Lenovo launched a new line of Yoga tablets that runs on Android Jelly Bean operating system. The Yoga tablet boasts of 3 user modes - Hold, Stand, or Tilt. The manufacturer claims the tablet's battery can last for up to 18 hours and the tablets will come in 8-inch and a 10-inch variants priced at $249 and $299, respectively. The new products hit the shelves on October 30.
The Yoga tablet models will be powered by MediaTek quad-core processors and have touchscreens with a resolution of 1,280x800 pixels. Both variants will have a 5MP main camera and a front-facing 1.6MP camera. In terms of storage, Lenovo will be offering the device with 16GB or 32GB flavors with an option to expand its capacity using a microSD. The tablets also have front-facing speakers enabled with Dolby audio.
The 10-inch variant of the Yoga Tablet comes with a Bluetooth Keyboard Cover that sells for $69. The 8-inch version has a standard tablet cover.
"Watching and discovering that people frequently use tablets in three main ways allowed us to break the mold on the current 'sea of sameness' designs, giving them a better way to read, browse, watch and interact with content. As consumers' continue to demand innovative multimode designs we're thrilled to have Ashton Kutcher on board with us to help further develop the immersive and complementary hardware and rich content experience," said Senior Vice President and President of Lenovo Business Group, Liu Jun, through a press statement.
According to Lenovo, its designers and engineers wanted to come up with a tablet that will stand out from the rest. They addressed several issues when using tablets such as user fatigue when holding a tablet, lack of self-supporting system to prop it on a flat surface, and lack of viewing angles.
The Lenovo Yoga Tablet features a cylindrical hinge/handle similar to the manufacturer's Yoga laptops. This design element paved the way for dual batteries similar to those used in laptops. The device can actually be used to charge other devices linked through micro-USB. The hinge/handle also serves as the key feature to give the tablet its three different modes.
The "Hold" mode just highlights the ergonomic design of the tablet that is said to be more comfortable to hold than other tablets in the market. It makes the grip similar to how users hold magazines that makes Internet browsing, social media updating, and reading very easy.
On the "Stand" mode, the cylinder is rotated to 90 degrees to make use of the built-in stand when resting the device on a tablet or any flat surface. The viewing angle can be adjusted between 110 degrees and 135 degrees making the device perfect for watching movies or placing video calls.
The "Tilt" mode allows users to lay down the Yoga Tablet on a surface while having a better angle to interact with the touch screen device for browsing or playing games.
The eight-inch tablet will be available exclusively on Best Buy and from Lenovo while the 10-inch variant will be sold at Lenovo, Newegg, Amazon, and BestBuy.
Meanwhile, Kutcher has been apppointed as a "product engineer" for the brand. The actor, who has an engineering degree from the University of Iowa and has invested in several tech startups, will contribute to the design process, specs, and software of future Lenovo products.
