Lenovo Launches IdeaPad U1 With Detachable LePad Device

Lenovo continues to flood CES 2011 with a series of products emphasizing mobile productivity and emerging segments of the PC market.

Lenovo on Wednesday introduced the IdeaPad U1 hybrid PC, which comes with a detachable LePad slate device. The 10.1-inch LePad weighs 2 pounds and is 0.5-inches thick. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU and includes up to eight hours of battery life.

The device emphasizes mobility with high-definition video viewing capability and front-facing camera. Like Apple's iPad, Lenovo's new tablet does not currently offer Flash support, but the company said in a statement that it plans to add Adobe Flash support in the future.

The IdeaPad U1 and its companion tablet offer access to applications from Google's Android platform as well as Windows 7 with its hybrid switch dual mode capability. The LePad is also capable of sliding into the base of the U1 in order to run enterprise applications on Windows 7 Home Premium, running on an Intel CULV processor.

’Our IdeaPad U1 and LePad truly fit today’s mobile lifestyle,’ said Liu Jun, senior vice president of Lenovo's Idea Product Group, in a statement. ’Use the light-weight slate when you’re mobile, and then simply slide it into the U1 base when you need to create and edit content. Consumers shouldn’t have to adapt their lifestyle to technology, and this product definitely delivers twice the functionality and fun in one device.’

Lenovo says it customized the design of the Android 2.2 OS for the LePad’s larger screen size with a four-pane interface and a service that offers mobile consumption of e-mail, news, and other content without the need for a browser or a password. Lenovo's LePhone handheld device already runs on the Android OS in China and customers who purchase the LePad will have access to Android apps developed in China aimed at the redesigned interface.

The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 notebook and LePad tablet will be available in China in the first quarter of 2011 for a starting price of approximately $1,300, while the LePad alone will start at approximately $520. However, Lenovo did not offer details regarding pricing and availability for customers inside the U.S.

Next: Other Products Lenovo Has Launched At CES

Also at CES, Lenovo on Tuesday unveiled a slew of IdeaPad notebooks targeting, as with the hybrid IdeaPad U1-LePad, the emerging mobile enterprise space by offering features that appeal to consumers as well as those that appeal to business users.

On Monday, Lenovo introduced its entry-level ThinkPad X120e notebook emphasizing battery life and mobility for the mobile workspace.

Alongside each of these systems, the company launched an optimization program featured in several of its new notebooks.

The Lenovo Enhanced Experience 2.0 features improved Windows start-up and shutdown performance, optional RapidDrive SSD technology, enhanced digital audio and HD graphics, as well as enterprise applications such as added security and Web conferencing.