Idea Pad K1 Rises Above the Android Tablet Fray

THE $500 LENOVO Ideapad K1 combines 32 GB of storage, The Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) OS, a dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2CPU, and 1GB  of memory. The front face is a 10.1-inch, 1280-by-800 pixel display, with a generous black border around it.

     The Idea Pad measures 10.4 by 7.4 by 0.5 inches and weighs 1.65 pounds, making it too heavy to hold for long in one hand-despite the pleasing contours of its edges.

     The Ideal Pad's design favors a landscape orientation. A2 megapixel front-facing camera is centered atop, a head phone jack, and a docking port run along the the bottom edge; and power and volume buttons, a screen rotation lock, and a MicroSD card slot run along the left side. On the back, you'll find a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash.

     In a sea of Android tablets, the Ideal PAD K1 makes a strong case for itself with usability enhancements and a snappy design. Drawbacks include poor speakers, the device's heft, and an annoy ingly uncooperative Micro SD Card slot door; but Lenovo makes up for those inconveniences with useful preloaded apps, 32 GB of storage, and an attractive price..  THE IDEAPAD K1 comes with a black,white,or red plastic back.