Chinese computer company Lenovo is currently developing a new videogame console as well as a computer tablet PC and smartphones in its bid to expand its product portfolio.
Lenovo has established a gaming console company called Beijing Eedoo Technology Ltd. which will develop an entertainment console that will be called eBox. The initial development was already done by Lenovo who made a console prototype.
“We saw game consoles as an area with growth potential,” Lenovo spokesman Jay Chen said.
The world’s largest PC maker by unit sales is also busy developing a computer tablet PC joining other computer companies like Hewlett-Packard, Acer, and Dell in seeking to gain share of the expanding tablet market sparked by the success of the Apple iPad.
Lenovo previewed a hybrid PC during the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. The IdeaPad U1-A laptop has a detachable screen that can be used as a separate computer tablet PC. Originally slated for a June release, it has yet to hit markets as of this time.
Its foray into the game console business is not a guarantee for Lenovo. The eBox will be launched in China, where rules governing game consoles are vague and widespread electronic piracy will erode game sales. Games that are free and earn through value-added services like selling virtual items are most preferred and popular among Chinese players.
Chen said that Lenovo is currently developing an integrated “family of mobile Internet devices” that will allow users to access information from multiple platforms, including a computer tablet PC. Android and other open operating systems to run the devices are being considered by the company.
