On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved Lenovo's plans for the ThinkPad Helix tablet, marked by a native cellular data card.
While the news is no confirmation of the device heading to store shelves stateside, it is a step closer than a few Chinese site listing for the dockable tablet back in October.
The approval on the FCC site also indicates that the wifi-only rumors for the ThinkPad Helix have been upgraded to LTE-enabled rumors.
Specifically, the approval is for an AT&T LTE card in the device that supports both AT&T-only (700MHz) and AT&T-compatible (1700MHz and 2100MHz) bands.
Double Helix
The report by the FCC also includes information about a wifi-only model, but both versions would apparently run on the same Ivy Bridge processor.
The tablet would also feature an 11.6-inch screen displaying Windows 8 at 1080p, and would have the capability to function on or off a keyboard docking station.
The potential introduction of the ThinkPad Helix in the U.S. market would likely be a business play for Lenovo, accompanying the upcoming release of the ThinkPad Tablet 2.
Lenovo continues to push forward in the Windows 8 consumer tablet space as well as it looks forward to the release of the IdeaTab Lynx in the coming year.
