Lenovo unveils tablet with handwriting input, flat ‘halo’ keyboard

Lenovo promised to unveil “incremental” to “incredible” new products at a huge European trade show on Wednesday – and a headliner is the new Yoga Book.

The 10-inch tablet is light, thin, enables note taking and drawing, and features what Lenovo calls a “halo” keyboard – flat, no keys. Lenovo says it’s the “thinnest and lightest 2-in-1 tablet” (i.e. with detachable screen).

“We set out to redefine the tablet category conundrum, namely that consumers no longer separate their activities into productivity and entertainment – it all blends together, and so should the device they use,” said Jeff Meredith, vice president and general manager of Android and Chrome Computing at Lenovo.

“The Yoga Book introduces keyboard and handwriting input capability in an elegantly simple, unconventionally slender tablet design. We believe our unique design will offer tablet, 2-in-1 and traditional notebook buyers a first-of-its-kind option for evolving usage trends.”

Press reaction was immediate, including:

The Verge: “Lenovo’s Yoga Book is a new kind of tablet”
Engadget: “Lenovo’s Yoga Book is part tablet, part sketch pad”
BBC: “Lenovo Yoga Book reads scribbles made on paper”

Tablets are one of the few future bright spots in global computing device sales. As PCs for the desktop and notebook demand continues to drop, tablets are showing signs of growth. research firm IDC projects growth will return for tablets worldwide in 2018.“Tablets are boring”The tablets will go on sale for around $550 in the U.S. in October.

In a blog, Lenovo explained why Meredith and others decided to ramp up the Yoga’s appeal – one of Lenovo’s best-known brands – with new capabilities. Meredith had written himself that “Tablets are boring.” Lenovo wanted to “started building tablets that were more tailored for specific needs from our users—tablets, for instance, that would be just as good at creating content as it was at consuming it.”

The Associated Press calls Lenovo’s keyboard decision “odd,” pointing out that “Apple, Samsung and other tablet makers are pushing professional tablet models with keyboard accessories. Those companies are hoping to appeal to businesses and individuals looking to replace their laptops.”

The Yoga Book retains the clamshell design of the laptop, but puts a second touch screen where the keyboard normally goes. People can type on a touch-screen keyboard there, or just write or draw on that second screen with an included stylus. You can even use a regular pen or pencil, though you’d want to put a sheet of paper over the screen to avoid damage.

Although Lenovo calls Yoga Book a tablet, the keyboard part isn’t detachable, making the device a laptop. The keyboard, though, can fold all the way to the back to make the device feel more like a tablet.

Lenovo says the Yoga Book is 9.6 millimeters (0.38 inch) thick, slightly more than the thickest iPad at 7.5 millimeters.

Meredith, told the AP that the Yoga Book might not be appropriate for extensive typing, but should be suitable for people — especially younger people — who now use the phone’s touch screen to respond to email at night or even take notes in classrooms.

He added that when BlackBerrys were still popular, people couldn’t imagine getting rid of physical keyboards on their phones, either.