Lenovo ThinkPad Twist S230u review

Price: £1,060

Hybrid tablets try to bridge the gap between the convenience of a tablet and the capability of a laptop, and they've been becoming more popular since the arrival of touchscreen-optimised Windows 8. The Lenovo ThinkPad Twist doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it makes it turn rather well…

The Lenovo ThinkPad Twist is on sale now from £850 for the basic Intel Core i5 model with 500GB hard drive, rising to our £1,060 test model, which features an i7 processor and 128GB SSD drive.

Design
Let's get one thing straight, the ThinkPad Twist is essentially an ultrabook, but with one cool party trick. At 1.5kg it's a fair weight for a ultrabook, but as a tablet it'll soon start to wear you down.

The design and colour scheme, with its flashes of bright red on rubberised black plastic, with a chrome band running around the tablet part, doesn't give the impression of an upmarket device -- it's more Fisher Price than cutting edge. Fortunately the keyboard feels better than it looks, with nicely springy keys whose slightly concave shape invites your fingers to caress them, and responds with a good level of travel and responsiveness.

The bright red Trackpoint button in the middle seems a bit superfluous, with its accompanying red-striped mouse buttons, especially since there's a perfectly good trackpad beneath it.

Features and performance

The 12.5-inch touchdisplay sits behind protective Gorilla Glass and delivers a resolution of 1,366x768, not the full HD shilling perhaps, but not bad at all. Full-fat 64-bit Windows 8 looks good and the screen feels sensitive enough to make using it a breeze. Above it sits a webcam that can handle 720p video -- perfectly fine for Skyping.

So far so laptop, but the Twist does have one pretty good party trick up its sleeve: the screen is mounted on a single hinge, which itself is mounted on a little rotating plate. Simply spin the display around and lay it flat and hey presto, you've got yourself a rather heavy tablet with a display that shifts its orientation to match whatever way you're holding it.

You can also arrange it in "tent" mode, so it stands like an upturned V for viewing movies -- press a button on the side and the display will automatically reorientate to suit.

The 1.7GHz dual-core processor is backed by 8GB RAM and does a decent enough job of the performance chores. Ours came with a 128GB solid state drive though you can also get it with a slower 500GB hard drive and i5 processor for a couple of hundred quid less.

In benchmarking tests it delivered a PC Mark of 4,542 and during play of Portal it regularly managed frame rates around the 180fps mark, which is okay, but not outstanding. It encoded our test 11-minute move for iTunes in two minutes and 33 seconds, which again isn't bad, but not among the best.

Conclusion

The ThinkPad Twist ditches the usual ultrabook style in favour of robust practicality. The screen resolution may be so-so but there are no complaints about its sensitivity and the responsive keyboard feels great too. The twist option is a tried and tested form factor for switching between laptop and tablet and works perfectly fine, as well as giving the impression that it can keep doing so for years to come.

It's not a bargain, and its weight means you're unlikely to carry it around as a tablet for long, but if you're in the market for a few-frills, do-everything, portable computer, it's certainly worth a look. 

Specifications

• Software : Windows 8 64-bit
• Processor : 1.7Ghz dual-core Intel Core i7-3517U
• Memory : 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 RAM
• Display : 12.5in 1,366x768 pixels
• Hard Drive : 128GB SSD
• Graphics : Intel HD Graphics 4000
• Webcam : 720p HD
• Wireless : Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.0
• Ports : RJ-45 (Ethernet), 2x USB 3.0, 1x HDMI, 1x Display Port, 1xKensington Lock, headphone/microphone jack, power connector,multi-card
• : reader, mini-card adapter
• Blu-ray player : No
• Size : 313x236x20mm
• Weight : 1.5kg

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 (Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright)

Atom-based Windows 8 slates continue to flood the market from every corner, but who would have thought the biggest budget option would be a ThinkPad?

At a base price of $729, the ThinkPad Tablet 2 is the cheapest 10-inch, Atom-based slate I’ve reviewed to date, and while the few shortcuts taken to reach that price create some challenges, they aren’t deal-breakers.

