Lenovo and Ashton Kutcher today unveiled the Lenovo Yoga Tablet. Unlike traditional tablets, it has the unique ability to be used in three different positions: Held, tilted or standing. One side of the tablet is ticker and described as an exclusive cylindrical handle. It is designed to make it easier to hold the tablet one-handed. It also conceals a kickstand that can be used to tilt or stand the tablet. In fact, the design is somewhat reminiscent of the Sony Xperia Tablet S (without the kickstand).
“Watching and discovering that people frequently use tablets in three main ways allowed us to break the mold on the current ‘sea of sameness’ designs, giving them a better way to read, browse, watch and interact with content,” said Liu Jun, senior vice president and president, Lenovo Business Group, Lenovo. “As consumers’ continue to demand innovative multimode designs we’re thrilled to have Ashton Kutcher on board with us to help further develop the immersive and complementary hardware and rich content experience.”
The Lenovo Yoga tablet will come in both 8 and 10-inch configurations with similar specifications:
- Processor: quad-core Cortex-A7
- Operating system: Google Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
- Cellular connectivity: Optional 3G
- Display: 8- or 10-inch WXGA (1280×800) HD IPS
- RAM: 1GB
- Internal storage: 16GB/32GB
- Rear-facing camera: 5MP
- Front-facing camera: 1.6MP
- Connectors: Micro-USB port
- Battery: Up to 18 hours of battery life
- Other: Front-facing speakers
An optional Bluetooth keyboard will also be available for the 10-inch model. It will also function as a cover and will wake up the tablet when it is removed.
As we reported this summer, Ashton Kutcher who made the announcement today signed a US$10 million deal to help the Chinese company build up its brand awareness across the world. They even made him an employee!
The Lenovo Yoga tablet will start at US$249 and US$299 for the 8- and 10-inch model respectively. Both will be available in the U.S. starting on October 30 with the 8-inch available at Best Buy and www.lenovo.com while the 10-inch model will be available via major retailers including Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Fry’s, Newegg.com and www.lenovo.com. The Lenovo Yoga 10 Bluetooth Keyboard Cover will sell for US$69.
Update: The Lenovo Yoga tablet is now listed on the Lenovo.ca site, suggesting we’ll see it here as well. No word though on availability dates and pricing.
Source : Lenovo