14 DAY TRIAL // Showcased at various trade shows since January of this year, Lenovo's IdeaPad U1 hybrid tablet and netbook combo could finally see the light of day this autumn, as the device has just reached FCC through an approval filing.
Just as other hybrid designs, the IdeaPad U1 is comprised of a base, which features the keyboard, and a detachable 10.1-inch tablet that runs a custom version of the Android Honeycomb operating system, called LeOS by Lenovo.
However, when compared to its competitors, Lenovo has decided to go with a different approach for the base as this features an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor capable of running the fully-fledged version of the Windows 7 Home Premium OS.
The switch from notebook mode to tablet mode is nearly instantaneous and only requires for the user to unlatch the LePad slate from the base.
This is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.3GHz processor and it features a front-facing 2MP webcam as well as a 5MP rear-facing snapper.
Storage is provided thanks to a 32GB SSD and the capacitive multi-touch 10.1-inch display supports a resolution of 1280x800 pixels.
Other details regarding the configuration of the IdeaPad U1 were not disclosed, so we'll have to wait and see what other surprises this hybrid device has in store for us.
The unique design approach taken by Lenovo should deliver great flexibility to its users, and will most definitely be miles better that that of other hybrids like Asus’s Eee Pad Transformer.
According to the FCC approval filling, that was uncovered by Engadget, the tablet should become available in the US this fall, probably at the end of November. No other information regarding the IdeaPad U1 availability in other parts of the world was uncovered.