When had the opportunity to review this
model before launch, we had been honestly intrigued. Here we have something
that looks like an Ultrabook, with features like an Ultrabook, almost as thin
as an Ultrabook.but the company is not calling it an Ultrabook? Lenovo has
always been in the top group of companies that produces good computers for
everyone, thanks to its IBM heritage that it enhanced over the years. You can
see their design philosophy trickle down to each and every one of their
products, and it is no different with the new Lenovo IdeaPad S400.
Similar
looks
As we mentioned just now, the S400 looks
like an Ultrabook. In fact, it shares many design similarities with their
previous releases such as the U410 and U310. From the book-like design when the
machine is closed up, to the arrangements of the ports, and even right down to
the keyboard styling - it all screams of Ultrabook. But that all ends once you
flip the whole thing over and notice something different - the presence of a
removable battery! How about that?
Large
Pad
Specs wise, the S400 is no laughing matter.
Intel’s latest third generation Core processor, a 500GB of hard disk space,
Windows 7 (starter edition), USB 2.0 and 3.0, a full HDMI port and a SD card
reader makes this machine a very value-conscious machine for everybody. It even
comes with a very big touchpad - the biggest we have seen on a machine of its
class. It is those all-in-one touchpads, where they combine the buttons with
the tracking surface - ala the one from the fruit company.
Minor
setbacks
It is when you delve a bit deeper that you
can see some drawbacks of this machine. The battery I told you about? It is of
the 4-cell variety, so the battery life is not as long. The body is made out of
plastic, which means it doesn't come with the ThinkPad robustness. The
keyboard, while is good for its size, can be a bit mushy for some people (I
find it good however). You don't get an optical drive, eventhough the space in
the machine certainly allows it to have one and the 14 inch screen is of the
glossy variety. It's odd to be able to see the word document, yourself and the
person behind you like a mirror as you work.
Decent
deal
We ran our usual bank of tests and the
results we generated came as surprising. PerformanceTest garnered a score of
1231.5 while PCMark7 gave it a score of 2634 points. Decent indeed. If you are
looking for a fleet machine, something to give to your kids (school or
university going) or even as a light work machine, the Lenovo S400 actually
gets our thumbs up.
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Info
·
Price: TBA
·
Dimensions (H x W x D): 336.6 x 241.2 x 21.9
mm
·
Weight: 1.8 kg
·
Processor: Intel Core i5 331 7U 1.7GHz
·
Memory: 4GB
·
Storage: 500GB HDD + 24GB SSD
·
PCMark7 score: 2,634
·
Performance test score: 1,231.5
Verdict
·
A cheaper alternative to an ultrabook, even
with its weight.
·
Value: 9/10
·
Features: 9/10
·
Performance: 9/10
·
Design: 9/10
·
Usability: 9/10
·
Score: 9.0/10
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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 - Next Generation Tab 2
People here at PC.com know my opinions
about seven inch tablets. If you've been paying attention to the magazine
you'll also be able to guess what my initial reactions to the form factor are.
Sadly, they are also very popular these days. Samsung must really be confident
with their product if they're willing to let me write about it.
Not
many changes
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 doesn't look
very different from the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0. In fact, I suspect that most
consumers wouldn't be able to tell the difference at first glance. There are
subtle differences though. For instance, the Tab 2 doesn't come with a flash
for the camera. Plus, it's slightly thinner and has a different colour too!
Some
upgrades
Android 4.0 comes stock with the Tab 2,
which isn't surprising since the next version is already floating around. The
integration with Samsung's own UI is flawless, though there is some amount of
lag. You would notice that at times the hardware struggles to keep up with
what's going on the screen, though. A Quadrant Standard benchmark test showed a
respectable score of 2625, which firmly puts it in the middle of the playing
field.
Orientation
Most people will use their tablets as media
players, and rightly so. It's what you come to expect from a device like this.
In this context, the tablet will very likely be held landscape style for
watching movies. While Samsung appears to have understood this when it designed
the new 10 inch tablet, they seem to have forgotten about it for this one.
There are two speakers on the device but they're both located at the bottom -
right next to each other. On one hand, you can get proper stereo sound but only
if you hold it upright. That kind of defeats the purpose if you ask me. To be
fair, the speakers themselves aren't that bad. You won't get the best possible
quality audio out of them, but they do get the job done.
Living
with it
I keep telling myself to get an e-reader.
Something for me to read books on, like a Kindle. That would mean buying a 7-inch
tablet. But my inherent dislike of the form has always prevented me from
actually getting one. The Samsung doesn't help. Sure the weight is light enough
that you would have no problem holding it in one hand for a couple of hours.
And the screen isn't too bright, meaning that you can look at text with a white
background without feeling like your retinas are being burnt out. Yes, it is a
good tablet for just sitting back and reading (something that I do quite a bit)
but I don't like it for some reason. Maybe I'm just being nitpicky.
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Info
·
Dimensions: 193.7 x 122.4 x 10.5 mm
·
Weight: 344 g
·
Display: 7.0 inches, PLS LCD capacitive
touchscreen
·
Internal: 1 GB RAM, 8/16/32 GB storage
·
Processor: TI OMAP 4430 1GHz Dual core
·
Quadrant standard: 2,625
Verdict
·
Not a bad tablet, review biased by prejudice
·
Value: 8/10
·
Features: 8/10
·
Performance: 7/10
·
Design: 6/10
·
Usability: 8/10
·
Score: 8.0/10
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