Lenovo to launch IdeaTab A2105, A2107 and A2109 in September, pricing and spec sheets unknown

Usually, when we first hear about an unreleased smartphone or tablet that is “set to come soon”, it happens through leaks that unveil at least part of the gadget’s spec sheet, while leaving its official branding and ETA to mystery.
Lenovo has decided to break this “tradition”, however, and has made three of its future gadgets official, way ahead of their public release, without letting much slip about their spec sheets. The IdeaTab A2105, A2107 and A2109 form an intriguing tablet trio that will hit the market sometime in September. Let’s see what we know about each of these gadgets and why you should be interested in them.

Lenovo IdeaTab A2105

“Tablet, smartphone, all in.” That’s how the A2105 is advertised on Lenovo’s official website, and we have to say it’s not a bad way to get our attention. However, it’s unlikely that this will be another Padfone that you can easily turn from a phone to a tablet and the other way around.

 

Instead, we think that Lenovo has just found a clever way of marketing what we have come to call a “phablet”. The A2105 is set to sport a 5-inch touchscreen, and will come with a “stainless steel internal roll cage”, offline GPS navigation, “long battery life”, and dual SIM configuration. By the looks of it, the 5-incher might just be one of the first high-end dual SIM phones around, but the question is whether high-tech fans are interested in that particular function.

We don’t know how the A2105 will be technically equipped, but we do know that it will come with “up to Android 4.0”. Hopefully, the “up” is either a spelling error or a precautionary method, because we can’t even conceive seeing mid-range or high-end phones released in September 2012 with Gingerbread on board.

Lenovo IdeaTab A2107

The “affordable palm size entertainment” device will sport a 7-inch touchscreen, will have 3G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, as well as Android 4.0 ICS, and offline GPS navigation. Based on the tablet’s name, but also on the official pic published on Lenovo’s website, there’s a good chance this will be the global version of the recently released China-bound LePad A2107.

 

The LePad came with a single-core 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, a 3,550 mAh battery, dual 3 MP/2 MP cameras, and a microSD card slot. In addition to all that, the Chinese 7-incher had dual-SIM support, but there’s a good shot the global IdeaTab A2107 will lack that particular feature.

Lenovo IdeaTab A2109

 

The last device of Lenovo’s trio is not the high-end flagship you would expect, but rather advertises to bring “full size fun on a small budget”. The A2109 will be a rather bizarre 9-incher with an HD 1280 x 800 pixels resolution display. Other known features include the running of Android 4.0 ICS, dual 3MP/1.3 MP cameras, and an aluminum shell that could make this quite the elegant gadget.
It’s hard to make any predictions without knowing the tab’s other tech specs, but there’s a chance this might actually prove to be an attractive device (provided it comes at the right price).
So, what do you think? Will you be looking for any one of these three tablets when they are up for sale?

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Lenovo Ideatab S2109A Unboxing [video]

Lenovo was missing from the Android tablet scene for a while, before announcing the Ideatab S2109A back in April. Announced as a 9.7″ slate for the budget-conscious, this tablet promised to provide the perfect mix of performance and affordability. Unfortunately, the release was a little too late, with the Nexus 7 skewing the concepts of “specifications vs price” a bit, and now the $350 price tag seems a little steep.
Today, we bring to you the unboxing and a quick overview of the Lenovo Ideatab S2109A. What does $350 get you? Let’s take a look!

Specifications

• 9.7″ HD IPS display
• 1024×768 resolution
• 1Ghz dual-core TI OMAP 4430 processor
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB internal storage, expandable via miniSD
• 1.3 MP front camera, no rear camera
• SRS TruMedia audio enhancement
• Android 4.0 ICS

Unboxing

The tablet arrives in a simple and elegant box with a cool contour design and a burst of orange on the back. Of course, the packaging isn’t as important as what’s inside, but it’s still nice to see manufacturers put in a little effort towards a good first impression. Another “issue” that I never really thought about before is the difficulty to open a box, as seen with the Nexus 7. Needless to say, it was easy to open the box of the Ideatab.
In the box you’ll find:

• Lenovo silicone soft case with cutouts for the speakers and ports
• QuickStart guide and Instruction Manual
• USB adapter cable
• AC charger
• And of course, the Lenovo Ideatab tablet

The tablet comes with “standard” fare, apart from the silicone case, which is a nice addition. Each item is individually packaged, which gives a nice, clean appearance, but can get a little tedious.
Let’s move on to the star of the show, the Lenovo Ideatab S2109A tablet!

