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Details emerge on Lenovo's Atom-based handheld

At the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai, the device first seen at CES is outed as the IdeaPad U8 mobile Internet device.

Erica Ogg Former Staff writer, CNET News
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur.
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First seen at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, the mystery handheld Lenovo was showing off now has a name.

The IdeaPad U8 was unveiled at the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai Tuesday along with a few more tidbits about what it's packing inside.

Lenovo handheld 2
Lenovo

We already learned at CES that it runs Linux, is Web-enabled, has GPS, plays music, and takes photos.

By the name, IdeaPad, we can assume it's a consumer device, since IdeaPad is the name of Lenovo's newest line of consumer-oriented notebooks. We also know now that Intel considers it an MID (mobile Internet device), and it uses Intel's new Atom processor. The IdeaPad U8 also uses a touchscreen display, and will run some Microsoft Office applications.

Check out this video over at UMPC Portal of the U8 in action.

It's still only available in China. Western consumers have largely ignored MIDs like the Samsung Q1 and others, due to a combination of low power, less-than-desirable battery life, and awkward form factor, though the combination Atom processors and Linux could possibly change that if it were to make its way here eventually.

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