Chinese computer giant Lenovo has launched its own tablet computer at home as it tries to compete for a share of an increasingly crowded market dominated by Apple's iPad. The LePad - powered by Google's Android software - was launched in China on March 29 at a Chinese-media only event.
Lenovo will begin selling LePad directly to Chinese consumers this week through its own retail stores and it will put it on sale outside China by June, spokesman Jay Chen told Dow Jones Newswires.
The firm said in a statement that it was aggressively pursuing the mobile Internet device business and established a special division - the Mobile Internet and Digital Home Business Group - this year to better compete.
"The LePad is the first major launch since the business group's founding, we are confident in it and will continue to enrich its product line with better performing products and a richer selection of styles," Lenovo said. In addition to the iPad, Lenovo's new tablet will compete against gadgets from other major electronics companies such as Dell, Samsung Electronics and BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion.
LePad - which was first unveiled in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas - has a 10.1-inch (26 centimetre) colour screen and connects to the Internet using WiFi or 3G telecom services.