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Trying to position itself as a viable replacement to the laptop, the Lenovo Thinkpad stays true to Lenovo’s strict functionality and business like design with it’s appearance being very similar to that of the Thinkpad T series notebooks.

It also follows suit with its weight, which is 1.65 pounds and not for those searching for a lightweight tablet. Weighing the same as the Lenovo Remember jobs K1 and Toshiba Thrive but somewhat heavier than the iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab.

PC World points out that some Windows 8 devices and tablets were showed at CES recently, their numbers were few and far between; and none of them made a bang, so to speak, on the show floor.

According to PC World, “While CEO Steve Ballmer talked Windows 8 at his keynote and showed a Qualcomm prototype tablet running Windows 8, Intel’s Paul Otellini briefly showed a Lenovo unveiled its innovative IdeaPad Yoga, a Windows 8-primed convertible notebook whose screen can twist around to turn into a tablet, little chatter was heard on the Windows tablet front.”

The report also claims that there were still Windows 7 tablets showcased (from Chinese firms) despite Windows 8 on the horizon. This makes sense from an economics point of view, but it doesn’t seem to bold well for Microsoft in getting a wider appeal For China Phone.

A lot of questions were still not answered regarding to how efficient Windows 8 will be on tablets and what exactly can we expect from software. These are questions consumers have in their minds as they wait for the year to mature and these tablets to hit retail.

Connectivity and Accessories

Connectivity for a range of devices is excellent with ports available for an SD card reader, micro USB ports, USB 2.0 port and a slot for a SIM card. The tablet also includes a slot for the Thinkpad Tablet Pen, which works well for both drawing and taking notes on the Thinkpad utilizing the preinstalled Notes Mobile application. Power users will appreciate these connectivity options as will business users.

Design

Keeping in line with the rugged design is the display, a 10.1 inch scratch resistant display made from Corning Gorilla Glass which is a good protection against scratches. This scratch resistant glass helps keep the Thinkpad in good shape even in demanding circumstances and is a good protection against normal wear and tear.

Specs

No Lenovo Thinkpad tablet review would be complete without a discussion of the tablets specs. Getting to the guts of the Thinkpad we find that it is powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core ARM 1.0GHz processor and comes with 1GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. Running on the Android 3.1 platform the Thinkpad gets just moderate marks for performance as it can sometimes behave sluggishly when booting up and when closing applications. It can also take several inputs before the tablet registers, all of which dampen the user experience.

Apps

The Thinkpad does come loaded with apps that the business user will appreciate such as Documents on the Go and Kindle for Android allowing users to keep up with their favorite business publications. IT departments will also appreciate the inclusion of security apps such as Computrace Mobile, McAfee Mobile Security and Citrix Receiver.

Batterylife is quite acceptable at 8 hours even when using Wi-fi. In addition to Wi-fi, the tablet also has support for 3G and Bluetooth meaning you have plenty of options for network connectivity. And 3G is supported for all three of the major U.S.carriers (Verizon Wireless, Sprint and AT&T). Even global nomads can stay connected too as the tablet supports global roaming utilizing the Car LED Light Bulbs and HSPA networks.

Negatives for the ThinkPad include a poor AC adapter, even the user manual states it is quicker to charge the device using the optional ThinkPad Tablet Dock. Some users have also complained about Wi-Fi–only tablets running Honeycomb to endlessly search for a 3G signal causing significant battery drain. One final complaint is that it is impossible to use the Thinkpad in tablet form without completely removing it from its case. And the case has been known to inadvertently activate the power button, draining the battery and leaving users with some surprises when they try to use their Thinkpad.

Summary: We are finally seeing announcements for Windows Phone 7 devices and T-Mobile will be launching two smartphones before the holidays. The X12 GPS and Dell Venue Pro both have 1 GHz processors and more.

As you know I had the chance to spend a few weeks back in July with the Technical Preview of Windows Phone 7 and created my Definitive Guide that covered all aspects of this new Microsoft mobile operating system. I have spent an intensive month diving into all the details of Windows Phone 7 as I was writing my book and am intimately familiar with it, probably even more so than with any other mobile operation system I use daily. Thus, when I was told of the news about the upcoming T-Mobile HTC HD7 running Windows Phone 7 my heart started racing and I cannot wait until it is released in November and plan to be the first one in line to pick it up. I had the chance to spend a few minutes with the HD7 and it is a fantastic device that is sure to do well on T-Mobile. T-Mobile also announced they will be offering the Dell Venue Pro running Windows Phone 7.

