Lenovo’s Yoga Book Convertible Scraps Physical Keyboard in Favor of Touch-Sensitive Surface
by Anton Shilov on September 1, 2016 2:05 PM EST
At IFA trade show in Berlin, Lenovo announced its latest addition to the Yoga product line, the Yoga Book convertible laptop that replaces physical keyboard with a large touchpad, which can act as a keyboard and a drawing board. The Yoga Book will be one of the thinnest and lightest convertibles on the market and will be available with Google Android and Microsoft Windows OSes.
From hardware point of view, the Lenovo Yoga Book is an ultra-thin convertible featuring a 10.1” capacitive touch IPS display (1920×1200 resolution) that is based on the Intel Atom x5-8550 which is Intel's Cherry Trail SoC with four cores running at up to 2.4 GHz, 2 MB cache, and 12 EU Gen 8 integrated graphics. The device is equipped with 4 GB of LPDDR3, 64 GB of NAND flash storage (a microSD card is also present), 802.11 ac Wi-Fi as well as LTE connectivity and so on. The Yoga Book system is just 9.6 mm thick and weighs only 690 grams since it is made of magnesium aluminum alloy. However, specifications and dimensions are not the key highlights of the novelty.
The Yoga Book convertible is one of the first products of this kind to scrap a physical keyboard in favor of a large 10.1” touchpad covered with a special anti-glare matte glass and featuring backlighting that turns on when the keyboard is needed. The surface, which Lenovo calls the Halo Keyboard, supports a haptic touch feedback technology to emulate physical keyboard and thus reduce the amount of typos that usually occurs when typing on tablets. To further speed up typing, Lenovo developed a special app that learns its user’s typing habits and tries to predict the words that are typed. The surface is essentially a large digitizer featuring Wacom technologies, it is possible to place a piece of paper on it, draw something, or write a note, and get it digitized automatically. To do so, you’ll need Lenovo’s dual-use active electrostatics (ES) stylus with Wacom Feel tech that supports 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity and can also write/draw on regular paper (special refills are needed).
| Lenovo Yoga Book Specifications | |||
| Yoga Book with Windows 10 | Yoga Book with Android 6.0 | ||
| Processor | Intel Atom x5-Z8550 (Quad-core, up to 2.4 GHz, 2 MB cache) |
||
| Memory | 4 GB LPDDR3 | ||
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics | ||
| Display | 10.1" IPS 1920×1200 resolution |
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| Storage | 64 GB | ||
| Networking | 802.11ac 2G/3G/4G (optional) |
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| SIM | Nano SIM card | ||
| Audio | Dolby Audio Premium Headset jack |
||
| Battery | Li-ion Polymer 8500 mAh 13 hours battery life |
||
| Sensors | Vibrator G-Sensor Ambient Light Sensor Hall Sensor GPS |
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| Buttons/Ports | USB, HDMI microSD card reader |
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| Back Side | Hinge with 360° Rotation Air Vents Integral to Hinge |
||
| Dimensions | 10.1" × 6.72" × 0.38" 256.6 × 170.8 × 9.6 mm |
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| Weight | ~1.52 lbs (0.69 kg) | ||
| Webcam | 2 MP front fixed-focus front webcam 8 MP front auto-focus rear cam |
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| Extras | Lenovo's software for Halo Keyboard | Lenovo's software for Halo Keyboard Lenovo's enhancements for Android 6.0 |
|
| Colors | Carbon Black | Gold Gunmetal |
|
| Pricing | Starting from $549 | Starting from $499 | |
The replacement of a physical keyboard with touch-sensitive surface allowed Lenovo to make its Yoga Book thinner than other convertibles with flip around hinges. At the same time, this opens up doors to new usage models for the device, at least for those, who use a stylus.
The manufacturer intends to offer several versions of its ultra-thin convertible. The Yoga Book in gold or gunmetal finishes with Google Android 6.0 OS will be available starting at $499. The carbon black Yoga Book Windows 10 will be priced starting at $549, whereas convertibles with Windows 10 Pro will be slightly more expensive. All versions are expected to hit the market in October.
Source: Lenovo
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versesuvius - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
I have always thought that the greatest test of usability is how comfortable a 7 year old child is with the device. If a child is comfortable with a device, then users of all ages are comfortable with the device. Even Apple knows that. You can be sure that they have children playing with their future products long before the design is finalized. They never make a big deal out of how small the bezel is on their mobile products either, specially tablets. Remember too that tablets and laptops are not phones. They are entirely different objects when it comes to handling them, unless one is somewhat inclined to use the tip of his/her nails to hold the device. Bezels are a quiet gift when it comes to tablets. They may not look as good as displays without bezels but they actually go a long way toward holding them and working with them.As for price, this laptop practically packs in a lot more than an iPhone or a Samsung Note, and yet their prices is far higher than this. And none of them gives you a digitizer for free, which is included in this device practically for free (of course at the cost of giving up on another practical type of keyboard).
damianrobertjones - Thursday, September 8, 2016 - link
All the better to hold it with.djayjp - Thursday, September 1, 2016 - link
Dumbest idea ever.austinsguitar - Thursday, September 1, 2016 - link
this was a huge mistake...someonesomewherelse - Thursday, September 1, 2016 - link
What's with the prices? 2GB with similar cpus, storage capacity, and everything else are around 200 eur / usd / gbp / whatever.....Going to 4gb ram more than doubles the price. Unless there's a large bag of cocaine in the box that's insane.
I mean:
a) 4gb should be what the cheap ones have anyway, and 2gb for the super cheap ones
b) for such a price you'd expect 16 gb and a real ssd with 250GB space connected directly to the cpu (idk how it's routed here, but my 200 eur 2gb win10 tablet with 64gb emmc has the storage routed so badly that the already slow emmc becomes even slower)
tygrus - Thursday, September 1, 2016 - link
Microsoft have a special low-priced license for these devices that limit the OEM's ability to boost specs. MS limits the CPU, RAM and screen, otherwise it's another $$$ to MS for the full Windows 10 license.fteoath64 - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
You can tell MS to take their Win10 and shove up their (you know where!), as Ubuntu 16.04 works way better on my ThinkPad Twist tablet/hybrid than Win10 does. Why ?. Drivers of Linux is way way better and it goes for both trackpad and touch-screen as well. Why would one pay $$$ for MS junk, I cannot figure out what idiots there are out there....damianrobertjones - Thursday, September 8, 2016 - link
Sorry but you're the idiot calling people idiots for using X or y. You are not superior than anyone else and well done for using Linux. A lot of people would find using Linux a major pain in the rear so you stay there and they'll keep on doing what they do.damianrobertjones - Thursday, September 8, 2016 - link
Sorry but you're the idiot calling people idiots for using X or y. You are not superior than anyone else and well done for using Linux. A lot of people would find using Linux a major pain in the rear so you stay there and they'll keep on doing what they do.damianrobertjones - Thursday, September 8, 2016 - link
"Microsoft have a special low-priced license for these devices that limit the OEM's ability to boost specs. "PLEASE provide proof of this... . It makes zero sense.