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Some Lenovo PCs can't run Linux (update: Microsoft response)
Lenovo just can't seem to avoid troubles with its PC firmware. Linux users are worried that some of Lenovo's PCs, such as variants of the Yoga 710 and Yoga 900, aren't allowing them to install their preferred operating system. They note that the systems' solid-state drives use a RAID mode that Linux doesn't understand. That's unpleasant enough, but Lenovo's initial handling of complaints didn't help. Its staff locked support forum threads discussing the topic, and a Lenovo Product Expert on Best Buy claims that a Yoga 900's use of a pure, Signature Edition take on Windows 10 Home meant that it was "locked per our agreement with Microsoft." If that was true, it'd be pretty damning -- it'd suggest that at least some Signature Edition systems are purposefully set up to exclude non-Windows platforms.
New in our buyer's guide: Lenovo's Yoga 900 and Samsung's Gear VR
It's been about two months since Engadget's updated its buyer's guide -- we were busy eating holiday cookies, preparing for CES, going to CES and then recovering from CES (phew). Fortunately, though, even in those nine weeks, we haven't actually reviewed much that we think is worth of our shortlist. The only two exceptions would be Lenovo's thin-but-well-performing Yoga 900 and Samsung's latest Gear VR headset, which we think is a great deal at $99. That's all we've got today, but keep checking back in soon --after all, we'll soon be pretty busy reviewing the products that just debuted in Vegas.
Lenovo Yoga 900 review: Same thin design with fewer compromises
Lenovo's Yoga laptops hardly need an introduction at this point: The company's iconic 2-in-1s are so popular that its competitors have been copying them right and left. Last year's edition, the Yoga 3 Pro, was especially notable for how thin and light it was: just 2.6 pounds and half an inch thick, and that was with a folding touchscreen, too. The problem, we found, was that as easy as it was to hold, that compact design came with significant compromises, including lackluster performance and mediocre battery life. Enter this year's model, the new Yoga 900 ($1,199 and up). Like its predecessor, it has a 13-inch, 3,200 x 1,800 screen and a slim build, but this time it claims faster performance, longer battery life and a sturdier hinge. It is, essentially, an improvement in almost every way.
Lenovo's flagship Yoga 900 laptop is an improvement in every way that matters
The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro was one of our favorite laptops of 2014, but mostly for impractical reasons: At 2.62 pounds and half an inch thick, it was exceptionally thin and light, even for an ultraportable, but it suffered from relatively short battery life and performance that trailed some rivals. Fortunately, the company just announced a new flagship, the Yoga 900, and it appears to improve on its predecessor in every way that matters. For starters, it movies from one of Intel's low-powered Core M chips to a sixth-gen Core i5 or i7 CPU. Between that and a new option for 16GB of RAM, the performance here should be faster than it was just a year ago. At the same time, Lenovo didn't have to compromise much on weight: the Yoga 900 is just heftier, at 2.8 pounds and 14.9mm (0.59 inch) thick.
