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Lenovo unveils three new Android tablets
Good news, if you’re in the market for tablets, it looks like Lenovo has just unveiled three new ones that you may choose from! They are the IdeaPad K1, ThinkPad and the IdeaPad P1. The first two tablets should see a release in August while the P1 still has an unspecified release date, although it should be out sometime later this year.
The ThinkPad will be Lenovo’s tablet aimed at the business user in mind, and it will feature a stylus, but unfortunately the stylus will cost $30. If you think about it, compared to the HTC Flyer’s $80 stylus, it is a lot cheaper. It will also feature a dual-core processor, front and back-facing cameras and includes a number of connectivity options, such as HDMI output, USB 2.0 port, micro USB port, SIM card slot, 3-in-1 memory card reader. It will be available first in WiFi only, with the 3G version following later, although no word on which carrier will be the one carrying it.
The IdeaPad K1 is a typical run-of-the-mill consumer tablet, sporting a dual-core 1-GHz Nvidia Tegra-2 processor backed by a full gig of RAM with a 10.1-inch display. More or less the same specs found on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, but with a price tag of $500 for the 32GB, it appears to cost as much as the iPad 2.
Last but not least is the IdeaPad P1. Featuring 1.5-GHz Intel processor, it can also support up to 2 GB of DDR2 memory, and will come in both Wi-Fi and 3G versions when it is released, which might explain why Lenovo is releasing it at a later date. It will also support the same stylus that can be bought to accompany the ThinkPad.
The Fairphone 2 was first unveiled in June earlier this year, where this particular handset carried a modular design while featuring majority of its components that have been sourced from conflict-free mines. It seems that this particular handset that you can purchase with a clear conscience has begun to ship to those who happen to live across Europe.
Fairphone announced in a blog post, “It’s been almost two years in the making, and some of the earliest buyers have been patiently waiting since July to receive their new phones. As community manager, I want to personally welcome the new batch of Fairphone owners to our community.” The initial 1,000 units are tipped to ship this month, before the other pre-orders follow in January 2016.
In terms of hardware specifications, the Fairphone 2 will run on a Snapdragon 801 chipset, has a 5″ 1080p screen with Gorilla Glass 3 protection, 2GB of RAM, an 8MP camera, with Android 5.1 Lollipop in tow. It will be a dual SIM capable handset with a microSD memory card slot and plays nice with 4G LTE networks, retailing for approximately €525 a pop.
It looks like the upcoming flagship model from Xiaomi will feature NFC support, at least based on a document that was released by China UnionPay. Just in case you are scratching your head and wondering who China UnionPay is, they happen to be the only domestic payment gateway supplier and card organization, and hence, to see them offer detailed support concerning the newly released NFC-based payment system points to the very real possibility of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 5 featuring NFC capability.
After all, the Xiaomi Mi 3 was also mentioned on the list, which so happens to feature NFC, and there is no mention of the Xiaomi Mi 4 which does not come with NFC. Still, such a new payment system would be the ideal tool to see the reintroduction of NFC to the flagship model.
OnePlus did make an announcement in the previous month that the Ceramic variant of the OnePlus X will be released on November 24. True to their word, they did exactly that – although only a pitiful number of units were made available, and not only that, this was through a charity auction. Thankfully for the rest of the masses who are on the lookout for this device, it has gone on sale officially already.
Needless to say, this particular variant is available only by an invitation, although do bear in mind that standard OnePlus X invites are not good here – you will still need to snag yourself a specific Ceramic variant invite before you make a purchase. OnePlus is also on the lookout to offer additional methods of picking up this smartphone, although no further details were revealed.
The OnePlus X Ceramic will be available only in select markets, where among them include Europe, India, and Hong Kong. To date, we do know that OnePlus had made only 10,000 units of the handset available. A case of the early bird getting the proverbial worm here?