Lenovo launches tablet portfolio, eyes enterprise with ThinkPad Tablet

Lenovo made its tablet move with two Android devices, including one that's aimed at the enterprise and its core ThinkPad customers.

The company, which is one of the few PC vendors posting strong growth, is entering three devices into the tablet race. Two tablets will run on Nvidia's Tegra 2 processor and Android. Another will run Windows 7 and Intel.

• A consumer-focused IdeaPad Tablet K-1. This tablet will start at $449 for a $16GB version, feature Android 3.1 and be the first to be certified to deliver Netflix streaming. The K-1 comes with a bundle of apps so it works out of the box and has Lenovo specific touches for social networking in the user interface. The device weighs in at 1.65 pounds and resembles Acer's Iconia. A 32GB K1 is $499 and available in August.

• The ThinkPad tablet is clearly aimed at the enterprise and offers support packages as well as VPN support. Lenovo executives said that the ThinkPad Tablet is set up so IT managers won't have to sweat accessories and integration points with other devices. The ThinkPad Tablet has full-sized USB and SD card ports. Email support comes via Good Technology files can be swapped with Windows 7 PCs easily. Enterprises can also distribute company developed apps easily via custom app stores. The ThinkPad Tablet will be $499 without a digitizer pen and $529 with it. Preorders start July 20 with availability in August.

• A Windows 7 IdeaPad that will be available in the fourth quarter. This tablet will include Intel processors and aims to meld the laptop and tablet experience.

Of those three aforementioned devices, the most interesting one is the ThinkPad Tablet. The K-1 seems a bit me-too even though 40 preloaded apps are a nice perk. As for the ThinkPad Tablet, Lenovo has a good shot at the wide open corporate market. Despite the consumerization movement, which has given Apple a nice lead with the iPad, many organizations will still buy tablets for employees.

These corporations happen to be used to buying from the likes of Lenovo, Research in Motion and HP. Dilip Bhatia, vice president of Lenovo's Think product group, said that the ThinkPad Tablet was designed with customer input. These customers wanted a tablet that didn't require new cables and easily connected to their PC infrastructure.

Here's a look at the ThinkPad Tablet specs:

Related: Can Lenovo be a tablet player? You bet via the ThinkPad brand