Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet Means Business

25.09.2011

You get the full version of DataViz Documents to Go for editing Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents and viewing Adobe Acrobat PDFs; MyScript Notes Mobile; Citrix Receiver; McAfee Mobile Security; and PrinterShare ( a mobile printing app that requires you to setup a printer via your PC). A handful of leisure apps are also preloaded, including Netflix, the Hardwood Games Suite for card games and backgammon; Amazon MP3 and Amazon Kindle for Android; Zinio; Slacker Radio; and mSpot Movies and Music (the latter, oddly, replaces the stock Google Music player outright). Oh, and you can't escape those Angry Birds--Lenovo thoughtfully provides Angry Birds HD, too.

Also included is Lenovo's awkward app for transferring files from the USB port to the tablet; a Wi-Fi import/export app, and Lenovo's SocialTouch app.

For the corporate IT market that Lenovo caters to with its ThinkPad brand, the tablet has a handful of custom features that court this audience. Together with LANDesk, Lenovo offers a a Mobility Manager for deploying the tablet in corporate environments, and controlling usage policies like whether you want to encrypt user data and content on SD Cards; push custom apps and installations out to the device; and more. Lenovo partnered with Absolute Software so its Computrace technology can help lock down and trace a wayward device. And Lenovo provides custom imaging services, a custom app store, and secure email options via Good Technologies and Microsoft ActiveSync integration.

The ThinkPad Tablet looks and feels bulky, but it's the first tablet to truly target business users with its configuration. The ThinkPad's pen input is a benefit; its poor built-in speaker a deterrent, especially for presenters who need passable audio. Still, together with the Folio case, this tablet makes a compelling case for business users and even students who want to switch more of their day-to-day tasks to a tablet.