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Lenovo's ThinkPad Yoga has a keyboard that flattens when you use it in tablet mode (update: video)
When the original Lenovo Yoga came out, everyone seemed to have the same complaint: when you flipped the screen over into tablet mode, you had to rest your hands against the keyboard on the other side. It didn't matter that the keyboard automatically disabled; it felt awkward to press your fingers into flappy keys instead of a smooth surface. Well, Lenovo seems to have taken that criticism to heart: the company just announced the ThinkPad Yoga, a 12-inch, business-friendly model with a keyboard that flattens as you flip the screen back into tablet mode. How does this so-called Lift and Lock system work? Here's the short version: as you flip the display over, a mechanical setup causes the platform between the keys to rise so that it's level with the buttons. Meanwhile, the keys get clamped in place so you can't press them. Finally, folding the screen over causes a set of feet to pop out so that there's some buffer space around the keys when you place the "tablet" face-up on a flat surface (a handy thing when you're working on grimy airplane tray). As you can imagine, a design like this requires a reinforced hinge, along with extra space inside the chassis; for now, at least, Lenovo doesn't know how to put a keyboard like this in a super-skinny machine, which is why you're not going to find it on the new Yoga 2 Pro, the replacement to the Yoga 13. At any rate, it's not a perfect solution -- you can still feel the individual buttons -- but at least they stay put. Also, it works much more quietly than you might expect. To be fair, our expectations were low in that regard: when Lenovo first told us it was working on a self-flattening keyboard, we envisioned a machine with a noisy motor inside, similar to the failed Acer Aspire S5. After watching a demo, though, we were impressed by how little it creaks -- and a Lenovo rep promised it would make even less noise by the time it ships.
Lenovo announces Yoga 2 Pro with 3,200 x 1,800 screen, slimmer design (update: video)
We think we can all agree the Lenovo Yoga has been long due for an upgrade: while every other flagship Ultrabook got refreshed with Haswell, the Yoga 13 stuck around with Ivy Bridge and a relatively low-res 1,600 x 900 display. It was getting so long in the tooth, in fact, that we almost didn't recommend it in our most recent laptop buyer's guide. Well, Lenovo's finally giving us the upgrade we've been asking for, and if specs are any indication, it might have actually been worth the wait. The new Yoga 2 takes a big step up to a 13-inch, 350-nit, 3,200 x 1,800 touchscreen, putting it well ahead of its peers, most of which max out at 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. As you'd expect, this new model runs on fourth-gen Intel Core processors (all the way up to i7), with the battery life now rated at up to nine hours. The Yoga also adds Intel Wireless Display, in accordance with the current Ultrabook spec. Equally important: the new model measures 15.5mm thick (versus 17.1mm on the original) and sheds about half a pound so that it now weighs a little over 3 pounds (3.06, to be exact, or 1.39kg). And believe us when we say that half-pound makes a difference: chalk it up to muscle memory, but we could instantly feel the difference when we picked it up for the first time. We don't remember the original ever being this thin or light.