Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 11
Webste: lenovo.com
The original convertible arrives. Lenovo
announced the Yoga way back at CES2012, and the ultra-flexible laptop-tablet
finally launches. Question is, is this Windows RT-NvidiaTegra-powered device
any good?
The Yoga can do a full 360-degree fold,
from laptop to tablet. You can use it as a laptop and shut it to protect the
touchscreen and keyboard, or you can use it as a tablet in ‘flat’ or ‘tent’
mode. The design does offer more flexibility (no pun intended) to use it the
way you’d like to. The keyboard is inactive once the screen folds back, so
there’s no need to worry about accidental key hits.
The
Yoga can do a full 360-degree fold, from laptop to tablet.
The Yoga 11 is fitted with an ARM-powered
Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, common in smartphones and tablets. This
ensures enough power for mobile and basic apps and internet usage, and operates
efficiently enough to give you 10-12 hours of battery life, which is superb for
a work/mobile device.
Build quality is super on the whole, and
the finishing on the exterior and keypad surface are excellent. The keyboard,
though, feels tacky and poorly laid out. The 1366x768 screen isn’t the best,
but is good enough for videos and the internet. The touch is responsive, but
not quite as satisfying as the iPad, though.
Windows RT may look exactly like Windows 8,
but it isn’t. One major disadvantage is that only apps from the Windows Store
will work. You can’t bring third party software like you would on Win8. This
reminds you that the Yoga is strictly a tablet with a keyboard, and not the
full-functionality Windows laptop that it looks like.
HTC Butterfly
Website: htc.com
HTC’s latest creation has emerged from its
chrysalis, sporting a stunning 440ppi, 5in screen. Quad-core processing, 2GB
RAM, Beats Audio innards, it’s the kind of stuff that can set hearts
aflutter...
HTC’s
latest creation has emerged from its chrysalis, sporting a stunning 440ppi, 5in
screen.
It may not be as curvy as the One X+, but
the Butterfly packs a curved back nonetheless. HTC’s wrapped it in a matte
black, soft rubber-like finish which makes it effortless to grip. A discreet,
cleverly placed rear notification light is also thrown in for when your phone’s
sunny side down.
Qualcomm’s S4 Quad-Core goodness makes its
presence felt clocking in at 1.5GHz. Android’s buttery smoothness makes swiping
the screen a fun activity with nippy gameplay, fluid motion and animations.
We’re also treated to snappy web page loads and swift ‘recent app’ transitions.
When we saw the One X’s 720p screen, it was
love at first sight. We even called it one of the best smartphone screens ever.
That title’s been snatched from its clutches by the Butterfly’s epic 440ppi
screen. Movies, photos and everything else looks bright, punchy and balanced.
VideoPic allows 6MP stills while shooting HD video simultaneously.
The HTC’s brilliant camera has been
retained - a super-fast 8MP affair backed by an f/2.0 lens. Burst mode, 1080p
video and picture-in-video all perform brilliantly and the 2.1MP front facer is
great for video calls. For now though, the S III still retains the crown of the
best snapper around.
Pull the Butterfly out of the box and it
proudly rocks Jelly Bean 4.1. It even pulls live updates via Google Now and
Sense UI 4+ packs a self-portrait camera mode. Only 16GB of storage comes
built-in, so you may want to boost it by up to 32GB via the microSD slot.
Hello, sweet space!
Acer Aspire S7
Website: acer.com
It’s so thin, we almost carved a turkey
with the S7 Ultrabook. But that would be expensive and unhygienic. So we put
the gorgeous Windows 8 device through a Stufftest instead...
Speakers on the S7 feel a bit oddly placed.
They’re nice and punchy for the minimalist size of the device, but being on the
underside of the laptop, they feel muffled. Place the S7 on your lap and the
sound takes a solid beating.
It’s
so thin, we almost carved a turkey with the S7 Ultrabook.
In its 13.3in avatar, the S7 offers the
ability to fold the Ultrabook flat on a table. This gives you a very
satisfying, croupier-like dominion over the touchscreen interface and brings
certain apps to life – especially with multi-user or arty apps such as Fresh
Paint.
The Aspire will pump out glorious Full HD
video with ease. On the 11.6in display, the 1080p visual is simply stunning.
Windows 8’s touchscreen interface suits the size and resolution so well you’ll
be spoilt for good once you get your eyes on these.
Pry it open, and the S7 presents a
pleasingly minimalist frontage, dressed up posh in its aluminum uni-body. It’s
quite slim too, at just 12.2mm, but the keyboard lacks that solid tactile
feedback. However, it glows in a stunning cool blue adjusting its bright ness to
the ambient light.
