How would you change Lenovo’s IdeaTab S2109?

Posted on 30/09/2013 by Daniel Cooper

In stark contrast to its PC lineup, Lenovo's tablet offerings are often the wrong side of exciting. The IdeaTab S2109, for instance, arrived with little fanfare or enthusiasm, and little to make it stand out from the rest of the mid-range 10-inch tablet crowd. Unfortunately, the day-to-day experience was similarly underwhelming, thanks to its middling chip, short battery life and dodgy design decisions. So, instead, let's close our eyes and imagine what we'd have done if Lenovo had asked us to craft its next tablet. What would you do? Tell us in the comments below.

Filed under: Tablets, Lenovo

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Daily Roundup: Meizu MX3 hands-on, IFA 2013 preview, CBS / TWC end blackout, and more!

Posted on 02/09/2013 by David Fishman

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Lenovo IdeaTab A1000 review: how important is audio quality in a budget tablet?

Posted on 02/09/2013 by Melissa Grey

It's not easy being a 7-inch tablet these days. With relatively inexpensive devices like the ASUS MeMo Pad HD 7 and the refreshed Nexus 7 offering a whole lot of bang for your buck, budget tablet makers are facing stiffer competition than ever before. Lenovo hasn't had much luck thus far delivering mobile devices that impress and, indeed, the company's latest offering -- the 7-inch IdeaTab A1000 -- has its work cut out for it. With the 16GB model priced at $160 (currently on sale for $130), the petite IdeaTab prioritizes sound quality over its other functions, perhaps in the hopes that its above-average performance in that area will woo picky buyers. But does the A1000 have what it takes to compete in a crowded market? Read on to find out. %Gallery-slideshow73819%

Filed under: Tablets, Lenovo

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MediaTek unveils quad-core MT8125 processor for budget tablets

Posted on 29/05/2013 by Jon Fingas

MediaTek told us to only expect its tablet-focused SoC in the summer, but it's clearly something of a keener: we're already looking at the part today. The new MT8125 builds on the familiar formula of a quad-core Cortex-A7 processor and PowerVR Series5XT graphics, with most of the improvement coming from a higher 1.5GHz clock speed. That extra grunt helps the chip handle up to a 1,920 x 1,200 display on top of earlier support for 13MP cameras and 1080p videos. Focusing on tablets gives MediaTek some freedom in configurations, too -- it can offer the SoC with basic EDGE cellular data, full HSPA+ or WiFi alone. Customers won't have to wait long to try the MT8125 when tablets like Lenovo's IdeaTab S6000 series should be using it now, although there's no word on how much of that hardware will reach the US.

Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, Lenovo

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Source: MediaTek

How would you change Lenovo’s IdeaTab S2109?

Posted on 06/05/2013 by Daniel Cooper

When we reviewed Lenovo's IdeaTab S2109, one quote sums up the essential frustration of this particular device. "There's no one huge, glaring reason to stay away; no, it's the combination of a middling CPU, unimpressive battery life and design quirks [...] that adds up to an experience that leaves us wanting more." So let's talk about why this device inspires so much apathy? If you bought it, what about it made it so unspectacular, and what do you think Lenovo could have done differently?

Filed under: Tablets, Lenovo

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Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx review: a decent Windows 8 tablet, but not Lenovo’s best

Posted on 08/04/2013 by Sarah Silbert

If Windows 8 tablets with Intel's Clover Trail silicon under the hood were once a curiosity, well, they're certainly not novelties anymore. We've seen lower-powered hybrids from virtually every PC maker, providing a cheaper counterpoint to Core i5 and i7 systems, but still offering useful accessories like keyboard docks. In addition to one of our favorite Atom-powered slates, the ThinkPad Tablet 2, Lenovo is shilling the IdeaTab Lynx (also known as the IdeaTab K3011) for $549 and up. So how does this system stack up? Click through to find out.

Filed under: Tablets, Lenovo

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Lenovo IdeaTab A1000-F stops by the FCC

Posted on 25/03/2013 by Daniel Cooper

Lenovo's an old hand at this device-releasing lark, so it's no surprise to see the IdeaTab A1000-F hitting its mark at the FCC, just in time for the Q2 launch that was pencilled in back at MWC. The budget-flavored slate comes with a 1.2GHz dual-core chip, 16GB storage, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 LE. There's no word on pricing yet, but we imagine that even newly unemployed Julius Genachowski can afford to pick one up with his final week's salary.