T-Mobile HTC HD7

Similar to the HTC HD2, the A8 Android  a 4.3 inch capacitive touchscreen display and will be the largest Windows Phone 7 device in theU.S. While the HD2 was a great piece of hardware, the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS had issues that ruined the experience. Windows Phone 7 has been rock solid and I have not seen any of these performance issues, even with the Technical Preview so I look forward to trying it out on the HD7.

4.3 inch capacitive touchscreen display

Qualcomm 1 GHz Snapdragon processor

Quad-band GSM

Dual-band UMTS/HSPA

802.11 b/g/n WiFi

Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR

16GB internal Flash memory

Integrated A-GPS receiver

5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash

Integrated kickstand around the camera module

Dimensions of 4.8 x 2.7 x 0.44 inches and 5.71 ounces

The rumors were heard previously indicated the device would only have 8GB of internal memory so it is nice to see that rumor was A1000 . I still don’t understand how Nokia can now churn out penta-band 3G devices while others stick with dual and tri-band 3G radios. We also see Bluetooth 2.1 in this device rather than Bluetooth 3.0. Even though T-Mobile is rolling out their HSPA+ network, the new HD7 does not support these super fast data speeds like the T-Mobile G2.

There is limited manufacturer and A1000 customizations, thank you Apple, so on the HD7 we see Netflix, T-Mobile TV (rebranded MobiTV subscription service), TeleNav GPS Navigator, and Slacker Radio preloaded on the HD7. One new feature I read about that sound quite interesting is T-Mobile Family Room, a new application exclusively from T-Mobile that helps families keep in touch and manage their busy lives. Customers can write a note on a virtual chalkboard and add shared calendar events for their Family Room group to coordinate get-togethers. Sharing pictures and interacting is easy, with real-time notifications alerting users when any family member posts something for everyone to see.

Overall, it looks like the hardware of the HD7 is a bit less than the highest end devices available today, but it is more than adequate to run Windows Phone 7 and if T-Mobile launches it in mid-November for the typical $199 smartphone price then it should do well.

Dell Venue Pro

T-Mobile also revealed they will be launching a Dell Windows Phone 7 device before the holidays, called the Dell Venue Pro. The device features a QWERTY portrait slider keyboard, 4.1 inch AMOLED display made of Gorilla Glass, 5 megapixel camera, and 1 GHz Snapdragon processor. There are very few details on the device, but it may be the Dell Lightning that was revealed way back in April. Hmm, this device actually looks pretty compelling too and I may just have to try it before I decide between it and the HD7.

 HTC has finally announced the new Sensation XL smartphone in India for Rs 40,000, which does seem insanely high.The HTC Sensation XL comes with a 4.7 inch display and features HTC Sense UI 3.5 layered on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. HTC has also added Beats Audio technology for better audio output, and bundles a pair of earphones as well. The Best Buy price of HTC Sensation XL is Rs 38,800.

This new handset is the latest inclusion to HTC's Sensation family after the Sensation, Sensation4G and Sensation XE. Sporting a massive 4.7 inch Super LCD display, Sensation XL comes with 480 x 800 pixel resolution, which might be worrisome considering the display size. 

  Under the slim 9.9 mm body, Sensation XL houses a single-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Scorpion MSM8255T mobile processor coupled with Adreno 205 graphics. This mobile chipset supports dual-channel low-power DDR2 memory clocked at 333 MHz. The same mobile processor and chipset configuration has been used in the Nokia Lumia 800, HTC Titan, Samsung Omnia W, Samsung Focus S, and a couple of other smartphones. However, Sensation XL features only 768 MB of RAM.

  HTC has used Android 2.3.x Gingerbread mobile operating system with HTC Sense 3.5 user interface on it. Sensation XL features the Beats Audio technology that incorporates pre-configured audio profiles loaded on phones, which become active as soon as the Beats earphones are plugged in the 3.5 mm audio port.HTC has added an 8 megapixel camera at the rear with auto-focus and LED flash with the ability to record 720p HD video. At the front lies a 1.3 megapixel camera for video calls and chatting.

  The phone's 1600 mAh battery promises up to seven hours of talktime on 3G. Other features of this high-end HTC handset include a digital compass, active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, gyro sensor, an ambient light sensor, a proximity sensor and a gravity sensor.

  The price of this smartphone might be a bit of a hiccup because except for the massive display and Beats Audio technology, this smartphone has nothing new to offer.