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Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

Summary: The Lenovo Yoga brings the Ultrabook and tablet together using a unique dual-hinge flip design.

James Kendrick

By for Mobile News |

I like the idea of a tablet that can also function as a notebook. It provides the best of both worlds to me, functioning as a tablet most of the time yet coupling with a keyboard when I need to bang out some text. Most companies take the two piece approach with a screen that pops into a separate keyboard dock, but the Lenovo Yoga puts it all together for a one piece fits all approach.

See also: All Ultrabooks are thin, what else have you got?

The Yoga is a Windows 8 Ultrabook with a 13.3-inch screen that uses a dual-hinge design that bends back 360 degrees to also form a tablet with 10 point multitouch capability. It goes from a Windows 8 notebook to a tablet with just a bend of the display, taking full advantage of the Windows 8 capability. The advantage of the Yoga method over that of the detachable screen is the ability to use the bottom keyboard part as a stand for the touchscreen at any desired angle.

When used as a tablet it brings a high-definition 13-inch slate to the table, running at 1600x900 for tremendous touch tablet operation. The device is only 0.67 inches thick and 3.1 pounds for easy operation in any configuration. Lenovo claims the Yoga will get up to 8 hours battery life, a decent run time for a full Ultrabook.

The Yoga looks like a fit for those primarily wanting an Ultrabook, with occasional use as a tablet. I'm not sure 3.1 pounds makes for a comfortable tablet experience for very long. It will likely get more extended use as a laptop with a touchscreen.

The Lenovo Yoga is expected to hit the market the second half of 2012, at an estimated starting price of $1,199.

Also see: CNET’s CES coverage and Join us for Lenovo’s CES 2012 press conference (Tuesday, 4:30 p.m. PT) | Lenovo IdeaPad Z, G, and Y series updates focus on better graphics, not much else

Topics: Hardware, Laptops, Lenovo, Microsoft, Mobility, Tablets, Windows

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  • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

    I think this is [b]great![/b] Finally an open and vastly superior ecosystem!

    Windows 8 FTW!

    [i]~~~~~~~~~~
    We enjoy the process far more than the proceeds.
    ~ Warren Buffett
    [/i]
    WinTard
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

      @WinTard

      It's nice to see that after 2.5 years, you finally have something to cheer and get excited about. Thank goodness! I don't think I could have taken much more negative remarks about the iPad for much longer. Grin.

      Your wait is almost over. May the reality be as pleasant as the dream.
      kenosha77a
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

    Nice, I'm very interested. Any word on battery life or if a slice battery will be available?
    david.daugherty@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

      @david.daugherty@... In the article.
      JamesKendrick
      Reply Vote

  • Cool. Probably wait for v2 to trim the weight and up the battery life with

    ivy bridge. Would like the integrated DX11. But they are on the right track. This 360 hinge should be more robust than the two piece docking transformer method.
    Johnny Vegas
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

    A keyboard dock is relatively new. The Lenovo is reminiscent of the Windows convertibles of the last decade, although the Fujitsu with the pivoting screen (open, rotate screen 180?? and close it against the keyboard, to make a tablet) looks a better bet than having the exposed keyboard on the back, as the Lenovo image in the article seems to suggest.
    wright_is
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

      @wright_is

      That's a good point about the exposed keyboard.
      metromalenyc
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

    Hmm. Very interesting & unique design. I'll definitely be considering one of these. Still waiting to see what HP & Dell will offer. So far, Lenovo & Asus have offered some interesting designs.

    The only drawback I see to this design is that, since the keyboard isn't removable, it makes for a heavy tablet.
    metromalenyc
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

      @metromalenyc

      3.1 lbs heavy. And the 13" screen while ideal for laptop use is overkill for tablets IMO. It's the classic problem with hybrid type devices, they're hardly ever a best of both worlds.
      dave95.
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

        @dave95: Agreed that's the problem. These hybrid devices almost always end up being "Jack of all trades, master of none".
        bradavon
        Reply Vote

    • This is not a good design

      @metromalenyc
      I own an iPad 2 with a Logitech Zagg keyboard / case and it is the best of both worlds. The keyboard makes it functional but I can remove the tablet and walk around with it while leaving the keyboard on my desk.

      I would not purchase a "tablet" with a non removable keyboard.
      toddybottom
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

      @metromalenyc Remember, though, that the weight of the bottom half of device is mostly not the heft of the keyboard, but the weight of normal laptop hardware. If you removed the keyboard, you'd be left with a non-functioning tablet.
      Joe Slote
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

    I like it. Not only can it function as a notekook or tablet, but you can also stand it up at your desk and plug in an external keyboard (so much more comfortable than those awful notebook keyboards).
    dsf3g
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

    It's a nice idea but it's way to big and heavy to use as a tablet and the keyboard would just get in the way. The Asus Transformer Prime is perfect in this respect and one running Windows 8 would be very interesting indeed. Lets hope Asus is working on it.
    bradavon
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

      @bradavon I have a convertible laptop in the HP TouchSmart tm2 and I have found (even though heavy and 12.1") that I use it in tablet mode about 25% of the time, Mostly for reading or note taking, I can write faster than I type LOL. I have W8DP on it until the 29th and then I will use the consumer preview. I have used it in the tablet mode much much more since I put W8 on it
      bvonr@...
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

    wow, Yoga would have been a better choice, unfortunately in Sept. I bought 10' tablet, which is disappointment. The touch screen freezes even with pen. Android software very poor and often doesn't work. Can't use Skype because the sound is a whisper. It works with ear plugs but that is not I want. The outside bottoms are useless. Email doesn't have spell check. I used it for travel in Asia, for email, banking and news, battery life is good. Yoga's advantage definitely is Win 8.
    marybee
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

    I think this can be a winner-especially if they can make an 11 inch lighter model.
    I will take that over a tablet anyday. Nice idea, now I can work my spreadsheets and also use it as a tablet for casual use when I'm bored.
    " Just make it smaller and lighter"
    kwekut
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

    I want a hybrid ultrabook tablet for taking notes with OneNote. Although a stylus/pen is not absolutely essential to that, lack of a stylus kinda defeats the purpose of it having a slate mode because inking is a major part of the note taking application. Will this have a stylus?
    Mokusatsu
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

    I like it. big screen, real notebook processing power, and I do not mind the weight as a trade for those features. The fold-over is a huge plus for presenting to a small group around a table because it is easier to make eye contact or judge what the individuals in the group might be thinking about your slides or CAD, when you are behind the screen facing them.
    opcom
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Lenovo Yoga: Tablet and Ultrabook in one with Windows 8

    I'd prefer an 11.6" version. I'm carrying an 11.6" laptop now and go back and have a 10" tablet and 7" tablet (always connected Evo View). The 13" would be more unwieldy than the 10" one so I'd still be using three devices. I don't need a 13" tablet, and I doubt the masses do either. As mentioned, it's likely to be an ultrabook with a touchscreen that sees occasional tablet use. Kind of a small niche market if you ask me. And as others have mentioned, the exposed keyboard doesn't really instill long term confidence for durability. I'm assuming the keyboard is deactivated at the very least when in tablet mode.

    So give me a convertible in the low 2lb range with an 11.6" screen, and I'd be a happy camper and still keep my Evo View but ditch everything else.
    crogs
    Reply Vote
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