technology and decide for your self.

ThinkPad T Series – Optimus Video

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ThinkPad notebooks seem to be cleaning up all the Lab Test Awards over at PC World Magazine.

<— Learn more about the latest ThinkPad Coupon Codes

In an August line up of the Top 10 All Purpose laptops, Lenovo ThinkPad’s took 3 of the Top 10 slots with the ThinkPad W510 coming first with a workbench score of 118 and a rating of ‘Superior’, the ThinkPad T410 took the 4th slot with a workbench score of 108 and a rating of ‘Very Good’ and at 8 we have the ThinkPad T400s with a workbench score of 112 and a rating of ‘Superior’

In the July issue of PC World in the rankings of the Top 10 Desktop Replacement Laptops we have the Lenovo ThinkPad W701ds taking the Number 1 spot with a Workbe3nch score of 123 and a rating of ‘Superior’, while down at the number 6 slot we have the ThinkPad W700ds with a Workbench score of 98 and a rating of ‘Very Good’.

Whilst we are delighted that our favorite Laptop brand has featured so well in our favorite PC Magazine, the reviewers over at PC World sometimes leave us a little confused! Why is the ThinkPad W510 being lumped in with an ‘All Purpose’ laptop review?

This is a mobile workstation guys! And the ThinkPad T400s was superseded by the ThinkPad T410s back in January, a full 7 months before the rankings were published. Oh, and while we are on the subject, why is an Enterprise grade UltrPortabe like the ThinkPad T400s  in as an ‘All Purpose’ Laptop? We don’t get that one

We are happy the the Lenovo ThinkPad W Series has taken two slots in the July Desktop Replacement Rankings, we think however that the inclusion of the the ThinkPad W700ds will be a little confusing to readers because its no longer available on the Lenovo site. Maybe this is were the ThinkPad W510 should have been?

OH well, the great thing is there are lots of really superb offers across the whole ThinkPad range right now so you can take advantage of most of PC World’s recommendations,  so check the latest ThinkPad Coupon Codes and grab yourself a bargain!

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The Lenovo LePad Android Tablet looks like it could give it’s Tablet PC competitors a real run for the money as the form factor starts to take hold. With pundits praising them, journalists and tech gurus writing odes to them, and media companies heralding a new day, the Tablet PC could cause another computing paradigm shift and like NetBooks, change the way we think about how we access our information.

Tablet PCs are here to stay and they’re only going to get better. Lenovo is working to lead the way in the Tablet PC space and will soon release its LePad Android Tablet computer. If this is anywhere near as good as the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid we saw at CES in January Lenovo will have a winner on it’s hands

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), a global research firm based in Massachusetts, tablet computer sales are expected to grow by 60 percent in the next four years. Lenovo is leading the PC-pack in getting a solidly built and capable tablet to the market, so it’s likely to capitalize on these projections early on.

To be outfitted with an Android operating system, the new LePads will likely first be sold and marketed in China and other Asian and developing markets, thanks in large part to Apple’s notorious avoidance of those regions. Lenovo’s chairman, Liu Chuanzhi, recently said that he worried about Apple breaking into the Chinese tablet market, so the move is likely a step toward stemming that company’s current market dominance.

Lenovo generated much excitement with its recent announcement of the LePhone smartphone and the company recently said that it would commit nearly 20 percent of its entire resources toward the development of new and cutting-edge mobile devices. The recent news about the LePad’s release seems to back that up.

Some have wondered about the company’s ability to issue a tablet computer on such short notice, but they shouldn’t worry. Design and build details will likely come from the previously shelved Lenovo U1 Hybrid – a laptop which featured a removable and completely independent tablet display with a Snapdragon processor and the now obsolete Skylight operating system, which Lenovo dropped in favor of the more able and popular Android system.

The tablet will likely come in some form of the U1 Hybrid’s 10.1-inch removable display, and will probably be equipped with a beefier processor – the rumor mill is rife with speculation about a Qualcomm dual-core processor – and an NVIDIA Tegra 250 graphics card. That could be a strong performance combination.

There are no specifics about release dates, but many sources say that the LePad should see distribution by late 2010, potentially making it the hottest Christmas present in town.

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