ThinkPad Yoga contorts into new screen sizes, adds new CPUs Editors take User Reviews comments 13/ facebook 0 / twitter 27 / pinterest / googleplus / more more + January 5, 2015 12:00 PM PST While people certainly like Lenovos Yoga line of hybrids, with its 360-degree hinge that folds back into a kiosk or tablet, theres always been one major complaint. In the tablet mode, youve still got the laptops keyboard and touchpad exposed, usually right under your fingers while holding the tablet. The keyboard and touchpad are automatically deactivated, but its still awkward to hold. Lenovo partially solved this problem back in 2014 with the ThinkPad Yoga, a variant with a keyboard that vanished thanks to a clever bit of mechanical sleight of hand. The keyboard didnt actually retract, but the shell of the keyboard tray rose up and locked into place, making the keyboard reasonably flush with the rest of the interior surface. We liked that workaround in the original ThinkPad Yoga, although we felt the laptop was missing some of the high-end features found in the standard Yoga models. The ThinkPad Yoga line is now expanding, with new second-generation models. Besides a 12-inch model that matches the screen size of the original ThinkPad Yoga, the series now includes 14-inch and 15-inch versions, making this the biggest Yoga display to date. thinkpad-yoga-151.jpg The big 15-inch ThinkPad Yoga. Lenovo The overall look and feel is similar to the first-generation ThinkPad Yoga, but there are some notable internal upgrades, and each screen size has its own selling points. The 12-inch model has an especially bright screen, at 400 nits, and is a reasonably slim 19mm thick. The 14-inch and 15-inch models will offer optional Nvidia graphics, and a new ActivePen stylus that Lenovo says is a step up from the standard pen/digitizer in the 12-inch model. All are moving to Intels new fifth-generation Core i-series CPUs, also known by the codename Broadwell. Beyond that, the 15-inch ThinkPad Yoga also offers an option to upgrade to Intels new RealSense camera , which uses a depth-sensing camera system to track objects in 3D space, allowing you to use hand gestures or even scan objects into 3D modeling programs just by holding them up to the webcam. Its been spotted in a handful of models, including Dells Venue 8 7000, but we havent extensively tested its claims. The 12-inch ThinkPad yoga starts at $999, while the 14- and 15-inch models start at $1,199. The 14-inch will only be available directly through Lenovo or at Best Buy, and all three should ship in February in the US, with international prices and dates still to come. The US prices convert to £650 or AU$1,235, and £780 or AU$1,480 respectively.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 06:43:01 +0000