Lenovo Yoga Book

http4 of 4 people found this review helpful 2017-02-02 Lenovo Yoga Book Pros: Powerful, Slim, Versatile, Real Pen and Real Paper note taking. Cons: Not enough connection ports, large bezel At the time of writing this review, I have a fairly hectic lifestyle. I'm currently working an average of 14 hours per day, studying for an exam, writing, producing videos, running a website and juggling family life. There is literally not enough hours in the day. This means that I am heavily dependent on a variety of devices from Desktop, Laptop, mobile and tablet devices. All of which run different operating systems, which in turn can cause problems when transferring files. I decided that I needed to streamline. Enter the Lenovo Yoga Book. The Lenovo Yoga Book a 2 in 1 notebook and tablet combination and is available in both Windows 10 and Android operating systems. The Android is currently running Marshmallow (6.0), but will likely receive a Nougat (7.0) update in the coming months. I opted for the Android version as Google have a range of apps that make transferring files between Windows and iOS very simple and straightforward, meaning no matter what I'm doing I can port documents and files wherever they need to go without formatting complications. The Yoga Book has 64Gb of internal storage and a port that supports a 164Gb microSD. The first thing you'll notice is the build quality. The Yoga Book is encased in Gun Metal Grey Brushed Stainless Steel with a truly beautiful Watchband Hinge, similar to that found on Lenovo Yoga Laptops. As the name implies, the Yoga Book really does resemble a small book. It measures 4.05 mm (0.16 inches) on its thinnest side and only 9.6 mm (0.38 inches) when fully closed. It also weighs a meager 690 grams (1.52 pounds). Yoga Book is one of the and lightest 2-in-1 devices. It has a 10.1 inch 1080p touchscreen display, which is crystal clear. The screen bezel is large for a modern device, but when you consider the tech that Lenovo has crammed into the guts of the Yoga Book, you understand why. And the large glass bezel doesn't detract from the aesthetics of the device. Ports Micro-USB Micro HDMI: Up to 3840×2160 (4K) SIM slot (Nano SIM - not available on all Yoga Books) Micro SD slot AUX port The major innovation that attracted me to the Yoga Book is the Halo Keyboard, a touch keyboard. Touch keyboards are common on most tablets, but what sets the Halo keyboard apart from a standard touch-screen keyboard are several things: A thinner device, a typical keyboard requires space for switches and mechanical parts. The Halo keyboard has no moving pieces and uses its own touch panel to save on space and opens up room for additional features. The keyboard can appear or disappear with the press of a button or touch of an icon. More screen, better experience. A traditional on-screen keyboard takes up screen real estate and makes for slow, awkward thumb typing. The Halo keyboard is separated from the display screen and provides the user with a more familiar 10-finger clam shell typing experience. The Halo keyboard uses a layer of Gorilla Glass with anti-glare coating with a matte and grainy paint for a better feel and recognizes your typing. By removing the mechanical component of a keyboard, the Yoga Book becomes a unique 2-in-1 device. Taking that innovation one step further, Lenovo has layered into the Yoga Book another feature called the Create Pad. This is a layer of Electromagnetic Resonance (EMR) film that resides under the keyboard that is powered by Wacom Feel technology. This Wacom digitizing pad supports up to 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity and 100-degree angle detection. The Create Pad’s EMR waves are sent from a sensor, receiving the signals returned by the pen. These signals are then processed through algorithm-based analysis, allowing written on the paper or multi-use pad. Lenovo claim that you never have to charge or replace the real-pen accessory and it’s batteries. It's easy to instantly collaborate and share notes and drawings with colleagues on the Yoga Book. Students and professionals can quickly digitize their lecture or meeting notes. Artists and creatives can sketch their ideas that get immediately backed up. A practical feature of the Real Pen is the ability to transition from digital stylus to a mini-ballpoint ink tip. Simply use the cap of the pen to swap out the tips and start writing on the Book Pad. Lenovo has included the Book Pad pad that holds a stack of paper. There is no special technology within the pad or paper itself. It simply helps align the stack of paper with the underlying digitizer. The pad can be refilled with standard A5 sized paper. In the Box with the Yoga Book comes: 1 Real Pen 1 Book Pad 20 Paper Book Pad Refills 3 Real Pen Ink Refill Another surprise feature was the inclusion of Dolby Atmos. I was sceptical about how well, if at all, the Yoga Book would handle 3D sound. It is very impressive and I'm still wondering how Lenovo and Dolby manage to produce sounds that sound like they are coming from above and behind you from 2 tiny speakers on the side of the Yoga Book. In summary, the Yoga Book, while it will never replace my desktop PC for many dedicated tasks, it has replaced my laptop, mobile phone and notebook for all other tasks. The battery will last anywhere between 10 and 15 hours, which is impressive and frees me from always looking for a power outlet. The Yoga Book far surpassed my expectations, and can easily out perform the likes of the iPad Pro in terms of a professional tablet. And the ability to digitise handwritten notes using a real pen and paper has been a godsend while revising. I can't recommend the Yoga Book highly enough, it is everything you expect from a notebook, a tablet, and more.

