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And still the Android 3.0 tablets keep coming… Sony officially confirmed plans for its first two Honeycomb slates this morning, but Lenovo is also in the news for accidentally officially confirming its plans for a new Google-powered ThinkPad tablet.
While its name appears to be still under discussion — ThinkPad Tablet and Think Slate are both mentioned in the leaked PowerPoint document published by This Is My Next — the specs appear to be very much finalised. The device will have an Nvidia Tegra 2 processor inside, and will have a 10.1-inch screen with 1,280×800-pixel resolution.
There will be front and rear cameras, as is now standard for Android tablets, and a choice of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models. The leaked doc also highlights a ‘true pen’ feature for sketching and taking notes, indicating plans to follow HTC’s lead in making a stylus a key accessory for slates aimed at Joe Public (as opposed to pure business tablets, where styluses have been essential from the start).
The Lenovo device will have USB 2.0, MicroUSB and mini-HDMI ports and an SD card slot, along with a choice of 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. It looks as though Lenovo is keener to take on the BlackBerry PlayBook than the iPad 2, however: its tablet is slated (sorry) to target “on-the-go business professionals… And the IT Managers that support them”. Capitalising that ‘M’ in managers will at least appeal to their egos, we guess.
The ThinkPad Tablet will come with a (presumably optional) “keyboard portfolio case”, allowing you to tap out your emails on a proper physical keyboard. Remote desktop features will also be a selling point, giving you secure access to your home or work PC.
Could it be a contender? We’d still veer towards the less suit-focused devices, but Lenovo’s mooted tablet certainly has the specs to appeal to the professional crowd. Those IT Managers are likely to be the key to its success or failure.
