Hasta La Gadget!

With the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11, we’ve got the smaller cousin of the IdeaPad 13, this 11-inch display-toting machine working with a size that’s not just smaller physically. Inside this device we’ve got the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor paired with Microsoft’s Windows RT and a 5-point multi-touch display. This display exists on a hinge that allows this notebook to fold 360 degrees back and flat.

Hardware

This machine’s screen is an 11.6-inch TFT LCD with 1136 x 768 pixel resolution working with LED Backlit technology and 350 nits of brightness. This display has a 170 degree viewing angle both vertical and horizontal, and its certainly good enough to work long hours worth during the day. If you’re thinking about working with this device in the dark, you might want to take a test-drive in the store first.

With blacks this dark and a keyboard that’s not backlit, you’ll want a bright lamp over your shoulder at least. If you want to bring this device to the coffee shop, you’re looking at a winner. This machine is 11.7 x 8 x 0.61 inches small, and save the MacBook Air itself, we’ve never experienced a more portable system. With just 2.73 lbs to its name, this machine is ready to be tossed in your backpack or large purse without effort.

Because this machine is made by Lenovo, it’s extremely rugged. While when we’re working with essentially any other notebook this size, there’s always a thought of “ah, gotta make sure I’m not dropping it.” With the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11, we’ve got a machine that we’re as close to “lemme toss this to you across the room” as we’ve ever gotten with a computer. With soft-touch plastic around magnesium aluminum alloy both on the top and on the bottom – in a lovely set of colors, might I add – you’ve got what feels like a top-notch complete package.

Inside you’ve got a few more specifications you might want to hear about if you’re planning on using this device for anything other than word processing, internet browsing, and some basic gameplay. Have a peek:

• 2 GB std / 2GB max / PC3-12800 1600MHz DDR3L*, soldered to system board, no sockets *System automatically clocks down to 1500MHz for NVIDIA Tegra3 T30 processor
• Audio: High Definition (HD) Audio, Realtek® ALC5642 codec / stereo speakers (0.5 watt x 2), microphone, microphone input and headphone combo jack (3.5 mm)
• 64 GB / eMMC (embedded Multi Media Card) flash memory onboard
• 2 x USB 2.0, HDMI, SD card reader, 3.5mm Mic/Headphone Combo
• Ambient Light Sensor, Accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, Digital Compass
• OGS Panel – Single piece of glass as both cover lens and sensor substrate

The hardware is solid and really, really high quality. You’ll be considering the software it’s paired with next – and more than likely last, too. Make sure you know what you’re working with here and follow the Windows RT news before you jump in, feet first.

Software

It’s not easy reconciling the fact that this beautiful machine is working with Windows RT. Having a touchscreen up front that’s able to be used in several different modes is awesome, but when you’re crippled by an operating system that looks and feels like Windows 8 but isn’t – that’s confusing.

Using Windows RT is almost like eating an off-brand cereal without seeing the box: it certainly looks like the real deal, but once you taste it, you get wise. You’ll be unable to run Google Chrome, Valve’s Steam for games, or Geekbench for benchmarking your system. With Windows RT, you’re getting what’s closer to what seems to be intended as a tablet system rather than a full-fledged notebook setup.

That said, you do get the option of ordering this system with the full Microsoft Office suite running right out of the box. Microsoft has been pretty good about making sure their own basic set of apps works on Windows RT, and you do have access to the NVIDIA TegraZone Windows RT Edition as well – however limited that may still be. If Judge Dredd VS Zombies and Hydro Thunder are enough to wet your whistle, then by all means go for it – NVIDIA is also growing this collection too as the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor (found inside this device) stays strong through 2013.

Up against the Competition

Your big question might be at this point what the benefit is in having this device over any other – especially one so inexpensive as, say, a Chromebook. When it comes down to it, this device has that same acceptance curve as a Chromebook has – you just can’t run everything you run on your full-powered PC. We’d even thought about trying to work with this device as a sort of top-tier Chromebook too to test how it’d be, but again, Chrome doesn’t work on Windows RT.

If you’re comparing this device to a full Windows 8 Lenovo notebook, you’ll be in for a trick – working with Windows 8 on the IdeaPad Yoga 13 is a good enough to feel a bit left out with the Yoga 11′s relative lack of oomph – and it’s certainly not a device you’re going to want to compare to a MacBook Air unless you only need it for word processing and browsing the web (on Internet Explorer). The price for this machine does remain enticing: anywhere from $599 to $849 USD and you’ve got a real draw. Compare it to the relative greatness of the Yoga 13, on the other hand, and you might as well drop the extra few bucks to work with full Windows 8 and the larger display.

