Tag: lenovo

Lenovo’s flagship Yoga 900 laptop is an improvement in every way that matters

The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro was one of our favorite laptops of 2014, but mostly for impractical reasons: At 2.62 pounds and half an inch thick, it was exceptionally thin and light, even for an ultraportable, but it suffered from relatively short battery life and performance that trailed some rivals. Fortunately, the company just announced a new flagship, the Yoga 900, and it appears to improve on its predecessor in every way that matters. For starters, it movies from one of Intel’s low-powered Core M chips to a sixth-gen Core i5 or i7 CPU. Between that and a new option for 16GB of RAM, the performance here should be faster than it was just a year ago. At the same time, Lenovo didn’t have to compromise much on weight: the Yoga 900 is just heftier, at 2.8 pounds and 14.9mm (0.59 inch) thick.Slideshow-330250 That addresses performance. As for battery life, Lenovo bumped up the battery capacity by about 50 percent, promising between eight and nine hours of runtime. Last year’s model lasted around seven and a half hours in our tests, so if the new model can indeed reach nine, that would be a marked improvement. Lenovo also increased the base storage from 128GB to 256GB, and plans to offer a 512GB on the highest-end configuration. This time, too, the Yoga starts with 8GB of RAM, going up to 16GB on the top-tier model. Additionally, Lenovo made a couple tweaks to the hardware, though this was admittedly one of the Yoga 3 Pro’s strong points in the first place. For one, Lenovo ditched last year’s five-row keyboard for a six-row setup, allowing the user to adjust things like brightness from the top row without holding down the Function key. Also, though the”Watchband” hinge in the back looks the same, Lenovo tightened it so that it feels sturdier when you’re flipping the 3, 200 x 1, 800 screen into different usage modes. Indeed, I noticed in my hands-on that the flex I complained about in my review was gone; no more creaking sound when you rotate the display back into tablet mode.Slideshow-330251 The Yoga 900 starts at $1, 200, and is available today at Best Buy and on Lenovo’s website. Colors include gold, silver and “clementine orange, ” and this time, the watchband hinge around back matches the rest of the chassis. Given that this is the direct replacement to one of our favorite laptops from last year, you can bet we intend to review this as soon as we’re able to get our hands on one. Until then, enjoy the hands-on photos.

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Lenovo’s flagship Yoga 900 laptop is an improvement in every way that matters

The Miix 700 is Lenovo’s Surface killer

Lenovo has arguably done more than any other PC maker to blur the line between tablets and laptops — but its new Ideapad Miix 700 convertible tablet is clearly aimed at one particular competitor: Microsoft’s Surface . Like that machine, the Miix 700 sports a kickstand with a high-tech hinge; it’s a pretty decent tablet on its own; and it has a well-built keyboard accessory that snaps on with a strong magnet. Even a Lenovo rep acknowledged that it was “inspired” by the Surface. But just because it looks familiar doesn’t mean it’s not a worthy convertible entry. Lenovo fans will likely appreciate the Miix 700’s solid keyboard implementation, which feels practically indistinguishable from some of the company’s laptop keyboards (and far more comfortable than the Surface Type cover), as well as the company’s more subdued style. The Miix 700 starts at $699 and will start shipping in November. Slideshow-316577 The Miix 700 packs in up to an Intel Core M7 processor, which puts it more in line with the low-powered Surface 3 than the beefy Surface Pro 3. You can still include up to 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD if you need a bit more speed and space, though. Its 12-inch screen runs at 2160 by 1440 pixels, a tad sharper than plain old 1080, and it weighs 1.7 pounds with the keyboard attached. There are also 5 megapixel front and rear cameras, and you also have the option of plugging in Intel’s RealSense 3D camera, which will let you log into Windows 10 using just your face . That’s something no Surface tablet does yet — but you can be sure Microsoft will include something similar in its next refresh (which is expected to hit in a few months). In my short hands-on time with the Miix 700, it felt like a solid, if somewhat familiar, device. Its kickstand lays flat on its back and takes a bit of effort to pull out, and it can expand almost to around 160 degrees. The big difference from the Surface? Its hinges are prominently displayed on the Miix 700’s back, rather than being hidden under the hinge. It uses two of the same “watchband” hinges we saw on the Yoga Pro 3 , a design that we ended up liking last year. I didn’t have a chance to hold the Miix 700 on my lap, but judging from the sturdiness of the keyboard and its hinge design, I expect it to be about as “lappable” as the last few Surface tablets. More on that keyboard accessory: I can’t stress enough how great it feels. Lenovo is no stranger to quality keyboards, after all. But it’s still surprising to see it pull off a very usable keyboard on a tablet cover. It also folds up slightly onto the tablet’s screen to give the keys a bit of an angle (a design choice that Microsoft also used to stabilize its keyboard). Still, as good as the Miix 700 looks and feels, you wouldn’t be blamed for wondering why it even exists. Lenovo has explored other detachable tablet concepts, like the Miix 2 , and it’s also spent plenty of time honing its hinge technology for its many Yoga convertibles. It’s also still the largest global PC vendor, with around 20 percent of the market. One possible reason is that it may feel threatened by the growth of the Surface lineup , which would also explain why it lifted so many design choices from Microsoft. If anything, Microsoft should take it as a compliment. Filed under: Laptops , Tablets , Mobile , Lenovo Comments Tags: IdeaPad, lenovo, Miix700, mobilepostcross

