Did you know that Lenovo once sold its own mobile phone division?

In the western part of the world, Lenovo is known mostly for its broad range of laptop computers sold under the ThinkPad and IdeaPad brand names. Its Android- and Windows-based tablets are gaining in popularity as well (and some of them are pretty well made, for that matter). Smartphones, however, seem to be what the Chinese company is now ready to invest in further, judging by its interest in acquiring Motorola. But did you know that Lenovo had once completely given up on its phone business?

That happened back in March of 2008 when Lenovo sold its mobile phone division in order to focus on its core business (at the time) of making PCs. But then in November of 2009, the company spent $200 million to buy it back, aiming to become the biggest maker of mobile internet devices in China. Allow us to remind you that Lenovo sold more smartphones and tablets than PCs last year so its return in the smartphone business was a pretty wise move.

Lenovo has been making phones for quite some time, and its first devices date back to the days when the iPhone and Android weren't yet a household name. Pictured on the left is the Lenovo ET960 – a vintage Pocket PC communicator that featured a 2.8-inch screen, 312MHz processor, 64MB of RAM, and a 1.3MP camera. Today, some 9 years later, the company's current flagship is the gorgeous, Android-powered Lenovo VIBE Z, which you can learn more about in our hands-on.

reference: China Daily