Wrap-up

You’ll have to think this one through – unlike the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13, you’ve not got a full-powered PC on your hands here. This device is made to be a traveler, and certainly not your one single machine if you’ve got a computer-based job. Should you want to use your PC for nothing but social networking and play, this is a good choice – it’s relatively inexpensive and it’s good for travel.

Lenovo has created a bit of a bitter winner here. While many devices in this category are pretty awesome from top to bottom save their end product, the IdeaPad Yoga 11 is rough and tough and is something I’d put in my backpack for a trip. If I were going on a business trip with my SlashGear compatriots, I’d have to leave it at home.

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week the folks at NVIDIA have been revealing bits and pieces of their GPU roadmap with Tegra and GeForce GPU action left and right, moving forward with their newest mobile superhero code-named SoC “Parker.” This SoC comes after the still code-named “Logan” and will, if the naming scheme holds true, be Tegra 6 down the road. Along with this reveal came word of a code-named system called “Kayla” – a processing beast that, when it’s ready for action, will be extra-tiny and extra-powerful beyond anything we’re capable of today.

Parker is the newest in a line of code-named Tegra processors, coming after Wayne (Tegra 4) and Logan (Tegra 5, more than likely), and bringing on the innovations of past generations and/or outdoing them with the following firsts:

• First with Denver CPU.
• First 64 bit ARM processor coupled with NVIDIA’s next-gen Maxwell GPU.
• First to use FinFET transistors.

According to NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, this is only the beginning. Huang noted that “In five years time, we’ll increase Tegra by 100 times, though Moore’s Law would suggest an eight-fold increase.” With Logan we’ll see the first mobile processor on the planet to work with CUDA. This processor will also bring Kepler GPU power and OpenGL 4.3 – and it’ll be in production by early 2014.

Parker, on the other hand, is still in the pipeline. While we may see it out by 2015, we can’t be sure until NVIDIA gives the real word.

Then there’s Kayla. With NVIDIA’s Kayla, we’ve got what’s been described by Huang as “Logan’s girlfriend.” This device is around the size of a tablet PC at the moment, and is beastly enough already to run real-time ray tracing. As Huang said, “this is showing the kind of demos we used to do on massive GPUs.”

Inside Kayla you’ll find CUDA 5, Linux, and PhysX processing. All of this runs on a rather tiny ARM-toting computer – and it’s coming sooner than later. Have a peek at the timeline below for more Tegra and GeForce GTX action from NVIDIA as GTC 2013 continues – hit up our tag portal for more action as well, we’ll be here the whole conference long!

And don’t forget to check our massive Tegra hub for more mobile processing action than you can handle – more big blasts coming up quick!

NVIDIA Tegra “Parker” blasts forth aside mini ARM computer “Kayla” is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s time to bring out the big guns with The Conduit HD for Android, a game that’s been boosted into the mobile space by the developers at High Voltage Software assisted by the Tegra team at NVIDIA. With this version of the game you’ll be rolling out with everything you saw on the original Wii version and more – 9 mission of furious blasting of alien beasts from the comfort of your own smartphone or tablet! This game is out this week for Tegra-toting machines, here in the mobile universe for the first time!

What you’re seeing here is a rather radical environment in which your mission is to destroy a mysterious and other-worldly enemy with a dynamic user interface available right from your touchscreen device or wirelessly with your own Bluetooth-connected gaming controller. You’ll be using pistols, machine guns, and a fabulously strange “All Seeing Eye” device (ASE in the game) to explore this strange new world and puzzle solve as you blast through the opposition. Below you’ll see the game running on the Google Nexus 7, the ASUS-made tablet working with NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 quad-core processor under the hood.

You’ll be able to control your gameplay from start to finish with control options everywhere from flipped tapping to auto-fire mode. You’ll be able to change the layout of the buttons and controls, change the way you target and move, and you’ll have – specifically – GameStop Controller support as well. This is the more “traditional” way to play the game, they say, with Bluetooth-connected blasting on your side.

The weapons you’ll be using number to 18, unique firing modes and actions for each, with the ASE to back you up from start to finish. You’ll be destroying your enemies which number to 14, for starters, both human and alien creatures coming at you not just from straight up in front, but below and up above as well. Head down the stairwell, watch out for snipers up on a second level, and toss grenades all around.

And the best part is the graphics have been given a bump between the original Wii version and here with NVIDIA’s Tegra SoC. With the Tegra 3 quad-core processor you’ll be blasting up and out with what the Chief Creative Officer of High Voltage Software, Eric Nofsinger, calls “console-quality visuals on mobile devices.” This includes enhanced lighting in all your darkest corners, higher resolution graphics than ever before, and “much-improved” visual fidelity compared to this game’s original release.

