Lenovo enters the Indian tablet market with Ideapad K1, A1 and ThinkPad tablets

For a long time, we have been hearing about computers giant Lenovo’s plans to venture into the tablet market with not one but three different tablets. Lenovo has just launched the Idea K1, A1 and the ThinkPad tablets in India. All three tablets are designed keeping different consumer groups in mind.

The tablets also come in different version and rates:

Ideapad A1

-    16 GB Wi-Fi only model @ Rs. 14,990.

Ideapad K1
-    32 GB Wi-Fi only @ Rs. 29,500    
-    32 GB Wi-Fi + 3G @ Rs. 33,990

ThinkPad

-    16 GB Wi-Fi only@ Rs. 29,500
-    32 GB Wi-Fi + 3G@ Rs. 41,900
-    64 GB Wi-Fi + 3G@ Rs. 46,900

The Ideapad K1 is designed to compete with tablets like the Motorola Xoom and Blackberry Playbook. It will come with a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800pixel HD touchscreen along with the Android Honeycomb OS. It runs on a 1 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and 1 GB RAM. It also includes a 5-megapixel primary camera and a 2-megapoixel front-facing one for video chatting.

It comes preloaded with apps like Need for Speed, mSpot movies etc. It will also come with a MicroSD port and a  mini HDMI port that connects it to an HDTV. In addition to that, the Ideapad K1 comes with 32 GB memory, which can be expanded, to 64 GB using a 32 GB MicroSD card.

Lenovo has asserted that the tablet would have up to 10 hrs. of battery life. The K1 would come in varied hues of white, black and red. The company is planning to offer 10 GB Cloud storage to the users of K1.

The ThinkPad is basically an advanced tablet designed keeping business users in mind.   The ThinkPad is 10.1-inch tablet with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution TFT LCD screen that is designed to be sensitive to the use of the digital pen available with the tablet. It basically shares many features with the IdeaPad K1 such as a Honeycomb OS and a 1 GHz processor and has some more. It comes in 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB models, which do not provide external MicroSD support. 

Like the K1, the ThinkPad offers a 5-megapixel primary and a 2-megapixel secondary camera.

But the USP of the ThinkPad is secure email access and Cisco VPN control service device security with active directory password and encrypted user data, which has become a necessity for businesses nowadays. The company has claimed that the ThinkPad’s 3250-mAh battery would provide up to 9 hrs. of battery life. The ThinkPad is also available with an optional keyboard folio, which makes it even more easier to use.

The A1 is designed to be more of an affordable tablet. It is a 7-inch 1024 x 600 pixel touchscreen with Android Gingerbread OS and a 1 GHz processor. Unlike the other two, it comes with only Wi-Fi and 521 MB RAM. It is endowed with a 3-megapixel primary camera and 0.3-megapixel front-facing one.  

The A1 comes with 16 GB memory that can be expanded to 64 GB using a MicroSD card. It comes with a gokeyboard app and other apps like social touch and quick launcher.

The thing that makes me wonder with Lenovo’s new range of tablets is the market it is aiming that. Its tablets are definitely the  affordable Aakash Tab or the high-featured iPad. So what’s Lenovo’s vision with these tablets. Will they be able to stand in a dynamic, already expanding Indian tablet market?

That remains to be seen.