Lenovo Yoga Book
Ever since Intel kickstarted the 2-in-1 movement and Microsoft made touch support a core feature of Windows, Lenovo
has been trying all sorts of designs and ideas for the next wave of
PCs. In fact Lenovo is easily the most innovative, or at least
adventurous, of today’s PC manufacturers. The company sells a range of
flip-around 2-in-1s and tablets under the Yoga name, but also uses Yoga as a modifier for 2-in-1 models in its ThinkPad and IdeaPad lines.Now, there’s a new product, and it is simply called the Yoga Book that
retails at Rs. 49,990. Lenovo has retained the flip-around design, but
that’s about all this device has in common with today’s 2-in-1s. It’s
unlike any other product that Lenovo sells – in fact, it’s unlike any
other product, period. What Lenovo has done is reinvent the
ultraportable, and we’re absolutely dying to put the Yoga Book to use so
we can figure out what to make of it.
Lenovo Yoga Book look and feel : When
we first took the Yoga Book out of its box, we were amazed by how small
it actually is. It’s almost impossibly thin – thinner overall than Apple’s ultralight MacBook,
but thicker than any current iPad model when closed. We really liked
the matte black texture of the exterior, which looks minimalist and is
thankfully not slippery. In stark contrast, there’s Lenovo’s bright
silver multi-segmented watchband hinge, which we first saw on the
top-end Yoga 3 Pro, and more recently on the equally luxurious Yoga 900.
The
Lenovo logo on the lid is placed vertically in one corner, making the
device look more like a hardcover book when it’s closed. It even feels
like one, except when holding it in one hand with fingers curled around
the hinge – the watchband segments are rough and scratchy, unlike the
spine of a book.We weren’t expecting a lot of ports on a device
this thin, but Lenovo has really crippled the Yoga Book in this regard.
There’s only one Micro-USB port for charging and connecting peripherals
or storage – Lenovo didn’t even include a dongle in the box, but any
phone’s USB-OTG adapter will work. This also means you’re limited to USB
2.0 speeds. At least there’s also a Micro-HDMI video output and a 3.5mm
audio socket, but if Apple’s MacBook can be criticised for having only
one USB Type-C port, this is worse.
There’s single tray on the
left with cutouts for a microSD card as well as a Nano-SIM. Cellular
data connectivity could be really handy, and of course the ability to
augment storage is good too. The power and volume buttons are on the
right. There are no air vents since no cooling fan is required, but you
will see matching speaker grilles on either side of the lower half.
As with all Yoga products, the Yoga Book can be opened and flipped
around with its screen facing outwards like a regular tablet. The
watchband hinge is just as sturdy as ever, and allows the device to stay
in place at any angle. However, the entire upper half does wobble when
touched, which makes using the touchscreen a bit difficult sometimes.
The Yoga Book can also be positioned in “tent mode” which looks awkward
but is more stable.
The screen has a 16:10 aspect ratio which is
more common on tablets than laptops. Unfortunately, there are thick
borders on all sides as well as a distracting reflective silver Yoga
Book logo in one corner. The device has a 2-megapixel webcam in the
standard position above the screen as well as an 8-megapixel one on the
inner surface of the lower deck, which will point outwards when the Yoga
Book is folded into its tablet mode.
That brings us to the most
fascinating part of the Yoga Book, it’s so-called “Create Pad”, which
replaces a traditional keyboard. This is a flat surface with a rough
texture very similar to that of graphics tablets – in fact, it pretty
much is a graphics tablet, just with a few extra capabilities. If you
look closely, you’ll see the faintest grid pattern. Hitting the
illuminated pen icon on the upper edge lights up what Lenovo is calling
its “Halo Keyboard”, transforming the surface into a usable typing tool.The
Halo Keyboard has a surprisingly conventional layout, and each key is
cleanly defined. The backlight is perfectly even, and the whole effect
is extremely edgy and futuristic. The whole thing is still a flat
touch-sensitive surface of course – it’s just that specific areas are
marked off as individual keys and a trackpad.
Tapping the same button deactivates the keyboard and you go back to a
blank slate. You use this with Lenovo’s Real Pen stylus just like you
would on any drawing tablet such as Wacom’s popular Bamboo and Intuos
models. The Yoga Book recognises 2048 levels of pressure which allows
for subtle nuances in sketches. Microsoft’s OneNote app is tightly
integrated with the OS, but you can of course use any Windows software
to draw or write with.
That’s not all though – Lenovo has yet
another trick up its sleeve. You can swap out the Real Pen’s stylus nib
for an actual ballpoint refill and use it like any other pen. With a
sheet of paper or even a pad laid over the Create Pad surface, you can
write or sketch on an actual surface, while the Yoga Book automatically
and instantaneously digitises the exact same strokes on screen. Lenovo
bundles a paper pad which is just the right size for the Create Pad’s
surface and snaps into place magnetically. Anything you write or draw
lines up perfectly with the screen.The Create Pad clearly
recognises writing through several sheets of paper and a backing board,
which means there’s a fair amount of flexibility in terms of the kinds
of paper and pads you can use. This lends itself to lots of interesting
possibilities.
Verdict : The Lenovo Yoga Book is something
completely new. It’s edgy and exciting in a way that few other computer
products have been for as long as we can remember. It has a surprisinglyreasonable price tag, but we’re quite convinced that this will never be
anyone’s primary PC, and so it should be seen as an additional
indulgence. This could be a great device to travel with, but that’s a
waste of the digitser. On the other hand, serious digital artists might
want to use software that the Yoga Book is too lightweight to run. There
is a middle ground, but it seems pretty narrow.That won’t stop
the Yoga Book from being a success, though. It’s like a futuristic
concept design that somehow made it to market, and people will love it
for that. Anyone who sees the Halo Keyboard lighting up for the first
time will just want to own this device. The Yoga Book can be shown off
anywhere, anytime, and is sure to go down in history as one of the most
memorable experiments ever.
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