Friday
Sep162011
Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet Review
Friday, September 16, 2011 at 8:10AM
While everyone on the planet knows what an iPad is, even if they have never used one, Android tablets are a different story. Tell someone you have an android tablet and often you have to explain what you mean. While a iPad is a big iPhone, an Android tablet is a big Android phone.
Many companies have come out with Android tablets in the last year and none of them have taken off anywhere near the iPad but they are getting better all the time. The new Thinkpad Tablet is a business centered model from Lenovo. If your not familiar with Lenovo, they bought the Consumer PC division of IBM years ago and have kept up the same level of quality and design.
The Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet says its designed for business for a few reasons. Compared to "consumer" grade devices, a "business" grade device focuses more on power, features and durability and less on looking cool or sleek since its not being directed towards the mass market of consumers out there. The Lenovo tablet is a nice non-slip backing, gorilla glass and just feels solid. Its a more squared so its might not have that cool factor, but it gets the job done just fine.
First the tech specs...Its a Tegra 2 Dual Core 1GHz processor, 16/32 or 64 GIGs of RAM models, 10.1" Widescreen, 1.65lbs, up to 8 hours of battery life, Bluetooth, WiFi, 3g capable, light sensor, assisted GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer, 2mp front camera, 5mp rear camera and IPS technology which means its very easy to see the screen from any angle.
Picking it up, the first thing i noticed was the grip on the back of the tablet. It feels good and doesn't feel like it will slip out of your hands. It does feel a little heavy which to me makes it feel solid. Perhaps its an illusion since its a rectangle and does not taper at the edges. It has a full size SD card slot for expansion, a 3G card slot so you can add 3g cellular connection if you wish. A docking port, a mini USB connection for charging, headphone jack and full size USB port which allows you to connect a keyboard or other devices.
Lenovo has made some small modifications to the standard Android Honeycomb 3.1 software by adding some single navigation tools which you can easily customize and don't get in the way at all. The over all use of honeycomb is fast and snappy. Definitely comparable in speed to the iPad. I haven't used their external keyboard/case yet but when that arrives i will and post a review. These tablets are a few weeks old and still hard to get along with the Lenovo keyboard/case.
One of the best thing about Android tablets running Honeycomb is that in the browser you can use Desktop mode which gives you full websites just like on your desktop PC. No need to work on a mobile version of a website. While this may be a little slow in the browser at times depending on the complexity of the website your on, I think its worth it. And don't forget of course, it can run Flash! so your browsing experience on the web is almost as good as on your computer and definitely better than the iPad.
To some up i have to say i love this tablet. I recommend everything about it, except for two things, one minor, one not. First, when you turn it on, if you use a pattern log screen to unlock it, there is a 1-2 second delay before you can unlock the device. That may not be of any concern at all to most people, but i am always in a rush with technology, and when i press a button i want it to work now now now. But, i have gotten use to pausing for a whole second or so before trying to unlock it and then its fine. Secondly, battery life. While I have not conducted a battery life test, its rated at 8 hours but i say its more like 4-5 hours. That's not bad, but coming from an iPad i wish it was a little longer. I am pretty use to plugging my devices in when in the car or office to charge but i wish it was a bit longer.
I think this is a great device that i would recommend to clients (and will) and if your a Google person like me (GMail, Calendar, Docs) there is no better experience out there than using a Android Honeycomb device like the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet. Remember to check out the video review.
Many companies have come out with Android tablets in the last year and none of them have taken off anywhere near the iPad but they are getting better all the time. The new Thinkpad Tablet is a business centered model from Lenovo. If your not familiar with Lenovo, they bought the Consumer PC division of IBM years ago and have kept up the same level of quality and design.
The Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet says its designed for business for a few reasons. Compared to "consumer" grade devices, a "business" grade device focuses more on power, features and durability and less on looking cool or sleek since its not being directed towards the mass market of consumers out there. The Lenovo tablet is a nice non-slip backing, gorilla glass and just feels solid. Its a more squared so its might not have that cool factor, but it gets the job done just fine.
First the tech specs...Its a Tegra 2 Dual Core 1GHz processor, 16/32 or 64 GIGs of RAM models, 10.1" Widescreen, 1.65lbs, up to 8 hours of battery life, Bluetooth, WiFi, 3g capable, light sensor, assisted GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer, 2mp front camera, 5mp rear camera and IPS technology which means its very easy to see the screen from any angle.
Picking it up, the first thing i noticed was the grip on the back of the tablet. It feels good and doesn't feel like it will slip out of your hands. It does feel a little heavy which to me makes it feel solid. Perhaps its an illusion since its a rectangle and does not taper at the edges. It has a full size SD card slot for expansion, a 3G card slot so you can add 3g cellular connection if you wish. A docking port, a mini USB connection for charging, headphone jack and full size USB port which allows you to connect a keyboard or other devices.
Lenovo has made some small modifications to the standard Android Honeycomb 3.1 software by adding some single navigation tools which you can easily customize and don't get in the way at all. The over all use of honeycomb is fast and snappy. Definitely comparable in speed to the iPad. I haven't used their external keyboard/case yet but when that arrives i will and post a review. These tablets are a few weeks old and still hard to get along with the Lenovo keyboard/case.
One of the best thing about Android tablets running Honeycomb is that in the browser you can use Desktop mode which gives you full websites just like on your desktop PC. No need to work on a mobile version of a website. While this may be a little slow in the browser at times depending on the complexity of the website your on, I think its worth it. And don't forget of course, it can run Flash! so your browsing experience on the web is almost as good as on your computer and definitely better than the iPad.
To some up i have to say i love this tablet. I recommend everything about it, except for two things, one minor, one not. First, when you turn it on, if you use a pattern log screen to unlock it, there is a 1-2 second delay before you can unlock the device. That may not be of any concern at all to most people, but i am always in a rush with technology, and when i press a button i want it to work now now now. But, i have gotten use to pausing for a whole second or so before trying to unlock it and then its fine. Secondly, battery life. While I have not conducted a battery life test, its rated at 8 hours but i say its more like 4-5 hours. That's not bad, but coming from an iPad i wish it was a little longer. I am pretty use to plugging my devices in when in the car or office to charge but i wish it was a bit longer.
I think this is a great device that i would recommend to clients (and will) and if your a Google person like me (GMail, Calendar, Docs) there is no better experience out there than using a Android Honeycomb device like the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet. Remember to check out the video review.
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