This is one streamlined and super-compact tablet. At just 11 mm thick and 1.2 pounds, it’s the lightest Windows 8 tablet I’ve encountered to date (and nearly a full half-pound lighter than Dell’s Latitude 10). You might think this comes at the expense of specs, but with a 1.8GHz Atom CPU, 2GB of RAM, and a 64GB SSD, it’s got an identical configuration to the rest of the Atomlets on the market. You might also assume the screen suffers in some way versus the competition, but the 1366 x 768-pixel resolution is also the same as the rest of the market, and the brightness, while on the dim side, isn’t horrible. The chassis comprises a magnesium frame covered with polycarbonate — sturdy, but not entirely ironclad.

The battery is the usual area where manufacturers cut corners in order to trim weight, but the ThinkPad Tablet 2 shines here, too, offering more than ten straight hours of full-screen video playback. That’s the top spot for Atom tablets and more than double the longevity of the much heavier HP Envy x2.

Performance benchmarks are in line with other Atom tablets. I did encounter some initial hiccups with the device (Windows Updates wouldn’t install) but after updating drivers through Lenovo’s System Update app, everything began working smoothly. I even managed to get S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat to run on the device… at 1.3 frames per second.

One of the most noteworthy additions to the tablet is a stylus that docks into the upper left corner of the device. This small sticklet gives you a certain level of additional precision when interacting with the touchscreen, but I found the stylus so thin that it was difficult to hold steady when navigating cluttered Windows menus. The click button, integrated near the tip of the stylus, is also extremely small and difficult to tap accurately.

Lenovo also bundles a few applications with the Tablet 2, but the most notable is the Lenovo QuickLaunch app, which emulates the old Windows 7 Start Menu and gives you access to a search box. It’s not the most capable Start Menu replacement I’ve seen, but it’s better than nothing.

My only real complaint with the Tablet 2 is a moderately serious one involving the unit’s full-size USB 2.0 port (also included are a mini-HDMI port and MicroSD card slot). The problem is that the USB port is underpowered, offering just 2.5 watts of juice. This isn’t enough to power a bus-powered external hard drive or optical drive, which is really the main point of having a full-size USB port on the tablet to begin with. Without a USB port that can work with a hard drive, the port is next to useless.

Power connectivity is also another blown opportunity. The Tablet 2 uses a micro USB connector to charge the device, but it positively sips at the juice. Charging the fully-drained battery via wall power for more than 12 hours didn’t even net me a 60% battery charge. The included power cable is also far too short.

Your $729 gets you just the base unit and stylus. A docking station is another $100, and a compact Bluetooth keyboard, with an integrated stand and pointing system (but no secondary battery) is $120. The keyboard is nice, but you’ll want the dock and its extra connectors if you plan to use the device for serious work.

WIRED Incredibly light and portable. Touchscreen tracks well. Cheapest Atom-based slate on the market. Record battery life.

TIRED Useless USB port. Charging is incredibly slow, and accomplished via an incredibly small cable. Small, stiff Windows button. Somewhat dim screen.

Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Review

Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Review :  The Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC equipped with a 1GHz single-core processor, 7-inch touch screen, pre-installed the old version of Android 4.0 ICS operating system, optional dual SIM card in the product design, is very useful for data roaming services, but the selection is 2G network, can not help but feel a bit tasteless.

Whatever the reason, you want to have a dual SIM card Tablet PC, then the the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 is a good choice, it is priced at 150 pounds .

The the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC is worth to buy?

In my own case, I have a lot of reasons not buy Lenovo IdeaTab A2107. Even less than 1500 yuan price is attractive, however, a sub-price goods, such low prices, at the expense of the superior performance price.

First, the product is a 7-inch screen resolution is so low, only 1024 × 768 icons and text look a little fuzzy, poor color saturation, let alone the viewing angle, the performance is even worse. The processor, the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC Select is not wise, 1GHz single-core processor, which is a processor of the poor performance I’ve seen in a very long time. The older version of Android 4.0 ice cream sandwich operating system to run slowly. So in these three areas, the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC performance is unsatisfactory.

If you have to pay £ 10, then you can start with a Google Nexus 7 Tablet PC, it will provide you with even better screen resolution and display, faster quad-core processors and the latest version of Android Jelly Bean operating system. Although the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC can expand the storage space, this feature does not make up for the lack of it in other areas.

In terms of design, the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC performance flat, back using black design, plastic material, Lenovo LOGO is located in the central position of the lower back, and set in the top of the camera. In the upper position of the back part removable, which is the SIM card slot and microSD expansion slot.

