Liliputing

  • Reviews
  • Deals
  • How To…
  • Mini PCs
  • Shop
  • About
    • About Liliputing
    • Contact us
    • Advertise on Liliputing
    • Support Liliputing
    • Privacy Policy

Hands on with Lenovo’s new tablet, smartbook, and hybrid device

01/05/2010 at 11:50 PM by Brad Linder 21 Comments

I got a chance to check out Lenovo’s new products at a press event this evening. And I have to say, there’s a lot to like (plus a few nits to pick).

First up, the most remarkable device Lenovo announced this week: The IdeaPad U1 Hybrid. This device actually consists of two different computers that play together very nicely. The screen is detachable from the keyboard, and behind the screen you have a Qualcomm Snapdragon ARM-based processor, the Skylight Linux operating system, 512MB of RAM and 16GB of flash storage. Plug it into the base station and you have a full QWERTY keyboard, a CULV processor, Windows 7, and significantly more memory and storage.

The U1 is just as impressive in person as it is on paper. The device Lenovo is showing off this week is just a prototype. It’s not expected to actually be available until this summer. But the computer seems to function equally well as a tablet or a notebook. And the tablet is incredibly thin and quite responsive.

The display supports multitouch gestures, and the Skylight OS is always running in the background, even when you’re using Windows 7. What that means is the two operating systems can communicated with each other. For instance, if you open a web page on the tablet and then plug it into the base station, the same web page will open, even though the tablet uses Firefox and in notebook mode the same page will open in Internet Explorer.

The only down side is that Lenovo expects to sell the U1 Hybrid for a whopping $999, which kind of banishes it from liliputer territory.

You can check out a video of the IdeaPad U1 in action after the break. I’ve also got more pictures and details for the Lenovo Skylight smartbook, ThinkPad X100e thin and light, IdeaPad S10-3t tablet-style netbook, and IdeaPad S10-3 next-generation standard netbook.

Lenovo was also showing off the Skylight Smartbook. A lot of people have pointed out that at $499, this 10 inch laptop is rather expensive for a machine with a low power processor that can’t run Windows. But it’s likely that the up-front price will be much lower than that once the notebook is subsidized and offered with a 3G data plan by a wireless broadband provider.

While the Skylight has the same display size as most netbooks on the market today, it’s seriously thin and light. It also has an enormous touchpad, although part of the size is due to the fact that the left and right buttons are integrated into the touchpad itself.

The Skylight runs the same custom Linux operating system used on the tablet portion of the IdeaPad U1. It includes an integrated 3G modem, even if you buy the unlocked version, which helps explain the $499 price tag. There’s a SIM card slot and an integrated USB flash drive for storing your data, although the OS runs from internal flash storage.

Next up, we have the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3. As the name would suggest, this is an incremental update to Lenovo’s last netbook, the IdeaPad S10-2. The new model features a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 Pine Trail processor and runs Windows 7 Starter. It also has a rather small touchpad with integrated buttons. It looks attractive enough, but I’ve had bad experiences with this type of touchpad in the past. I’ll try to reserve judgment until I’ve had a chance to review this laptop, but that touchpad worries me.

The S10-3 also has a new island-style keyboard, which I like. But it still has the Fn key located to the left of the Ctrl key, which could cause a moment’s confusion for anyone that’s not used to Lenovo keyboards.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t may have a similar name to the S10-3, but it’s a very different machine thanks to a touchscreen display that can be folded down over the keyboard for use in tablet mode. Here’s a brief video showing the transformation from netbook to tablet:

The S10-3t is also heavier and features a thicker plastic frame than the sleek-looking IdeaPad S10-3. But that’s to be expected in a relatively inexpensive tablet. The S10-3t is set to retail for $499, which is a high price for a netbook, but cheap for a tablet.

Last, we have the Lenovo ThinkPad X100e. This model is aimed at business customers, but there’s nothing stopping consumers from picking one up — especially since it has a starting price of just $449.

Some readers have complained that the 3 cell battery provides just 2 hours of run time, which does sound rather pathetic. But Lenovo says that the 6 cell battery is good for up to 5 hours, which ain’t bad. Unfortuntately the 6 cell battery option will add to the cost of this laptop. And the battery does stick out a bit.

You can find more hands-on pictures of each of these laptops below.









Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Email

Daily Deals (2-15-2019)

A few days ago I noted that the 2.2 pound Asus E203MA laptop with an 11.6 inch display, an Intel Celeron N4000 Gemini Lake processor, 4GB of RAM and … [Read More...]



Support Liliputing

Liliputing’s primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the “Shop” button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we’ll get a small commission).

But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you’re using an ad blocker and hate online shopping.

Contribute via PayPal

  • donate monthly
  • donate once only
Select a Donation Option (USD)

Enter Donation Amount (USD)

Subscribe via Patreon

Become a Patron!

