Lenovo’s IdeaPAd K1 is quite an impressive machine but, unfortunately, it isn’t yet available for sale in the United States. That means you have to go through some serious back channels to get your hands on one of these little 10.1 inch machines—or wait. That’s right, it looks as though Lenovo is actively seeking permission to sell the IdeadPad K1 in the United States. In fact, the machine has been submitted to the FCC and is currently awaiting approval!
The market is flooded with tablets but most of them are running the Mac IOS or some less-than-stellar version of Android’s operating system. The IdeaPad is a Honeycomb table with a built-in Tegra 2 processor—which means it’s fast and versatile.
But what else will you get for your money when the tablet goes stateside?
How about 32GB of storage (which is still not accessible or upgradable) and a dual-camera setup with a 5 megapixel shooter in the rear and a 2 megapixel baby in the front? If that’s not enough for you, there’s also a microSD card slot for expansion! (at least one company understands that tablet users want more storage!)
You’ll also notice a handy HDMI out which is great for porting and high-quality video you’ve got stored on your device if the 10 inch screen just isn’t big enough for you. However, with a 1280 x 800 display, you can squeeze plenty of quality out of those ten inches.
There’s also a SIM card slot but no word on how (or by whom) the slot can be used.
But the software package is just as impressive as the hardware specs. Lenovo actually took the time to craft a custom Android interface to mesh with Honeycomb rather than just use a generic third party user interface. That’s a nice touch. Also, the IdeaPad K1 comes pre-loaded with a handful of really great software including Netflix (just in case you didn’t already have a gaming console, TV, or PC that was capable of accessing the video-on-demand service.)
But hardware and software don’t really mean a thing it the design is flawed. Thankfully, the folks at Lenovo had created a tablet that is familiar enough in its feel and shape to be comfortable in hand (and comfortable to use) but different enough not to be confused with one of the heavy-hitters already on the market.
Considering there’s no official word on a stateside release date, it’s no big surprise that nobody has a concrete price on this machine. While the Lenovo IdeaPad K1 did have a listing on Buy.com, that listing has since been pulled (but will probably reappear in the very near future) for unspecified reasons. Similar story at Krex Computers as well. However, while those listings were active, there was a $510 price tag up for a while—though there’s no telling how accurate that was.
If that is the correct launch price, it will place the Lenovo IdeaPad K1 squarely in line with competitors (maybe even cheaper than some lesser-qualified iPad opponents).
I suspect that, with the inclusion of a SIM card, the IdeaPad K1 may find its way into the arms of one of the big 3 cellular providers in the states—which is a good and a bad thing. The good is the fact that contract subsidies would (probably) drastically reduce the sticker price. The bad is that there’s a contract and it probably would be exclusive (at least for a while) to one service provider. (As you can tell, I’m not a big fan of US cellular companies.)
While it would be nice to have another tablet out there competing with the likes of the iPad (sorry, HP, your TouchPad doesn’t really cut the mustard), the true capabilities and limitations of the IdeaPad have yet to be learned.
It does have Honeycomb on its side and there’s no faulting the physical design of the machine but is it powerful enough, fast enough, and hip enough to truly be a contender. I reserve my judgment.
If you’d like to learn more about the Lenovo IdeaPad K1 Honeycomb tablet, keep your eyes peeled on your favorite retailer’s website or keep checking back with the official Lenovo website.
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