Lenovo preps ThinkPad Tablet 2 for Windows 8 launch



Lenovo has debuted its first tablet designed specifically for Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system. 


The ThinkPad Tablet 2 – which hits store shelves in October – boasts an 
optional digitizer/pen for precision input, 3G wireless, Mobile Access pay-as-you-go 4G plans and a fingerprint reader.

Powered by an (x86) Intel Atom processor, the Tablet 2 measures 9.8 mm thin, weighs less than 600 grams (1.3 pounds) and is equipped with a multi-finger touch 10.1-inch screen at 1,366 x 768 resolution.  



Additional features include a 10-hour battery, micro-HDMI output and 2MP/8MP cameras, as well as an optional keyboard and dock with three USB ports, HDMI-out and an Ethernet jack.



Pricing for the tablet remains unknown, but traditionally, x86 tablets, particularly those from Lenovo, haven’t exactly hovered at the lower-end of the market like Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire. So yes, you can expect to pay accordingly for the above-mentioned specs.

In addition to its second-gen ThinkPad tablet, Lenovo also rolled out its ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook. The slick device weighs in at less than three pounds, packs a 14-inch display in a 13-inch laptop design and boasts 8 hours of battery life along with optional 3G mobile broadband. 



Additional key specs include a backlit keyboard, a multi-gesture glass surface touchpad, an HD face-tracking camera, dual array microphones and Dolby-tuned audio. 



Pricing? According to Engadget, the $1,499 configuration offers up an 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 CPU and a 128GB SSD, while the $1,649 model includes the same processor but 256GB of solid-state storage.

The top-of-the-line configuration is loaded with a 2GHz Core i7 chipset for $1,849, while the entry level clocks in at 1.7GHz Core i5-3317U CPU with 4GB, a 128GB SSD and Intel’s HD integrated graphics for $1,399.