Lenovo has re-imagined the way we use laptop computers and tablets, combining the best of both into one attractive and lightweight device, the IdeaPad Yoga 13. It's the first laptop to show off the potential of Windows 8 for a new breed of personal computer, bringing together the convenience of an 'always on' tablet computer with the heavy duty features of a production work machine.
And it looks great too.
"Lenovo has spotted an opportunity to use Windows 8 not just as a way to think about new types of touch-enabled software applications," says Alexi Hume, product manager for Lenovo at Tarsus Technologies. "It's designed the Yoga 13 to take advantage of all the new features that Windows 8 has to offer to produce something different yet highly practical compared to what has gone before."
With Windows 8, Microsoft has combined the traditional Windows desktop with a new, tile-based modern user interface (UI) for launching tablet-like apps and services. The modern UI lends itself well to operation via a touch screen, but customers may yet be reluctant to abandon their keyboards.
"The secret to the appeal of the Yoga 13 is the 360-degree screen hinge," says Hume. "It sounds simple, but by allowing the screen to fold back on itself, Lenovo has created four different ways to make the most of Windows 8 without compromising on style, weight or usefulness."
At first glance, the Yoga 13 looks like a traditional clamshell laptop. The screen folds closed over the keyboard for protection when not in use, and sits upright for comfortable typing. Flip the screen over so the keyboard locks into position behind it, and you have a touch-sensitive tablet that's more convenient to use for browsing the Web, reading e-books or watching movies on the go.
"By day it's a fully functioning work laptop," says Hume, "but at night it's just as convenient as any other slate device."
Its versatility extends even further. The IdeaPad Yoga 13 can also be folded into an A-frame 'tent' position with the screen facing outwards for watching movies, or into an L-shape so that the keyboard supports the screen from behind at a more vertical angle. Just like Android or iOS, Windows 8 detects the screen orientation automatically and makes sure what you're watching is the right way up.
There's more to the Yoga 13 than just a quirky screen, though. It's also the first machine to make use of Windows 8's gesture control, and the forward-facing Webcam can be used to track hand movements just like Microsoft's Xbox Kinect controller.
"Being able to swipe a finger in the air to turn a page or switch to a different application is a huge step forward for the way we use computers," says Hume, "It's a much over-used phrased, but what Lenovo is showing us here really is just the beginning."
None of the IdeaPad Yoga 13's features would be desirable, of course, if it wasn't also one of the best appointed laptops on the market. The 13-inch screen uses IPS technology for the brightest, most accurate colour reproduction possible, and it has a super-sharp HD+ 1600x900 resolution to go with it. Top-end performance is provided by a third-generation Intel Core i7 processor, coupled with a 256GB SSD drive and up to 4GB RAM.
"It's as happy editing photos and videos as it is running Excel or playing Angry Birds," says Hume. "It's the ultimate all-rounder."
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