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The Miix 700 is Lenovo’s Surface killer

Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro: Yes, The Hinge is a Giant Watchband

The backflipping Lenovo Yoga singlehandedly made laptops cool again. The Yoga 2 Pro added a backlit keyboard and a brilliant 3200 x 1800 QHD screen. Now, Lenovo’s going for broke with the third generation of its transforming touchscreen machine. Not only is the new $1, 349 Yoga 3 Pro thinner and lighter, it has a freaking watch band consisting of 813 precision-machined, hand-assembled components holding up its infinitely positionable screen. Read more…

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Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro: Yes, The Hinge is a Giant Watchband

Lenovo’s New Thinkpad Helix: A Full, Fanless PC in an iPad-Size Body

Lenovo introduced its Helix detachable last year, with a 11.6-inch, 1080p screen, a beefy Intel Core i5 chip inside and a battery-boosting keyboard dock. Pretty much a Surface Pro. This year it’s back with a new, slimmer body and it’s one of the first gadgets out there to rep Intel’s newest “Core M” brains . Read more…

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Lenovo’s New Thinkpad Helix: A Full, Fanless PC in an iPad-Size Body

CES 2013: Laptop and Ultrabook roundup

CES is done for another year, but before we can drop the microphone, we need to put together a reminisci-package to summarize the week in notebook computing. This year’s show was chock-full with Ultrabooks, leading many to believe that full-fat notebooks are going the way of the Dodo. However, Intel’s Kirk Skaugen feels that rumors of the laptop’s demise at the hands of the Ultrabook are greatly exaggerated — seeing the latter as merely a subset of the overall mobile PC firmament. Intel announced its power-sipping Haswell architecture and revealed its highly desirable North Cape reference design, which offered us a tantalizing glimpse of what future hardware could be like. However, before we get to that, we need to deal with the hardware hitting stores this year, so if you’d like to know more, follow us after the break. Continue reading CES 2013: Laptop and Ultrabook roundup Filed under: Laptops , Samsung , HP , Lenovo Comments

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CES 2013: Laptop and Ultrabook roundup

Lenovo talks up new 27-inch “table PC” at CES

Lenovo’s IdeaCentre Horizon 27 Lenovo Lenovo is just one of the many PC makers bringing new designs to CES this week. Many of these will simply be refreshed or refined versions of the first round of Windows 8 computers—either convertible laptops or more traditional desktops and laptops with integrated touchscreens—but a few particularly interesting designs may yet rise above that fray. One of these PCs is Lenovo’s IdeaCentre Horizon 27, a 27-inch all-in-one desktop PC with an integrated battery and 1080p ten-point touchscreen. Lenovo is marketing the device as a “table PC.” Sure, a kickstand can be unfolded to allow the computer to sit on a desk as would any all-in-one. But this PC can also be laid flat on a table for use by multiple people, or mounted on the pictured roller table for use while standing. (We’ve previously stated  a touchscreen all-in-one makes the most sense ergonomically while positioned at about waist height on a standing person.) Enlarge / A roller table will change the Horizon into a standing workstation, when needed. Lenovo In concept the Horizon is quite similar to Sony’s Tap 20 , a smaller all-in-one that also included an integrated battery and foldable kickstand allowing it to be laid flat on a table. The Horizon’s larger size will mean more people can gather around it at once (and the roller table may make it more useful for people who prefer to stand at their desks), but the two machines are definitely cut from the same cloth. Like the Tap 20, multiplayer touch-enabled games figure heavily into Lenovo’s promotional material for the device. Read 1 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Lenovo talks up new 27-inch “table PC” at CES

GE uses dual piezo jets to keep a Core i7 laptop cool, play a merry tune (hands-on video)

Cooling fans are the bane of many a laptop user’s existence. The tiny things are often over-taxed right out of the box and, after a year or two worth of dust and detritus gets in them, they complain more and more loudly. As much as we hate them, engineers hate them more, as they take up precious space beneath the keyboard and draw precious juice from the battery. GE has a better solution, so-called dual piezo cooling jets. They’re just 1mm thick, could consume a fraction of the power of a fan and contain no moving parts — at least, not in the traditional sense. As a demo of their potential, GE created a prototype Core i7-powered laptop, cooled only by these jets. Click on through for our impressions. Gallery: GE Global Research dual piezo cooling jet prototype Continue reading GE uses dual piezo jets to keep a Core i7 laptop cool, play a merry tune (hands-on video) Filed under: Laptops , Science Comments

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GE uses dual piezo jets to keep a Core i7 laptop cool, play a merry tune (hands-on video)