LG Launches G Pad 10.1 Here in North America

LG Electronics announced on Monday that it has launched the LG G Pad 10.1 tablet, which is now making a debut here in the States first and then moving on to other markets such as Europe, Asia and Latin America later this month. This tablet is the largest in the G Pad series, sporting a 10.1-inch IPS panel with a 1280 x 800 resolution.

"Consumers use tablets differently from smartphones and we wanted to highlight the important role of entertainment in the new LG G Pad 10.1," said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "Tablets are increasingly being used as companion devices, which is why we made connecting the LG G Pad 10.1 to other devices so easy and convenient and why LG G Pad 10.1 offers the best core technologies of our G series smartphones."

The specs show that the 10.1-inch screen is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz. This chip is backed by 1 GB of RAM, an 8000 mAh battery, and Android 4.2.2 "KitKat." The tablet also includes 16 GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot for adding even more storage, a 1.3MP camera on the front and a 5MP camera on the back.

The tablet comes pre-loaded with the best of what LG calls the G Series' user experience, or UX. This includes the ability to have two apps open and sitting side-by-side on the screen as if the customer were using Windows 8. The tablet also provides a "smart" virtual keyboard that reduces input errors by up to 75 percent. This is accomplished by tracking and analyzing typing habits.

Also thrown into the mix is what LG calls QPair 2.0, which allows the user to pair the tablet to an Android smartphone and receive call and text notifications on the tablet; users can even respond directly from the tablet. Also included is Knock Code, a security feature that combines powering on and unlocking into one single step: users provide a sequence of taps on the screen when it's off to quickly log into an account.

According to the company, prices and availability will be announced locally in each market. LG Electronics did not provide pricing for North America in Monday's announcement.

Follow Kevin Parrish @exfileme. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.