The innovative laptop-tablet hybrid, the Lenovo U1 Hybrid IdeaPad, which detaches to become the standalone Android tablet, the LePad, is going to be launched in China shortly (by March), and will become available “worldwide” by June. No exact prices are available yet, and for now, only the expected tablet-only pricing in China is known, anywhere from $399 to $449. The LePad is not expected to cost more than $500 in other parts of the world.The currently Android Froyo (v2.2) tablet is expected to launch with Gingerbread (v3.0), and offers users a 10.1-inch screen, a 1.3GHz Snapdragon processor for the tablet, a 1.2GHz Intel Core i5-540UM processor for the U1 IdeaPad base, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage space.
You are probably wondering what worldwide means, and if the term encompasses India…Well, things are still a bit unsure, but Lenovo India’s MD, Amar Babu, has been kind enough to confirm it will arrive at some point this year, after critical volume sales have been achieved in China! So, while the form factor is certainly different from the iPad, the pricing and the India launch story seems to mirror it exactly!
