Hasta La Gadget!

Aging Busta Rhymes witticisms aside, this new Lenovo might just be a contender for anyone on the lookout for a versatile Windows 8.1 machine. The Flex 10 is a 10-inch version of the Flex 14 and 15 models we’ve already seen, with the same 1,366 x 768 resolution and 10-point touch panel, but with a Bay Trail Pentium or Celeron processor instead of Haswell. It’s a sort of half-way house between a fanless hybrid and a full-wattage laptop, and in some ways it offers the worst of both worlds — for example, the base model provides a battery life of just four hours but has a relatively stocky weight of 2.6 pounds (1.2kg). On the other hand, the Flex 10 should run Microsoft Office and other productivity software at a faster clip than mobile-class machines like the Miix 10 or Miix2. Plus, it allows the screen to be flipped back 300 degrees into a “stand” mode, likely without costing as much as a Core i3-powered Yoga 11S — assuming the unconfirmed starting price of $550 proves to be accurate. Lenovo has a habit of adding products to its website before releasing full pricing and availability, so we’ll update this post when we learn more. (Woo Hah!)

Filed under: Laptops, Lenovo

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Source: Lenovo

The popularity of tablets have posed a solid threat to the PC industry, and in response many 2-in-1 so-called “hybrid” laptops have popped up in increasing numbers that are able to function as both — as a laptop when some serious work needs to be done, and as a tablet for activities best suited to […]

With enough time, even the best products start to feel stale. Take the original Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13: Thanks to a unique hinge that allowed the screen to fold all the way backward, it was the most versatile Windows 8 convertible on the market (and it had lots of competition, too). But as other PC makers started releasing newer Ultrabooks with sharper screens and longer battery life, it became harder and harder to recommend it. In fact, though we made a nod to the original Yoga in our last laptop buyer’s guide, we basically told people to wait for a refresh.

Turns out, that was wise advice. Lenovo recently started shipping the Yoga 2 Pro, and it brings a little more than just a fresh CPU. In addition to running new Haswell processors, it rocks a thinner and lighter design, a backlit keyboard and a 3,200 x 1,800 display — a big step up from the 1,600 x 900 panel used in the last gen. And, given that this makes use of Intel’s fourth-generation Core chips, it also promises longer battery life — up to nine hours, according to Lenovo. One thing that hasn’t really changed: the price. Even now that it has a crisper screen, it still starts at around $1,000, with a special promotion driving the starting price as low as $929. That sounds fantastic on paper, but what’s it like to actually use?%Gallery-slideshow122110%

Filed under: Laptops, Lenovo

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We praised Toshiba’s last flagship Ultrabook for its brilliant screen and speedy boot-up time, but the company’s newest Kirabook has a notable new feature — an estimated 22 hours of battery life. Intel’s new Haswell chips may have shifted our expectations of what we expect laptops can deliver battery-wise, but almost running a whole day remains an impressive feat. That’s Toshiba’s claim for its new Dynabook KIRA V654, which sidesteps touch compatibility on its 13-inch 1,366 x 768 resolution screen to add to the battery savings and weighs in at just 1.12kg. Alongside an additional high-resolution model (2,560 x 1,440), if you simply must have swipeable screens on your Windows 8 machine, there’s also the similarly-sized Dynabook Kira V834, although that model will only manage a paltry 14 hours of work and / or play. (We kid.)

The two machines will launch in Japan on 20th November, with the touch-capable V834 starting at 153,000 yen ($1,530), while the endurance-specialized V634 will start at 144,000 yen (roughly $1,446). As is often the way with these made-in-Japan PCs, there’s no word on whether the rest of the world will get to see either model yet, but we’ll let you know if we hear anything from Toshiba.

Filed under: Laptops

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Via: Engadget Japanese

Source: Toshiba

Dell this weekend announced the release of its third XPS 13 Laptop, Developer Edition, codenamed Sputnik 3. This 3.02-lb client-to-cloud touchscreen ultrabook comes prepackaged with Ubuntu Linux 12.04 LTS and a 4th-generation Intel (Haswell) processor. Developed by developers for developers, the Sputnik 3 is available in two configurations. The first configuration uses a Core i5-4200U […]