Lenovo, Ashton Kutcher, Ready to Compete and Win With Yoga Tablet

by Michelle Maisto

Lenovo announced Oct. 29 that the actor Ashton Kutcher is its newest product engineer. Kutcher has extensively invested in tech companies, including Foursquare and Spotify, and Lenovo made a point of proving Kutcher’s tech savvy. During a well-delivered keynote, Kutcher insisted, “I like to be on a team with people who want to innovate.”

The Yoga Tablet features a “cylinder,” said Lenovo, that enables it to stand up on a table without an extra accessory.

The cylinder also makes the Yoga Tablet easy to hold. “It adapts to the way people us it, instead of forcing people to adapt to the technology,” Lenovo said in a statement.

Tilt mode offers a convenient way to surf the Internet or play games.

When a user changes modes, the tablet brings up applications most often used in that mode. Stand mode, said Lenovo, “makes it easy for users to comfortably watch movies, place video calls and interact with the 10-finger touch-screen without having to rely on add-on accessories.

The Yoga Tablet will come in 8- and 10-inch models, which weigh 0.88 and 1.35 pounds, respectively.

The Yoga Tablet offers up to 18 hours of battery life, thanks to a dual-battery design. A USB on-the-go feature enables users to charge their smartphones from the tablet.

The Yoga Tablet comes in WiFi-only or with 3G, and the latter runs a quad-core processor. The OS is Android 4.2; there are storage options of 16 or 32GB; and Dolby audio, front-facing speakers, a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera and second camera for video chats come on all models.

Starting Oct. 30, Best Buy will exclusively sell the 8-inch model ($249), while BestBuy.com, Amazon, Fry’s and Newegg will offer the 10-inch model ($299).

For the 10-inch Yoga Tablet, Lenovo has developed an optional Bluetooth keyboard that also acts as a cover. The tablet wakes when it’s removed from the cover and goes to sleep when slotted inside. It’s priced at $69.