More cheap tablets: Lenovo launches $199 Android device

Lenovo execs surely noted with pleasure the swiftness with which HP's discounted TouchPad has sold, proving that, for a low-enough price, consumers are willing to look past the Apple iPad. (Unfiltered: Is HP's goodwill run of more TouchPads a move to bump WebOS numbers?)

Lenovo today unveiled its newest and lowest-priced tablet for consumers, the 7-inch IdeaPad Tablet A1. The A1, which will begin at the end of September, runs Android 2.3 and will feature a starting price of $199.

"We think many consumers are looking for a more affordable solution," Michael Littler, with Lenovo consumer marketing, told members of the media during a Webcast this week, introducing what he called a tablet full of "surprises."

The most notable of these is what Lenovo calls "offline GPS." The A1, which is generally intended to be a complementary device — something to engage with on the couch while watching TV — has a satellite connection, so it doesn't need to rely on WiFi or cellular connectivity.

A 3G version of the tablet, however, will include an Ericsson HSPA+ broadband module, offering download speeds up to 21Mbps and upload of 5.8Mbps — the fastest speeds on a tablet, according to Ericsson.

The A1 also features GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity; a 7-inch, LED IPS two-finger capacitive multi-touch display; a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor; Web and music access; front and back cameras; a magnesium-alloy roll cage to help protect it during drops; seven hours of battery life; microSD and Mini USB ports; a weight of 14 ounces and a thickness of less than half an inch; and, according to Lenovo: "More app fun than any other tablet on the market."

That app fun comes thanks to access to two app markets — the Android Market and the Lenovo App Shop — and Lenovo's decision to go with the Gingerbread instead of Honeycomb, which it's essentially skipping over. For its next generation of products, Google's "Ice Cream Sandwich" will be the focus.

At just $199, Lenovo expects to pique the interest of students, younger users and families.

"We're really looking at the lower-priced band," Nick Reynolds, executive director of global marketing, reiterated during the Webcast. "There's a big demand for a lower-priced device that's highly functional. This is a very accessible price point, so we think in emerging markets it will be many first-time users' dive into the tablet market."

Lenovo, which in a faltering PC market has managed to enjoy 18.2% year-over-year growth in its consumer notebook segment and nearly 24% growth in its overall consumer business, also launched three notebooks, U300 and U400 laptops and, perhaps most appealing, despite the annoyingness of its duplicate name, the IdeaPad U300 Ultrabook. Lenovo is describing it —in a line that can only be properly delivered with a British accent as crisp as Littler's — as "haute couture with a technological twist."

Beyond aggressive attention to the Ultrabook's aesthetic details (to good effect), it features Lenovo 2nd-Gen Core processors, a possible boot-up time under 10 seconds — a feat Lenovo attributes not only to SSD technology but "hundreds of bios and software enhancements" — and improvements to how heat is managed within the device. A "breathable keyboard" alleviates the need for vents on the bottom of the device, meaning it can be used for hours in bed or on a pillow without overheating. It's "pillow proof," in Lenovo parlance. While not exclusive to Lenovo, the Ultrabook is for now the only product on the market to feature the keyboard.

The Lenovo IdeaPad U300 will likely draw comparisons to the Apple MacBook Air, or at least its MacBook Pro. But with the A1 tablet, in a crowded Android market, Lenovo is surely hoping the comparisons will be more to the iPad's sales figures than its physique.