Lenovo unfolds smaller Yoga tablet-laptop hybrid
11-incher still weighty and pricey
Lenovo has announced an 11in version of its still-to-ship Yoga tablet-laptop hybrid.
Part of the IdeaPad line-up, Yoga is so named because the hinge on its clamshell casing allows the screen not merely to be lifted up from the keyboard and folded flat against the desk but can be pushed further round to form a tablet.
Lenovo showed off a 13in, 1600 x 900 version of the bendy device in January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), but the addition of a model with a 11.6in, 1366 x 768 panel will appeal to those who expect to spend more time using the gadget as a tablet than as a notebook - though it still weighs 1.3kg.
The price is no less hefty: $799 (£499) before sales tax in the US. UK pricing remains TBA. The 13-incher will cost $1099 (£687) before tax.
While the 13in Yoga comes with an Intel Core i7 CPU, the 11-incher has an Nvidia Tegra 3.
Also packed into the chassis are 2GB of Ram, 64GB of SSD storage, USB 2.0 ports, Bluetooth 4.0, 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi and stereo speakers.
Both models will run Windows 8, of course. ®
COMMENTS
Re: too big
13" might be too big for us non he-men to hold in one hand, but the form-factor still has benefits even if the device is still sat on a desk, in the manner shown in the article's image. It allows the screen to be closer to the user, not only only benefiting the experience of watching movies, but making touch-screen interaction less tiring.
Even if you wish to use it as a conventional PC, having the built-in keyboard folded around back allows you more room to use a wireless keyboard and mouse, thus allowing you to improve the ergonomics at your desk (the screen and keyboard position can be adjusted independently, there's more room for your mouse)
The device can also be used casually on ones lap on the sofa (to quickly check TV listings, for example) without danger of the screen tipping back and the whole lot falling on the carpet.
Like I said, I like this form factor, if only because it gives the user some more options with very little compromise over an existing laptop design (they've put a bit more work into the hinges, and presumably installed the means to disable the keyboard in certain situations... that's it.) It offers a fair bit if benefit for very little cost.
I do like the idea of this form factor.
I'm assuming that the Tegra 3 model is Win8-RT and the i7 model is full fat Win8... though the article is a little ambiguous - does the i7 model really only come with 2GB RAM?
There is a call for a tablet this big
Simole, if you use it for reading documents, e.g. Manuals in PDF form that don't have any kind of flow then when you get them on soemthing like an iPAd the font is a bit small.
You need something approaching a magazine size to read properly, especially if you are getting old and decrepit
I'd like it to be lighter, but this is a strong candidate for me to buy simply because the Surface Pro wont be out for months. I've held off buying a new device for long enough. I don't have the patience to wait much longer.
Re: "Both models will run Windows 8, of course."
"So...you can't run any of your existing software on it. Nor can you download any free or open source software you might want to run"
So, just like an iPad then, only better.
