AppId is over the quota
LenovoAmazon's Kindle Fire isn't the only $200 tablet in town. Lenovo's IdeaPad A1, a 7-inch Android slab, is up for pre-order, starting at $199. Lenovo expects these budget tablets to ship on October 27.
The IdeaPad A1 runs Android 2.3 and has a 1 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, front- and rear-facing cameras and a 1024-by-600 display. The $199 model comes with 2 GB of built-in storage, plus a microSD card slot, and $50 more will get you 16 GB of storage instead.
(MORE: Eight New Tablets and Ultrabooks You Should Know About)
Spec-wise, it's worse than Amazon's dual-core tablet. I'm guessing it won't be as smooth as the Kindle Fire, and it won't have Amazon's vast digital storefront and super-simple interface built in. But it will include access to the Android Market and Google services without any tinkering on the user's end. That alone makes Lenovo's tablet an intriguing option for bargain-hunting Android users.
Although Lenovo lists the IdeaPad A1's $199 price as a "sale," I wouldn't worry too much about that. Prices for Android tablets are going down, not up, and Lenovo would never get away with selling this tablet for its $349 list price. If the IdeaPad A1 piques your interest, but you'd rather wait until it's actually shipping, I'm sure it'll still cost $199 as the holidays draw near.
(MORE: Amazon's Kindle Fire and New Kindle E-Readers Closeup)
