The Lenovo Thinkpad Stack was amongst the most interesting products launched at the International CES this year. Just about a month after the Las Vegas event though, the company seems ready to bring this innovative product to India. Although Lenovo has only showcased the product in India till now, it should be coming to market this year.
Currently, the Stack is made up of four modules, each about the same size as an external hard drive. This includes a Bluetooth Speaker, Portable Hard Drive, Access Point and Power Bank. Together, they cost $199 (approx. Rs. 6,100), while the Bluetooth Speaker and Power Bank are also available separately for $89.99 and $49.99 respectively.
The modules connect to each other using an interlocking pin design, which are responsible for the transfer of power and data between them. This cuts the need for seperate wires for them. The Stack can connect to laptops or PCs using a USB 3.0 port or Bluetooth.
The wireless Access Point that comes with the stack allows you to share WiFi connections with your peers. It can also connect via ethernet.
The 2 Watt Bluetooth speakers can connect to smartphones and other devices. It also has noise reducing microphones, making it more suitable for phone calls.
The power bank is a 10,000 mAh unit, which can be quite useful, especially for those who carry a lot of devices with them. It has a maximum charging capacity of 5V/2.1A.
When put together, the Thinkpad Stack weighs just under 1 kg, which makes it pretty comfortable to carry. That said, most of this weight comes from the power bank, which is the heaviest, while the access point seems to be the lightest. Of course, this is a demo piece, so the real weights may differ.
While the Thinkpad Stack may have a lot of use for a bunch of users, it offers almost nothing in terms of visual aesthetics. This is ironic, since Lenovo has been known for its sleek ultrabooks. In fact, the company showcased the Thinkpad Stack in India while launching the very good looking and sleek Yoga 3 Pro ultrabook.
Assembling the Stack is as simple as just placing the modules on top of each other. The modules simply clip onto each other and the Stack is ready.
Overall, the Thinkpad Stack could be a handy device for power users and business consumers. The device may not be the best looking gadget that you've had, but it could be one of the most useful. Also, it would be more useful once Lenovo comes out with more modules for it.