21
Leave a Reply

Login with
Facebook Google Twitter WordPress Yahoo! Disqus Reddit Stackoverflow GitHub
avatar
This comment form collects your name, email address, and content to allow us to keep track of comments placed on this website. Please read our privacy policy for more details.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.
15 Comment threads
6 Thread replies
0 Followers
 
Most reacted comment
Hottest comment thread
11 Comment authors
uberjewaerowsninetyninecavgirlSpade Recent comment authors
avatar
This comment form collects your name, email address, and content to allow us to keep track of comments placed on this website. Please read our privacy policy for more details.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser cookies for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  Subscribe  
newest oldest most voted
Notify of
Nate
Guest
Nate
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

Dang, thought I had found the perfect replacement to my original S10 in the S10-3t, until I saw the super-glare-fingerprint-magnet screen they put on it, instead of using a nice matte screen like the original S10. 馃檨

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
9 years ago
JT
Guest
JT
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

Thanks for the videos Brad!

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
9 years ago
Michael
Guest
Michael
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

The Skylight Smartbook is the way to go. Why bother buying a 1.4KG machine when you can buy a machine half the weight?

Its expensive because it has a 3G modem built in. That is fair. Lenovo should come out with options ie ones without the 3G modem to reduce the price further.

Mozille Firefox works perfectly on Linux. OpenOffice also runs perfectly on Linux. So, who wants a Windows OS netbook anymore?

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
9 years ago
Netbook Downloads
Guest
Netbook Downloads
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

Oh wow!! This is what I was looking for.

I started http://www.smartbooktalk.com and I am going to put these information there.

Thank You. Man!!

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
9 years ago
BigGoofyGuy
Guest
BigGoofyGuy
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

I have a Yahoo Group on netbooks. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/netbookpc
I like to forward these types of articles to it.
It is not just netbooks but also smartbooks, UMPC’s and MID’s
(basicly anything small and portable 馃檪 ).

The hybrid might be expensive but it is like getting two computers; a tablet and a netbook in one device. 馃檪

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
9 years ago
trackback
Hands-On with the new Lenovo S10-3, S10-3t, U1 Hybrid and X100e | Netbook Review UK - Netbook Reviews, Compare Netbooks and Netbook News
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

[…] over at Liliputing, has been busy at CES 2010. 聽In this post, he details some hands-on experience with all the new Lenovo models at a Lenovo press event in Las […]

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
9 years ago
lccurtis1
Guest
lccurtis1
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

The virtual keyboard will be an issue for most.

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
9 years ago
Spade
Guest
Spade
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

I have a question regarding The IdeaPad U1 Hybrid. Is the data interchangeable between the Tablet & Netbook?

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
9 years ago
aerows
Guest
aerows
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

According to the Lenovo website, the x100e comes with the 6-cell and WWAN for $449. Maybe it costs more from somewhere else, but you can order it from Lenovo for $449 right now, if you are so inclined. Personally, I’m waiting to see what else comes out at CES with the AMD/HD3200 platform.

New tech is so exciting – the U1 Hybrid is also extremely cool. Pricey, but there is a lot to like about it.

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
9 years ago
trackback
Pinguins M贸veis » Blog Archive » Pinguins soltos
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

[…] do Mashable. J谩 as novidades da Lenovo, o U1 e o Skylight, continuam passando na m茫o da turma: Liliputing e Engadget (separadamente U1 e Skylight). A Marvell mostra o seu Armada 510 num netbook ODM […]

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
9 years ago
trackback
Lenovo ideaPad U1 hibrido entre tablet y netbook | Un Poco Geek
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

[…] Liliputing Posted 07/01/2010 by martin. Comments and trackbacks are open. Follow the comments feed. Filed […]

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
9 years ago

Follow Liliputing:

Facebook Twitter YouTube tumblr RSS Patreon

Latest News

Lilbits 350: TCL’s folding smartphone plans revealed (maybe)

If Chinese electronics company TCL may be better known in the US for its TVs … [Read More...]

Lilbits 349: The 5G smartphones are coming

Mobile World Congress is a little more than a week away, and we'll likely see … [Read More...]

Windows Subsystem for Linux update will let you access Linux file from Windows

One of the most surprising things about Windows 10 is that you have the option … [Read More...]

Featured articles

GPD MicroPC handheld computer preview

It's been a good couple of years for handheld computer enthusiasts. Companies … [Read More...]

Taihe Gemini portable 1080p touchscreen monitor preview

The Taihe Gemini portable monitor has made quite a splash since going up for … [Read More...]

Zotac Pico PI470 is a pocket-sized PC with Intel Amber Lake

Zotac's latest pocket-sized computer is the company's most powerful to date. … [Read More...]

Disclosure: Some links on this page are monetized by Skimlinks and Amazon's and eBay's affiliate programs.

Login

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2019 Liliputing 路 About Liliputing 路 Contact Us 路 Privacy Policy 路 Go to top of page

wpDiscuz
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.