We already know Lenovo (OTCPK: LNVGY) is super-serious when it comes to Android. After showing off their first smartbook, the Chinese company has unveiled what seems as the single most original Android smartphone out there called Lephone. The trick is in using a somewhat unusual (super rounded), yet expandable design coupled with Lenovo’s own widget-friendly UI (Widget Space) that works on top of Google (NSDQ: GOOG)’s mobile OS.
Specs wise, the Lephone comes with a 3.7-inch WVGA OLED touchscreen (a ala Nexus One), GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, Snapdragon CPU, Android 2.0, dedicated music control keys, and so on. The trick, however, is in the mentioned unique design that allows expansion using a connector on the left side. And as you can guess for yourself from the image above, you can use it to connect a keyboard to the phone this way, which is super-cool! To be fair, the keyboard showcased at the CES has a somewhat awkward layout, but that doesn’t mean you can’t master it with some practicing — as a matter of fact that sounds like a time well spent.
No word on exact release date, but from what we’ve heard – Lenovo plans to initially start selling the phone in China and eventually expand to the U.S. and other markets. We’ll be certainly watching this carefully…
Today we had Lenovo (OTCPK: LNVGY) announcing what is effectively the first commercial smartbook. It’s called Skylight and it’s one beautiful device, getting its power from Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM)’s 1GHz Snapdragon CPU. Rest of the specs include 3G connectivity, 20GB of flash storage, 10.1-inch 1,280×720 display, WiFi, 8GB miniSD card, two USB ports, 1.3-megapixel camera, and a battery that allows for 10 hours of work. Customized, widget-friendly version of Linux is running the show, allowing for quick access to popular social networking services, GMail, Amazon MP3, and so on.
However, I see two problems with the Skylight:
The price – it will sell for $499. At that price it will have hard time competing with a bit more powerful netbooks.
If you’re interested, you’ll have to wait for few more months, as Lenovo plans to start selling this baby in spring. As I said, I don’t see them moving tons of Skylights, as comparable netbooks offer more power and functionality, along with more reasonable pricing. Any thoughts?
And before I let you go, we have a demo video to share. Check it out after the jump.
We haven’t heard much from Lenovo (OTCPK: LNVGY) since their OPhone made the rounds last year, but the company is starting the process of getting back their cell phone brand for $200 million, pending investor approval. Considering the laptop manufacturer originally sold their mobile division almost two years ago for $100 million to refocus on their core business, that’s a pretty steep loss, but good news for the buyer, Hony Capital. The buy-back is a result of “changed market conditions of the past 18 months”, and honestly, pretty good timing considering the growing Android hype in China right now. I’m curious if OPhone development was put on hold after the original acquisition, or if Hony actually cranked out the product to increase the company’s value.
Could it be that the Ophone will beat the iPhone to China? Certainly looks that way. Latest word is the Android-Powered Ophone and it’s super sexy styling will be released in China this May… and of course, the device will launch on China Mobile (NYSE: CHL). Also worth noting is the fact that the Ophone will run a modified version of Android OS… Built and tweaked by China Mobile. To that end, a few more points as reported by DigiTimes:
China Mobile will outsource production of the Ophone to Lenovo (OTCPK: LNVGY) and LG Electronics (LGE) initially, using chipset solutions most likely from Taiwan-based MediaTek, the paper said, adding that the Ophone will run on China Mobile’s in-house developed Android-based open mobile system (OMS).
So it will be… The Lenovo/LG Ophone. Mark your calendars, the Ophone is coming. Time to give a few of my Chinese friends a heads up…
You’ve seen the photos, now it’s video time. The long-anticipated, cool-lookin’, Android-powered, slated for China Mobile (NYSE: CHL), Lenovo (OTCPK: LNVGY) OPhone has been caught on video. From there you will see just how cool this device is – or at least promises to be. There’s an iPhone-like interface with some on-screen widgets. And while that may sound confusing when mixed together, that’s actually not the case… Enough said, here’s a short video. Enjoy it!
We’ve been reporting new snaps and details on the Android-Powered Lenovo OPhone for some time now. Today, yet another image has emerged, which has some wondering if launch is imminent. The image above may very well be the best yet, as you can clearly see carrier branding on the device, in this case, China Mobile (NYSE: CHL). Rumor has it the OPhone could launch on China Mobile immediately following the Dopod G2 (HTC Magic)… So stay tuned for more on this one for sure. Head on over to PCOnline China for a few more snaps of the OPhone.
Chinese bloggers have posted images of what is rumored to be the Lenovo OPhone’s OS. Taking a quick look above, it is no surprise that the ‘OPhone’ OS looks strikingly similar to a certain ‘i’ phone most of us have come to love. I’m certainly hoping these initial images aren’t the real deal, as this appears to be nothing more than a rip-off of the look/feel of the iPhone OS. There are certainly some differences in looks between the iPhone and OPhone OS, but quite honestly was hoping for more.
Lets see how this all plays out. For more screens you can hit up Gizmodo.
Lenovo (OTCPK: LNVGY) is out with two new phones, i60 and i60s, both sporting large touchscreens, dual-band (900/1800 MHz) GSM radio, media player, FM radio, and a microSD expansion slot that can work with memory cards of up to 16GB.
At 3-inch diagonal, the first of the two comes with a larger display, but also with a larger capacity battery (1250 mAh). On the other hand, the i60s (pictured on the right) adds few more buttons that take bit more space, hence the screen is little smaller, measuring “only” 2.8-inches. Its battery is also lower capacity – 1000 mAh.
No other details are known, but it seems neither one of the two devices will come with a smartphone OS, which is kinda sad. On the good side though, those large screens are WQVGA (240×400 pixels), leaving tons of space for, let’s say, decent web browsing experience.
Finally, it’s fair to add that most of us probably won’t be able to try out neither the Lenovo i60 nor i60s. At the moment, they seem slated for China, and we’ve no clue whether they’ll ever reach the western hemisphere.
Sure, you’ve seen the cool-looking, Android-powered Lenovo (OTCPK: LNVGY) OPhone, but you haven’t seen it standing next to the iPhone and iPhone 3G. At 115.84×61.57×12.03 mm, it’s roughly 1 mm bigger than Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s handset(s), but it comes with a microSD slot — meaning that you can expand its storage capacity with flash cards.
Anyway, I don’t want to talk about OPhone’s specs, as we’ve already covered them in the past. The idea here is to show you how it stacks against Apple’s offering. In that sense, there’s a gallery bellow these words. Click on each of the images to zoom in.
Reader Ben sent me a note late last night with some new details and pics of the Lenovo OPhone. After some searching on the web I can confirm that these details have been posted on the modmyGphone forums… But no word on if they are official or not. Chalk these up to pretty-darn-likely-to-be-true rumors.
We haven’t heard much from Lenovo (