Filed under: Tablets, Lenovo

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Source: FCC

Has Lenovo’s IdeaTab Lynx just been spotted on the FCC’s holodeck?

Posted on 29/11/2012 by Daniel Cooper

As you can see from the picture, somewhere, deep within the FCC's subterranean Washington bunker is a Holodeck. Down there, brave scientists seem to be examining a Lenovo-branded Windows tablet that shares some stylings with the company's Transformer-esque IdeaTab Lynx. Given that the holiday season is nearly upon us, and FCC certification is normally a sign of impending availability, perhaps we won't have long to wait before we learn the truth.

Filed under: Tablets

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Via: Wireless Goodness

Source: FCC

Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 review: a competent Transformer competitor running Android 4.0

Posted on 16/10/2012 by Joseph Volpe

DNP Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 review

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It's taken nearly half a year for Lenovo's transforming IdeaTab S2110 to go from CES reveal to retail shelves and it's arrived barely unchanged. But despite the initial fanfare, the company chose to slip this slate into the marketplace quietly, ahead even of its official launch at IFA. In that time, ASUS managed to announce and ship a new hybrid tablet of its own, the Transformer Pad TF300 -- a keyboard-optional rival offering the same 10-inch, 1,280 x 800 IPS display and Android 4.0 experience, along with a quad-core Tegra 3.

While Lenovo's offering may not come with four cores or an unskinned version of Ice Cream Sandwich, there is a very contemporary dual-core S4 inside, clocked at 1.5GHz and buffered by 1GB of RAM. Alongside that, the tab's also outfitted with a 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter and 5-megapixel rear camera capable of 1080p video capture. Other specs include radios for WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0, a battery rated for up to 10 hours of browsing (augmented to 20 hours when connected to the dock) and either 16GB or 32GB of built-in storage. At $430 for the base model alone, it's already positioned as a higher-priced alternative to the TF300. Add the dock and full storage, and you're looking at a cool $580. So, will this be a case of "too little, too late" for Lenovo? Can the S2110 lure undecided customers away from cheaper similarly specced offerings? Read on as we attempt to answer all that and more.

Gallery: Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 review

Continue reading Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 review: a competent Transformer competitor running Android 4.0

Filed under: Tablets, Lenovo

Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 review: a competent Transformer competitor running Android 4.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx: an 11.6-inch Windows 8 hybrid arriving in December for $600 and up

Posted on 09/10/2012 by Dana Wollman

With a couple exceptions, we hadn't heard much about Lenovo's Windows 8 plans until now. Okay, it teased the IdeaPad Yoga back at CES, and recently unveiled the business-friendly ThinkPad Tablet 2. But surely the company wasn't going to stop there, right? Hardly. Lenovo just announced the IdeaTab Lynx, an 11.6-inch laptop / tablet hybrid aimed at mainstream consumers. Like so many other products with this form factor, it runs a dual-core, Clovertrail-based Atom processor, paired with 2GB of RAM and either 32 or 64GB of solid-state storage, depending on the configuration you choose. Unsurprisingly, the detachable keyboard dock has a built-in 6,800mAh battery of its own, which promises to double the tablet's runtime from eight hours to 16. In this case, though, the machine benefits from Lenovo's keyboard know-how, so as small as the 1.45-pound dock is, it still offers an AccuType layout similar to what you'd find on Lenovo's bigger notebooks.

Detach the tablet from its dock and you have a 1.4-pound tablet that measures 9.45mm thick. That 11.6-inch, 400-nit screen is of IPS caliber, so the viewing angles should be decent if you attempt to use it outdoors or watch movies from an odd angle (say, with the screen dipped forward on an airplane tray). Poke around the device and you'll find micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports, along with a microSD slot for external storage. It also has a 2-megapixel webcam up front for video chatting, though interestingly, there's no camera module on the back side. The dock, meanwhile, adds two full-sized USB 2.0 ports. According to Lenovo, the Lynx will be available in December, starting at $600 for the standalone tablet. (The keyboard dock will be a $150 add-on.) Until then, we've got some early hands-on photos below, along with the usual spate of press shots.

Gallery: Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx hands-on