Will The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Launch In 2011?

Lenovo tells us they’ll be officially announcing the IdeaPad U1 tomorrow AM. Yet, this won’t be the first time it’s been announced… As Lenovo’s clever, sexy, and surprisingly practical hybrid laptop, with removable slate, was one of my favorite products of CES 2010. The original plan had the fully assembled rig running Windows 7 in laptop mode, while the undocked “LePad” would be powered by a lighter weight custom “Skylight” Linux build. At some point in mid-2010, Lenovo decided to jettison Linux in favor of a skinned version of Android. And, given the ever expanding marketplace and well understood environment, it probably wasn’t a bad call. Unfortunately, the device still seems a bit too bulky (with the slate weighing in at close to 2lbs) and there’s no information on a US release or pricing.