Hands on with the Nintendo Switch

On Friday 13th January 2017, Nintendo held the London launch event for the upcoming Nintendo Switch, set for release in the UK on Friday 3rd March 2017, which will retail at £279.99. At launch the Switch will be available in two variants. Both are identical and will include the Nintendo Switch console, Nintendo Switch dock, Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controller, Nintendo Switch controller straps and a HDMI cable. So what's the difference between both available consoles on day one? You will have the choice of dual Grey or Red and Blue coloured Joy-Con controllers. Nintendo also showed off the Pro Controller, which will retail in the UK between £70 - £100(!!). There was also mention of themed Joy-Con controllers, so expect to see Mario, Pokémon and Zelda themed controllers in the coming year. But what about the console itself? Well it feels like a premium product, solid and well built from Glass and Metal, which instantly raised my hopes and expectations. The Switch has a 6.2” capacitive multi-touch display with 720p resolution, which is a perfectly acceptable resolution when playing the console in handheld or tabletop modes. When connected to a TV via the dock the Nintendo Switch is capable of outputting games at up to 1080p / 30fps. In terms of memory, the Switch comes with a meager 32GB of internal storage, however this can be expanded via Micro SD up to 2TB. Expandable memory is a good move by Nintendo. If you judge the Switch against the storage requirements of PS4 & XBox One, 32GB will fill up fairly quickly. The Switch is mains powered when used as a home consoles, and powered by a non-removable battery when used as a handheld. Nintendo stated the Switch will have a maximum battery life of up to 6 hours, however Nintendo themselves said that has battery life is game-dependent, with anywhere between 2.5 to 6 hours depending on what software you’re running. Taking the Switch from home console to handheld and back again was seamless with the screens instantly switching from one to the other. I can see this being a valuable feature in family households where TV time is often fought over. The Joy-Con controllers that come bundled with the Switch are the most versatile controllers I've seen on a home console. They attach and to the sides of the Switch in handheld form, detach for party games, similar to that of the Wiimote, albeit more advanced. Finally they can be connected together as a control pad for TV game sessions. The Joy-Cons are full of accelerometers and gyroscopes for motion control, and something Nintendo call “HD Rumble”, which is an advanced form of Force / Haptic Feedback and are great fun. However they also feature an IR camera for use in multiplayer games, which although innovative is a tad gimmicky and will probably be quickly forgotten by game developers and gamers alike. Joy-Con controller's dimensions: Height: 102mm, Width: 35.9,mm, Depth: 28.4mm, Weight: Joy-Con (L) 49.3g, Joy-Con (R) 52.2g, Battery: Lithium Ion Then we have the Pro Controller, a traditional gamepad that Nintendo are selling separately. The Pro Controller is set to retail between £70 - £100. It was a very average control pad and didn't add anything that I could see that would justify that price point. The Nintendo Switch will launch with five titles on Day One: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild- Link finally gets the open world experience many gamers have been hoping for. It is a thoroughly beautiful game. While the Zelda series has kept me entertained for the past 30 years, it doesn't have that mass appeal that Mario has. Coupled with the fact Nintendo are releasing it on the same day the Wii U gets Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it begs the question - if you already own a Wii U why do you need the Switch, and if you don't own a Wii U are you going to be interested in Zelda? I think Nintendo should have made this a Switch exclusive to give it that extra appeal. That said, I think this has the potential to be 2017’s Game of the Year. 1-2-Switch- Switch exclusive. This is a party game in a similar vein of Wii Sports. It has mini games such as Fencing, Table Tennis, Wild West Duel and a Cow Milking competition (yes, really! Where it differs from Wii Sports is that this will cost you £35. It feels like a tech demo that should be bundled with the Switch, but the Switch doesn't come bundled with any games at launch. Super Bomberman R - Switch exclusive. Bomberman is a frenetic multiplayer game where the aim is to drop bombs in a maze, blocking your opponent's path. It's been a Nintendo favourite for the past 33 years, and is a great addition to the launch line up. Just Dance 2017- As party games go, the Just Dance franchise is great fun for all ages, and the Joy-Con are small enough to allow you to play without being intrusive and weighed down. Additional friends can join in without a Joy-Con as the game allows you to also use your mobile phone as a control sensor. Skylanders Imaginators Starter Pack Switch- this has been out on other consoles since October 2016. For those that don't know, Skylanders is a 3D Platform game which uses real world toy figurines to play in game by placing your chosen Skylander figure onto the game portal. Skylanders appeal to both kids and collectors. Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis due for release in April, but everyone's favourite plumber won't get an original release until Super Mario Odysseythis Christmas. Aside from Breath of the Wild and Odyssey the is a lack of first party killer games, and third party announcements are currently thin on the ground but these should pick up throughout the year. Expect big announcements at this year's E3 Expo. My overall hands on impressions with the Nintendo Switch are that it is an impressive evolution from the Wii U. Nintendo have clearly listened to their fans and improved upon what worked with the Wii U and thrown in the controller Innovations that Nintendo have become know for with every generation. The Switch has the potential to appeal the the Core gamer with the capacity to take your home console gaming with you wherever you go. The Switch will also appeal to the Casual gamers with the simplistic motion control and three versatile and practical combinations of game Control. The Switch retains familiarity with much loved characters and classic titles, while offering new ways to interact with games and challenge friends in any environment you care to take the Switch. Is Nintendo going to manage to emulate the past successes of the NES, SNES or Wii and dominate the market with the Switch? I don't think the Switch is powerful enough to convince Third Party developers to port their main titles that are required to dominate the market share, but as a family/party console and as a handheld it is way ahead of the Sony & Microsoft. And while Sony & Microsoft consider the future to be VR, Nintendo are keeping it social. And do you know what? I think I love it, for that reason I pre-ordered a Switch without hesitation.

Hiatus

Apologies for the infrequent posts on the blog since I created it last month.

I have plans to improve the contents and look of the blog in the next few months, however I'm currently studying for an exam in mid March, so until then I won't be posting as often as I would like to.

I have a couple of reviews in the pipeline that I will look to post in the coming weeks, such as the new Chime unit from Ring that was sent out last week. Aside from that, there won't be much in the way of new content until after my exam or unless I get something that I have to review.

Thanks for understanding.