Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet

Pros

Full-sized USB 2.0 port. Optional 3G. Excellent, though optional, keyboard folio case and accurate stylus pen.

Cons

A bit chunky. Frequent app crashes in our tests. Occasionally unresponsive screen. Subpar battery life.

Bottom Line

The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet boasts excellent accessories that can transform the tablet into an on-the-go business machine. But short battery life and some stability issues make it a questionable choice for casual and corporate users alike.

Though tablets are growing more and more popular among mainstream consumers, they have yet to prove themselves as viable replacements for laptops when it comes to productivity. With the 10.1-inch ThinkPad Tablet ($499,16GB; $569, 32GB; $669, 64GB; direct), Lenovo puts forth a tablet aimed at business users, but it lacks reliability and performance that has made the company's ThinkPad line so successful in the corporate world. 

The most intriguing aspect of the ThinkPad Tablet is not the tablet itself, but its stylus and keyboard folio accessories, which cost an additional $140. There's some good design and functionality here including a full-size USB port, and an option to add 3G connectivity, but frustrating app crashes and some unresponsiveness hold this Lenovo tablet back.

Design and Accessories

Those fond of the classic yet staid ThinkPad aesthetic will appreciate this tablet, but much like its laptop counterparts, it lacks the slickness and wow factor of many of its competitors. And at 10.3 by 7.2 by .6 inches (HWD) and 1.6 pounds, the ThinkPad Tablet is chunky. The iPad 2 ($499, 4.5 stars) is nearly half as thick and shaves off 0.3 pound. The rear panel is covered in rubberized black plastic, typical of the ThinkPad moniker, making the tablet easy to grip. There are physical Orientation Lock, Browser, Back, and Home below the screen; as well as a plastic volume rocker and Power button along the top right corner. I found the physical buttons a bit redundant given the on screen navigation buttons, but they were also less susceptible to accidental presses than capacitive buttons included on other tablets. 

Below the physical navigation buttons, there's a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, a mini HDMI port, a micro USB port, and a proprietary dock connector. Next to those ports, hidden behind a plastic flap, is slot for a SIM card, as well as a 3-in-1 media card reader. The card reader can be used to expand the storage on the tablet using SD, SDHC, or MMC.

Lenovo also included a full sized USB port, which can directly access external hard drives. This is a nice feature that we've only seen in the Toshiba Thrive ($429, 3.5 stars), but it also adds to the tablet's heft. The bezel also houses a 2-megapixel front-facing camera on the top right corner, with a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera on the top left corner of the back.

For connectivity, you get 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, and there's that aforementioned SIM slot to add cellular connectivity. Lenovo says the tablet will work with AT&T and Sprint's 3G networks here in the U.S., and also supports global GSM roaming.

The 10.1-inch, 1280-by-800-pixel IPS display is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass, which is also used in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 ($499, 3.5 stars). Though both screens share the same glossy sheen, I found the Galaxy Tab's display brighter and colors were more vibrant. Viewing angles were comparable on both. The big problem with the ThinkPad Tablet's screen; it was occasionally unresponsive. I found myself tapping multiple times before input would register, and swiping through home screens and the lock screen was often delayed. This wasn't a huge deal, but it was frustrating to have to repeat gestures so often.

Lenovo offers two marquee accessories that really take the ThinkPad Tablet to the next level in terms of productivity. The first is the keyboard folio case, which connects via the full-sized USB port and can prop the tablet up for a laptop-like experience. The second is a ThinkPad branded stylus pen, which fits nicely into the top of the tablet. The keyboard folio case costs an additional $99.99 and the stylus adds another $39.99, but honestly, you want to use both of them to get the most out of your ThinkPad Tablet.

The optional keyboard appears small, but, like most ThinkPad keyboards, it's a pleasure to type on. There is some delay between typing and text appearing on screen, but it is still far better than the on-screen keyboard experience. I initially thought the keyboard also included a traditional ThinkPad TrackPoint nub, but was disappointed to find it is actually an optical trackpoint. It is more of a tiny touch pad that you wipe your finger across, rather than a nub you push in any direction to move the cursor. The folio case converts the tablet to a near-laptop form factor, but it is much more comfortable on a hard, flat surface; I had less luck using the Thinkpad in my lap. It also folds flat and serves as a carrying case, but full 1.25-inch-thick package is bulkier than many netbooks. The pen input works well, though there is a slight delay while writing. The handwriting recognition is accurate, especially considering my questionable penmanship. My one gripe is that pen-optimized apps, like the included Notes Mobile, recognizes touches from your hand while it moves across the screen, causing stray strokes. Pen input was generally responsive, though I did find tapping on icons often required multiple tries to register. Aside from Notes Mobile, there are a few available pen optimized apps, like SketchBook, that are useful for drawing quick sketches or diagrams.

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