How much would you pay for a Windows tablet that you could actually call your PC?
Lenovo has just taken the tablet limelight away from Microsoft’s Windows Surface with their announcement of a Windows 8 tablet with an Intel mobile chip. That feature alone makes their new tablet a full-on Windows PC with a very small footprint. Lenovo named their new device the “ThinkPad Tablet 2.”
The Tablet 2 has a 10.1-inch screen that is 0.39 of an inch thick. The device is shockingly light at just 1.3 pounds. The Tablet 2 has mini HDMI and USB 2.0 ports, a microSD card slot and stereo speakers. Options include 3G/4G connectivity, an NFC (near-field communication) chip, a fingerprint reader and a keyboard dock.
This tablet’s most amazing feature is the Intel Clover Trail processor. Clover Trail is an Intel Atom system-on-a-chip (SoC) processor that is powerful, efficient and portable. It also doesn’t require cooling fans. This is not a Windows RT device, but a full-feature Windows PC that runs Windows 8 Pro, Microsoft Office, and all Windows 7 apps.
The unanswered question is price. Lenovo hasn’t given any hint at what they will charge for a full-featured Windows 8 tablet. It looks like we’ll need to get closer to its late October release when both Windows 8 and the Tablet 2 will hit the market in time for the holidays.
