Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro: The Windows Hybrid, Evolved
What's This?
The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, a laptop with a screen that bends all the way back to become a tablet, was the Windows 8 hybrid that actually gave the category a good name. All good things must come to an end, though, and in the Yoga's case that end comes with a new beginning: the Yoga 2 Pro.
The Yoga 2 Pro is the new and improved Yoga, and it replaces the old model. It still has the same four-in-one design, letting you use it as a traditional laptop, tablet, display (with the screen bent past 180 degrees) or tent (à la an inverted "V"). But it's also thinner and lighter with a few design modifications aimed to streamline the experience.
First up is the backlit keyboard, a feature lacking on the original Yoga. The Pro's power button is on the side of the chassis instead of the front, which should cut down on accidental presses. There's also a thin, rubberized layer along the rim to prevent any slippage when using it in tent mode.
Overall hardware gets a step up, too: The Yoga 2 Pro packs a fourth-generation Intel Core chip (a.k.a. "
Extra bonus: The Yoga 2 Pro will be the first Lenovo PC equipped with gesture recognition. Lenovo Motion Control lets users wave their hands to perform some basic actions, like swiping to the next screen — handy if you're trying to follow a recipe with sticky hands.
On the software side, Lenovo throws in Dragon dictation and voice-recognition software as well as an app-recommendation engine that tells you which Windows 8 apps are best suited for the various modes. There's also Wi-Di for wirelessly connecting to an external display.
The Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro will be available in October, starting at $1,099.
How do you like the Yoga 2 Pro? Let us know in the comments.
Topics: Apps and Software, Dev & Design, Gadgets, hybrid PC, IdeaPad Yoga, laptop, lenovo, Tech, Windows 8, Yoga Pro
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