CES: Lenovo Brings New Tablet, Ultrabook, All-In-One Offerings

The CES event this week will play host to hundreds of new desktop and mobile PCs. And Lenovo, with the introduction of its IdeaTab S2 10-inch tablet, IdeaPad U310 and U410 Ultrabooks, and IdeaCentre B540 and B340 All-In-One PCs, aims to be one the most prominent players on the Las Vegas show floor.

Lenovo said its new IdeaTab S2 10-inch tablet is one of the market’s lightest, weighing in at just more than a pound. The tablet is fueled by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8960 dual-core CPU and touts the latest Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich. The IdeaTab S2 also sports the Lenovo Mondrian user interface and a light keyboard dock, and it delivers up to 20 hours of battery life.

"It [the IdeaTab S2] allows users to approach a familiar laptop feel while still getting the tablet experience," said Nick Reynolds, executive director of Lenovo product group marketing.

The IdeaPad U310 and U410 represent Lenovo’s newest offerings within the increasingly popular Ultrabook space. Like all Ultrabooks, the IdeaPad U310 and U410 are characterized most notably by their super-thin, lightweight form factors. The U310 weighs in at 3.74 pounds and measures 0.7 of an inch thick, while the slightly larger U410 weighs in at 4.18 pounds and measures 0.83 of an inch thick. Both Lenovo Utrabooks are powered by Intel core processors and are said by Lenovo to offer "ultraresponsive" performance with fast boot times and quick resume from sleep.

The new U310 and U410 add to Lenovo’s quickly expanding Ultrabook lineup. Just last week, the PC maker introduced its ThinkPad T430u Ultrabook, weighing in at less than 4 pounds and measuring 0.8 of an inch thick. The T430u is said by the PC maker to be its first-ever Ultrabook optimized for the enterprise user.

Amid the bevy of Ultrabook and tablet devices, Lenovo is paying tribute to the desktop PC at CES as well. The company Monday unveiled the IdeaCentre B540 and B340 All-In-Ones, the latest in its multifunction desktop PC lineup. Both models feature multitouch and optional 3-D displays and come equipped with OneKey TV functionality, enabling users to turn their PC into an HD TV with the push of a button. As the All-In-One tag suggests, the TV hardware is hosted separately from the IdeaCentre’s PC hardware, so both can be used independently.

The IdeaCentre B540 sports a 23-inch frameless screen, while the B340 measures in at a slightly more modest 21.5 inches.

According to Reynolds, much of Lenovo's growth in 2011 was fueled by its All-In-One products, and these multifunctional PCs will remain a key focus moving forward.

The new IdeaCentre B series All-In-Ones will be available beginning in June at prices starting at $699, while the IdeaPad U310 and U410 Ultrabooks will be available in May, starting at the same price point. The IdeaTab S2 10-inch tablet is already available in China, but Lenovo did not disclose a U.S. release date or price point.