I’m going a little off topic today, but that’s why this is a Wednesday post. I thought I’d get some feedback from those of you who might have opinions here. I have an ultrabook now, but I’ve been thinking about one of these new-fangled laptop/tablet hybrids. So when Lenovo loaned me a Yoga for a week, I decided it would be worth playing with.
There were some things that I loved. This was my first chance to play with Windows 8, and I thought it was great. I think part of the reason I loved it was because the Yoga has a touchscreen. It really does make a computer operate like a mobile phone. But when you don’t want that, you have the keyboard to use it the traditional way. The flexibility is great.
And the keyboard itself was really good – easy to click and the keys were all where you want them. (My current ultrabook still frustrates me with the Page Up/Page Down keys.)
There were also some downsides. It is a touchscreen but the screen smudges easily. I guess it’s not an issue when the screen is on, but it is still a little annoying. And yes, this thing is really bulky as a tablet. That’s why it’s really a laptop with tablet functionality and not a replacement for a true tablet.
I also got nervous that I was going to break the thing. When you use it as a tablet, the keyboard is open for abuse on the back. Apparently this thing can survive heavy use, but it still made me uncomfortable.
Of course, Lenovo is far from the only one doing this kind of hybrid. I think pretty much every manufacturer is making one of these including Microsoft itself with its Surface.
So do you guys have any experience with these? Any suggestions? I suppose I’m leaning toward just keeping my ultrabook for now, but I am still tempted…
