Android Tablet: 3G Tablet

Saturday 20 October 2012

3G Tablet

The ThinkPad Tablet feels like a coffee table book. It's a big, tough tablet, and for some professionals that's probably a selling point. Held in portrait orientation (the preferred view, judging by the direction of the logos and labels), it measures 10.2 inches tall, 7.2 inches wide, and 0.5 inch thick. A front-facing 2-megapixel camera sits in the top-right corner, with a 5-megapixel camera on the flip side. The back is covered in a nonslip matte finish tastefully emblazoned with the Lenovo and ThinkPad logos.

When it comes to distinguishing details, the first thing we noticed are the four tactile navigation buttons located on the bottom of the screen, including buttons for screen rotation lock, Web browser, back, and home. For better or worse, there are also onscreen navigation buttons above them, which are represented as back, home, recent apps, and app wheel (a Lenovo customization). We'll cut Lenovo a little slack on the oddly redundant buttons since we can imagine some professional situations in which having tactile controls is a necessity, such as a construction site or hospital, where gloves might make the screen unresponsive.

Another detail you'll notice about the ThinkPad Tablet is that it looks as if someone drilled a hole in its side. Lenovo has smartly integrated a cubbyhole into the side of the tablet for holding its optional digital pen accessory. What's more, there are holes on both the pen and the tablet that allow you to attach the pricey pen ($39.99) for safekeeping. It's the best design we've seen yet for those who need regular access to a pen digitizer. If you don't plan on using the ThinkPad Tablet with a stylus, Lenovo includes a plastic cover that plugs the hole.