This game will be available to you immediately if not soon from the Google Play app store through the NVIDIA TegraZone with a rather unique pricing structure. You’ll be able to download the game for free, and the first two levels are completely free. After that you’ve got the option of buying the whole rest of the game at once for $4.99, or you can buy each of the two halves of the game for $2.99 each. At the moment we can’t imagine why you’d only want half the game, but to each their own.

Have a peek at the timeline below for more Tegra-enhanced games available in the NVIDIA TegraZone right this minute, and don’t forget to hit up our own massive Tegra Hub too for more NVIDIA mobile action than you can handle!

The Conduit HD Android Tegra Enhanced Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

At Mobile World Congress last month we had a magical experience with ASUS that noone will ever forget – but one device we saw seems to have been looked over until now: the ASUS Transformer AiO. This device was shown, but not exactly detailed – this week we’re learning why. Apparently this machine – bear with me now – is both a Windows 8 desktop and an Android tablet – both running separate processors.

What you’ve got here is an All-in-One desktop machine, first and foremost, running Intel Core architecture inside with a full Windows 8 experience up front. The full touch-friendly interface you’ve got up front is working through a 18.4-inch display that’s also detachable and usable as a tablet. When you detach the display, you’re no longer using the Intel Core i5 or Windows 8 – instead you’re working with the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor inside the detached unit itself, and you’re working with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

NOTE: this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this concept. We had a hands-on experience with an early iteration of the ASUS Transformer AiO last year, too.

The kicker is that with this setup you’ll also be able to work with Windows 8 on the detached tablet in Remote Desktop mode. Of course that’s not quite the quick, perfect, and awesome experience you’ll be getting when you have the display/tablet attached to the desktop, but it’s still quite the exercise in flexibility! When you’re working with Remote Desktop mode, mind you, you’re working over a wi-fi connection in your own home – or office – or wherever you’ve got this lovely beast.

The desktop works with NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M graphics as well, so you’re also working with a double-dose of NVIDIA magic, both the mobile side of things with the Tegra, and the desktop graphics side of things with GeForce. You’ll also be working with four USB 3.0 ports and HDMI-out for additional monitor action. In fact, as the fun never stops, you can have the desktop working with HDMI-out to a monitor with Windows 8 while the tablet works with Android completely separately – fabulous weirdness!

Above: This magician (really, he did magic on stage) is holding the tablet portion of this wild amalgamation.

The removable bit is an 18.4-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD display with 1080p HD resolution that’s got 10-point multitouch and some super 178-degree wide viewing angles all around. This display also has a “convenient carrying handle” as well as a folding stand that you’ll be able to set it up with when you realize how massive it is – not quite a laptop situation, this one.

You’ll be seeing this machine blasting forth early inside the second quarter of 2013 in North America with pricing starting at $1299 USD. Sound like a deal to you? Let us know if you’ve got any questions about this beast and get pumped up for our full review – coming on quick! Also have a peek in the timeline below to see other recent announcements and hands-on experiences from ASUS, too!

ASUS Transformer AiO is a world’s first: Windows 8/Android hybrid madness is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

With the Microsoft Xbox 720 and the Sony PlayStation 4 looming, it may seem strange that an Android-based gaming console called OUYA would have any impact on the public’s interest. But there it is, a tiny box working with Google’s mobile OS and the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor (with 4-PLUS-1 technology) and the ability to run a lovely collection of games right out of the box. And given the news and updates we’ve seen over the past few weeks, it’s more than just the Kickstarter fans that are aiming to get their hands on the OUYA action.

The most recent news bit to hit the OUYA-sphere has been word from the creators of the console that they’ve already seen such a great response, they’re planning on releasing a new model every year. That’s a schedule only a smartphone or tablet generally keeps. It’s also been claimed by the company that the first retail sales window will be June of 2013 – coming up quick!

Partners have been stacking up with intentions of getting games onto the OUYA platform since before the hardware was finalized. In fact we’ll not really know exactly what the console looks like in its end-form until the public has their hands on the retail version of the device, but still, the innards are enticing! Have a peek at this brief list of contributors and games promised to be attached to the system thus far:

• Words with Friends creator Paul Bettner
• Double Fine Productions’ Tim Schafer
• Firefox creators Mozilla
• CodeZombieGames who brought on a first-impressions look at the hardware
• Namco Bandai
• Plex
• HAWKEN!
• Twitch TV
• Minecraft
• XBMC
• Vevo
• Square Enix who’ll bring Final Fantasy III
• Onlive for game streaming of all kinds
• Human Element in a prequel format
• And the OUYA team has also revealed lists of games promised for the console

There are already Developer Consoles out there in the wild and they’ve been shipping since December to a full list known only to the company itself.

have a peek at the timeline below to see more recent OUYA action and stay tuned to SlashGear for the upcoming launch – and any oddities that occur between here and there!

OUYA Accelerates is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.