First Impressions

 

The Ideatab is another well-designed tablet, with a sleek and curved unibody form factor. At only 8.9mm thick and light, the tablet, despite its large size, is very easy to hold and carry around. The back features only the Lenovo branding and the SRS speakers, as there is no rear camera available. The device also comes with multiple connectivity and memory expansion options including a microUSB, micro-HDMI port, and a mini-SD card slot.
You are greeted with the Android 4.0 lock screen when you power on the tablet. Lenovo has chosen to provide as close to a stock Android experience as possible, and while there are custom icon themes, there is no manufacturer UI overlay (such as HTC Sense and Samsung TouchWiz). Because of this, the tablet is bloatware free, with additional pre-installed apps included being AccuWeather, Zinio, Need for Speed: Shift, Sugarsync, Printershare, and the Lenovo App Shop.
The tablet, which is running Android 4.0.4, provides the basic Android experience, and looks to be running smoothly, with quick transitions and a glitch-free touch response.

Video

Check out Clayton’s video of the unboxing and quick overview of the Lenovo Ideatab S2109A tablet here:

Conclusion

The Lenovo Ideatab S2109A would have been a great budget-friendly tablet only a month back. But we’ll now have to wait and see how other manufacturers react to the release of the Nexus 7. Of course, for anyone looking for an affordable 9.7″ slate, the Lenovo Ideatab is still a very good choice.
Stay tuned for our full in-depth review of the Lenovo Ideatab S2109A!
What are your thoughts? Do you think the Lenovo Ideatab is a good option against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1? What are your first impressions about the Lenovo 9.7″ slate? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Lenovo introduces LePad A2107, the world’s first dual-SIM tablet

In a tech world where pretty much everything has been done at least once, it’s very difficult to truly innovate.
However, while most manufacturers are simply doing their best to come up with the thinnest gadgets (0.000001 inch slimmer!) or the ones with the crispest screens, Lenovo has unveiled a tablet with at least one truly original feature.
The LePad A2107, the company’s newest 7-inch Android-based tablet, is the world’s first ever such device to come with dual-SIM support. It’s true, the rest of the tech specs are unimpressive (to be kind), but the A2107 still has a shot at popularity, at least in China.
Sporting a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution, the new LePad will allow you to use two different mobile broadband networks, without switching SIM cards. And while we obviously hope that the 7-incher will come with dual stand-by, therefore letting you use both cards simultaneously, Lenovo hasn’t announced anything official on this front just yet.
The A2107 will be powered by a rather disappointing single-core 1 GHz MTK6575 processor, but will come with 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of on-board memory, and a 3,550 mAh battery, which is pretty nice for what looks like a low-range tablet by many standards.

 

The rest of the known features include a 3 MP rear-facing shooter, a 2 MP front-facing camera, a microSD card slot, WiFi and 3G connectivity. The tablet will be running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, so you shouldn’t have much to complain on software grounds, while in terms of design, the A2107 is elegant, but surely not groundbreaking in any way.
Weighing in at 400 grams (14.1 ounces) and measuring 11.5 mm (0.45 inches) in thickness, Lenovo’s Le Pad A2107 is not exactly the thinnest or lightest 7-incher around, but it’s not the bulkiest or heaviest either.
The A2107 is set to start selling in China on June 18, which is just three days away, but Lenovo is keeping quiet on the price front. We also don’t know if we should expect to see the 7-incher outside China release in the near future, but our guess it will hit at least Europe soon enough. The Le Pad A2107 will probably not be coming to the US, though, as tech users around this part of the world are not into dual-SIM gadgets.
What do you folks think of this new (relatively) innovative tablet from Lenovo? Would you ever consider buying it? What would be a fair price to ask for it? Drop us a comment below and let us know.

Source: http://www.androidauthority.com/lenovo-lepad-a2107-dual-sim-tablet-china-release-date-95183/

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U.S. Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet Ice Cream Sandwich update rolling out now

U.S. Lenovo tablet owners will be happy to hear that their ThinkPad Tablet Ice Cream Sandwich update is finally here. After the company released the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the international versions of the device, it’s now time to meet the Android 4 needs of the North American public.
According to The Verge, the Thinkpad Tablet Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade has been available since Monday, but in case you haven’t received a notification for your over-the-air update yet you can always try to set it off manually.
Here are some of the features that Android 4 will bring to your ThinkPad tablet:

• Refined, Evolved User Interface
• Multitasking
• Improved Notifications
• Home Screen Folders and Favorites Tray
• Resizable Widgets
• New Lock Screen Actions
• Swipe To Dismiss Notifications, Tasks and Browser Tabs
• Improved Text Input and Spell Checking
• Powerful Voice Input Engine
• Control Over Network Data
• New Accessibility Options
• New People App
• Unified Calendar, Visual Voicemail
• New Camera capabiltiies
• Redesigned Gallery App With Photo Editor
• Live Effects For Video
• Sharing With Screenshots
• Google Chrome Boomarks
• Improved Email
• Android Beam For NFC-based Sharing
• Face Unlock
• Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth HDP
• A Unified Developer Framework

Have you updated your ThinkPad Tablet yet?

Source: http://www.androidauthority.com/u-s-lenovo-thinkpad-tablet-ice-cream-sandwich-update-97798/

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