In terms of design, this product is really no glittering introduction, if you want a smooth line design and fashion edging products, then you can choose the latest models of the Apple Tablet PC iPad mini course , you also need to spend a point of silver.

The length of the the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC for 192mm, width of 122mm, compared to 11.5mm, size and Nexus7 roughly the same thickness. Although it weighs 400g, but can easily into the pocket of the jacket, but the weight is placed in the pocket is comfortable limits.

As for the quality of workmanship, Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC the quality of workmanship or acceptable. Although the back shell adequate bend may cause some distortion of the screen – but this is only when you squeeze hard back shell this happens. The only problem is that the slot portion could easily be lost.

The top position in the product, you will find a micro-USB interface and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The machine also comes standard with 16GB of memory, but you can micro SD card for the body memory expansion – This feature Nexus7 not.

Here there are two separate SIM card slots, if you frequently travel abroad and want to maintain local SIM data, does not require a lot of roaming bills, very convenient. Really good theory, but unfortunately, the SIM card support 2G network, compared with other Tablet PC support LTE 4G wireless network, increasingly OUT. If you just use the WIFI wireless network connection, it is still very good.

Screen

The Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC using the screen resolution is 1024 × 768 resolution touch screen, picture quality and clarity are very general, the edge of the icon and the text looks somewhat confusing, which is the product the soft underbelly of one. In contrast, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 screen convenient rate was even more outstanding.

 

Screen brightness, the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC performance is not good enough, and not how good vertical and horizontal visual angle, which means that you can only be viewed from the front screen to get a better visual effect.

If you’re just used to browse the web, then the the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC will make you satisfied, if you want to see video from Google’s application store, or your friend’s dynamic from FACELOOK point of view, or play some color comparison bright and high resolution of the game, it may make you disappointed.

Performance

The Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC equipped with a single-core Cortex A9 processor, running at 1GHz clock speed, compared to the Nexus equipped with Tegra 3 quad-core processor 7 Tablet PC is very vulnerable. So I test them, the the IdeaTab A2107 performance test score is very low also be expected.

 

Among the Geekbench test, the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC score of 324, the Nexus 7 Tablet PC score up to 1536, the gap is a bit big. Of CF-Bench test score for 2098, Nexus score was 11716, Samsung Galaxy S3 tablet computer, compared with 13 080, by contrast, the the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC performance is not very good.

Machine running with the Tablet PC is very slow, and for this I am not surprised. Very slow response when pressing the Home key and menu button machine, when a button is pressed, it takes some time to think about being asked to do what. I quickly annoyed with the slow interface, no patience, taking a dip in a cup of tea for himself had to endure this torture.

Despite the run when the frame rate is not high, like Temple Run 2 game can run. However, the product can not handle HD video streaming, so I want to play high-definition video on it is not realistic.

The Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC can load some basic features such as Google application store and browser, but the loading time is very slow.

operating system

The Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC using the the Android4.0 ice cream sandwich operating system, this is not the latest version of the Android system – that honor belongs to the jelly bean version, but for such a low-end device, the operating system has been sufficient.

 

Legend of the operating system were slightly altered. Directly through the shortcut that the central two main menu directly into the games, social networking applications and tools. There are calendars, notes, and weather conditions.

Camera

Behind in the Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC has a 2-megapixel camera, but shooting. Even in our British lit office, test images still suffer significant image noise.

 

The light from the windows is not good enough to make the color saturation, without any form around the edge of the frame and image sharpness and detail.

If you’re just in the bedroom on Twitter, network video chat with this camera, this pixel can cope. As for other ideas, only to give up.

Conclusion

Advantages:

• Cheap
• Scalable storage space
• Dual SIM card slots
• Have some technical functions as a tablet
• Equipped with cameras

Disadvantages :

• Poor screen resolution of
• Low-end processor performance is not well
• The old version of the Android system
• General photographic effect
• The removable board makes is worried

The Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 Tablet PC the advantage in terms of price is no doubt attractive compared with similar products, the lack of products in the low screen resolution, poor performance, and the old version of the operating system and other aspects, however, many people have shied away from. In contrast, if you do not mind to pay an extra point of silver, then choose the excellent performance of Google Nexus 7 Tablet PC, after all, 10 pounds for most people can afford.