For as long as I can remember, my laptop bags has been huge black or brown shoulder sling bags that are 100% functional, 100% ergonomic, and 100% bad looking. I have to carry this bag all the time because my work is such that I have to have a laptop with me at all times. True I have other stop gap gadgets with which I can shoot an email in traffic but at the end of the day I will need the full services of a laptop daily. Part out of habit and part out of the fact that there are still things that I’ll only get comfortably done on laptop.
The possibility of a small full specs laptop is something that has always appealed to me and for about a month I was able to rest my big ugly bag for cuter smaller bags when I was testing the incredibly thin and stylish Lenovo yoga 710 Laptop.
With this I’ve been able to strike a perfect laptop/tablet balance because the design of the laptop is such that it will fold over a whole 360 degrees backwards into a tablet. The tablet mode is the most extreme but in between, you can also fold it into an inverted V, or tent mode if you like, or you can prop it on the keyboard as in image 4. With number 4 though, I’d feel like I’m hurting the keyboard or something but that’s just me.
These features make the gadget very versatile and with a screen size of just 11.6” and 0.59” thin, it is very easy to carry around and use anywhere.
When I first heard the idea of working with an interchangeable laptop/tablet, I immediately thought I would rarely use it as a tab. I guess I was coming from an old school point of view that a laptop is a laptop is a laptop. Shock on me I fell in love with the tablet mode at first try. It is a full touch tablet that I found very easy to use. For me not so much for working but for reading and entertainment. With a resolution of 1920*1080, the laptop is such an absolute pleasure to use. Images, videos and work in general render in absolute clarity.
What however I found myself using less off is the tent mode. Actually very little of it after the initial testing. But if this mode gels with your work style, well and good. Say you’re having breakfast and would still like to be prodding away at the laptop, or you’re cooking and at the same time referring to a recipe on YouTube. Or you want to place it on a coffee table and sit back and watch something. My friend Ansel who is a Lenovo Yoga fanatic says he would only use this mode to show off 😀
For someone coming from a normal size big laptop, the Lenovo Yoga does take some getting used to alright. If you’re used to traditional laptops with a full keyboard and multiple ports for example, you’ll have to contend with space saving on the part of the Lenovo 710 manufacturer. Towards this, the laptop has just one USB port and one HDMI port. Depending on individual use, one would have to invest in a USB adapter.
It has no CD drive so you’ll need to get with the program and adopt more modern ways of having and accessing or sharing data. It does not have a dedicated numeric keypad that accountants love so much. Not a problem for me though. I’m not in the numbers game a whole lot and the few times I use numbers I’ll comfortably use the top panel.
Still has not met the balance between its awesomeness and the price. What I used was a test piece and I would give anything to have one for keeps but with a price tag of over 100k, a lot of people, myself included may not be able to afford it as easily as it is to afford others.
Also I feel it bruises easily. I’ve no problem being careful and maintaining things and especially cute electronics but still I can do with hardier things. More so in high cost gadgets. Sleeves and covers can only do so much – the gadget itself also has to have near indestructible coating. If only to completely justify the Lenovo Yoga 710 which retails for between Kshs.100,000/- and Kshs.110,000/-
Read more about the laptop including additional features.
