Lenovo unveils convertible Windows 8 tablet, IdeaPad Touch devices

Lenovo is banking heavily on touch as a key consumer trend, and has launched a new range of devices with this in mind.

The Chinese PC maker has announced several new touch-enabled Windows laptops: the IdeaPad S400 Touch, S500 Touch, S210 Touch, U330 Touch and U430 Touch. Each laptop is part of the company's S Series and U Series, all of which designed to be lightweight and with thin bodies.

The new Lenovo S Series laptops on offer are the S400, S500 and S210. The S400 and S500 Windows laptops can be configured to include Intel Core i3 processors and varying graphics cards. All three laptops have Dolby Advance Audio v2 certification.

The model sizes vary from a thickness of only 0.8 inch and a minimum weight of three pounds. The S400 and S500 come with 14-inch and 15.6-inch HD widescreen displays, respectively. The S210 comes with with an 11.6-inch screen.

The S400, S500 and S210 will retail later this summer at approximately $449, $579, and $429, respectively.

The new Lenovo IdeaPad U series offerings, the U330 Touch and U430 Touch, start from 0.77-inch thickness and 3.7 pounds in weight. Containing motion, voice and multitouch technology, the U Series products are available with up to 4th generation Intel Core i7 processors plus optional Nvidia GeForce graphics cards. The U330 and U430 can be modified to support up to 1TB hard drive as well as 16GB SSD storage, or 500GB SSHD with integrated 16GB NAND flash -- or a 256GB solid-state drive.

In terms of display, the U330 Touch is a 13.3-inch model, whereas the U430 Touch comes with a 14-inch monitor. Both displays can be either HD or FHD.

The U330 will cost $799, whereas the U430 will retail at roughly $899. Both models will be released this summer.

In addition to the laptop announcements, the Lenovo Miix will also soon hit our shelves. The Miix is a multimode 10.1-inch tablet which can be converted into a laptop by using an additional "quick-flip" detachable folio case that includes an integrated AccuType keyboard.

The tablet weighs only 1.2 pounds and is 0.4 inch thin. Running the Windows 8 operating system, the tablet supports a display resolution of 1366x768 pixels, and is equipped with integrated Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi and optional 3G-GPS connectivity. The device runs on an Intel Atom dual core processor and has 64GB of built-in storage as well as a micro-SD slot. Lenovo says that the tablet has up to 10 hours of battery life.

Available this summer, the tablet will retail at approximately $500.

"Users don't want to choose between a laptop and a tablet. They want both without compromise, and Lenovo Miix delivers," said Bai Peng, vice president and general manager of Lenovo's notebook business unit. "Bringing touch to our laptops is about more than adding a touch-enabled screen. It requires a rethink of the way we interact with our devices, starting with the expectations of customers for a fluid, intuitive user experience. With these devices, touch becomes mainstream."