Love/Hate Relationship with the K1

[ouch1976]

First, the title should read something like "Like Alot/Kind of Indifferent Relationship with the K1" instead of "Love/Hate".

I don't think I could "Love" any device besides my good ole Droid X. And there is definitely no reason to hate any Android tablet running a Tegra 2 processor with 1GB of RAM.

But overall, the machine is a fun toy but I wonder why people would spend upwards $800 for a tablet.

After a few weeks with the K1, I'm confident that I will not return the device. But, it has a few quirks that annoy me (mainly the Market app). I've installed a newer version but it still omits the Movies option. And the device is a little heavy and gets annoying to hold after a long period. But, it does everything that it should do without any hiccups. Email, web, minor gaming, youtube, netflix, reading, etc all work smoothly.

So for the price, the K1 is a keeper. If I spent $500 or more for the device, I would probably return it. But for $280, I don't think I have the right to complain about minor issues, which probably plague any tablet.

 

[MPWheeler]

I also wonder why someone would spend $800 on a tablet. They lack a DVD player, don't have a printer connector, and are missing many features found on a PC. For that kind of money I would buy a small format notebook. It would be a lot more powerful and could do a lot more.

As for a tablet, $300 is about all I am willing to pay for one, considering what a tablet can do. The Lenovo K1 fits the bill. It does have it's quirks and is not perfect. I use the K1 for the Internet and a few non complex games and it does a fine job. For $300 the K1 is a keeper.

I bought a JCase cover for the K1. This added 1 lb to the tablet. It now weights 2.6 lbs. It does make your wrists weary after long use. If I had it to do over I probably would have purchased a bag for the K1. You could put the power supply and cables in the bag as well.

A friend in our car club bought an iPad 2 with 3G for $ 700 to take on their trip to Italy last fall. She had lots of photos but the quality was only average. My EVO 3D phone takes better quality photos, also in 3D. For a trip like that I would have used my Canon 50D digital SLR. She is happy with her iPad 2. That is way too steep of a price for me.

 

[DiamondDaveTv]

I agree with the comments above, can't beat the price and I would never pay 500+ for a tablet. I notice my battery power is weaker than my wifes Ipad (used for 300 by the way). The case does weigh it down, but usually I surf in bed and have it on a pillow, or in the den on the lap chilling out. Wheels, tried the Dolphin browser, didn't care for it, more so, didn't understand how to utilize it. I got frustrated attempting to place my short cuts to the home screen. Other than that, perfect for surfing and emails.

 

[technicalguy]

Yes, I agree, $300 is a good price point. I bought one to find out what you would actually use a tablet for, without spending $800.
So far I have been happy with the Ideapad K1. It's fabulous for GMail, Google Docs, Google Reader, Calendar. The 10 inch screen is the right size.
As a tech, I have copied over customer support documentation and can fire up and check items right away with the instant-on capability.
I'm hooked and have started writing help articles on my blog at techsupport.foreverwarm.com