HP Pavilion X360
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Hands-on with HP's Pavilion x360 touchscreen convertible laptop (video)
HP just announced its Pavilion x360 convertible laptop, and was in the mood to show it off here at MWC 2014 along with its gigantic new VoiceTab phones. As we noticed earlier, the new devices bear a strong resemblance to Lenovo's Yoga convertibles, but start at a cheaper $399 price point. For that, you'll actually get a nice-looking device in dark silver or red that has a solid-feeling, mostly metal build. You can use it in regular laptop mode or flip the screen around and perch it on the table tent-style to use it in a more tablet-like fashion. As for performance, it's hard to tell with the brief time we had, but the Intel Bay Trail processor, lowish 4GB of RAM and mechanical 500GB don't exactly spell "speed." Nevertheless, it seemed to work well on basic tasks, and the 1,366 x 768 IPS touchscreen was bright and responsive. The red model will hit shelves on February 28th starting at $399 -- for more, see the gallery and video below.
HP's Pavilion x360 convertible has a low price, decidedly Yoga-like design
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Lenovo ought to be tickled right now. HP just announced the 11-inch Pavilion x360, and it takes more than a few cues from Lenovo's iconic Yoga design. Not only does it have a 360-degree hinge allowing it to be used in four modes, but HP is even using the same terminology to describe how it works (think: "stand mode" for when the keyboard is folded under, and "tent mode" when the machine balanced upside down). Also like the Yoga, the keyboard disables automatically when you flip the screen back into tablet mode. So how is it different? Cost, really. Whereas most Windows convertibles command flagship prices, the x360 starts at $400. (For comparison's sake, even Lenovo's mid-range "Flex" convertibles still cost $549 and up.) Of course, a lower price means lesser specs, which in this case include a Pentium-series Intel Bay Trail processor, a 500GB hard drive (no SSDs here) and a 1,366 x 768 display. On the bright side, the display uses IPS technology for wider viewing angles, and HP also included Beats Audio. So the sound quality, at least, might be better than what the Lenovos of the world have to offer. Three USB ports and a full-sized HDMI socket might further sweeten the deal for prospective buyers.
