Ross Rubin
| September 17, 2021 — 18:01 GMT (19:01 BST)
| Topic: Hardware
Among the “servitization” of all things tech infrastructure at Lenovo Tech World this month, the company announced a smattering of new Windows laptops, Chromebooks, and Android tablets. Its new ThinkPads will be among the first to ship Windows 11, and the new Chromebook follows up Lenovo’s breakout 10″ Duet 2-in-1 by upping the screen size to 13″. While, like the recently announced HP Chromebook 11 X2, it has a Snapdragon processor and a second USB-C connector, it lacks the down-market portable charm of the first Duet but comes in well under the price of the forthcoming HP.
But one feature of Lenovo’s new Android tablets was the most significant from a cross-device standpoint as they will be the first client devices to support Lenovo’s Project Unity. On the surface, the effort seems like an answer to Apple’s Sidecar feature, which allows an iPad to serve as an external display to a Mac. However, unlike Sidecar or other options like Duet that would enable an Android tablet to serve as an external display for a PC or Mac, Unity allows the continued use of Android apps in “second screen” mode because screen extension is done via an app. It’s a useful feature, albeit one that may become less advantageous over time if Microsoft can fully execute on its now-delayed plans to integrate Android apps into Windows 11. While Wi-Fi will be the go-to way to connect the devices at launch, Lenovo says it is exploring other connection means.
Ross Rubin
| September 17, 2021 — 18:01 GMT (19:01 BST)
| Topic: Hardware