Lenovo Yoga Book

http4 of 4 people found this review helpful 2017-02-02 Lenovo Yoga Book Pros: Powerful, Slim, Versatile, Real Pen and Real Paper note taking. Cons: Not enough connection ports, large bezel At the time of writing this review, I have a fairly hectic lifestyle. I'm currently working an average of 14 hours per day, studying for an exam, writing, producing videos, running a website and juggling family life. There is literally not enough hours in the day. This means that I am heavily dependent on a variety of devices from Desktop, Laptop, mobile and tablet devices. All of which run different operating systems, which in turn can cause problems when transferring files. I decided that I needed to streamline. Enter the Lenovo Yoga Book. The Lenovo Yoga Book a 2 in 1 notebook and tablet combination and is available in both Windows 10 and Android operating systems. The Android is currently running Marshmallow (6.0), but will likely receive a Nougat (7.0) update in the coming months. I opted for the Android version as Google have a range of apps that make transferring files between Windows and iOS very simple and straightforward, meaning no matter what I'm doing I can port documents and files wherever they need to go without formatting complications. The Yoga Book has 64Gb of internal storage and a port that supports a 164Gb microSD. The first thing you'll notice is the build quality. The Yoga Book is encased in Gun Metal Grey Brushed Stainless Steel with a truly beautiful Watchband Hinge, similar to that found on Lenovo Yoga Laptops. As the name implies, the Yoga Book really does resemble a small book. It measures 4.05 mm (0.16 inches) on its thinnest side and only 9.6 mm (0.38 inches) when fully closed. It also weighs a meager 690 grams (1.52 pounds). Yoga Book is one of the and lightest 2-in-1 devices. It has a 10.1 inch 1080p touchscreen display, which is crystal clear. The screen bezel is large for a modern device, but when you consider the tech that Lenovo has crammed into the guts of the Yoga Book, you understand why. And the large glass bezel doesn't detract from the aesthetics of the device. Ports Micro-USB Micro HDMI: Up to 3840×2160 (4K) SIM slot (Nano SIM - not available on all Yoga Books) Micro SD slot AUX port The major innovation that attracted me to the Yoga Book is the Halo Keyboard, a touch keyboard. Touch keyboards are common on most tablets, but what sets the Halo keyboard apart from a standard touch-screen keyboard are several things: A thinner device, a typical keyboard requires space for switches and mechanical parts. The Halo keyboard has no moving pieces and uses its own touch panel to save on space and opens up room for additional features. The keyboard can appear or disappear with the press of a button or touch of an icon. More screen, better experience. A traditional on-screen keyboard takes up screen real estate and makes for slow, awkward thumb typing. The Halo keyboard is separated from the display screen and provides the user with a more familiar 10-finger clam shell typing experience. The Halo keyboard uses a layer of Gorilla Glass with anti-glare coating with a matte and grainy paint for a better feel and recognizes your typing. By removing the mechanical component of a keyboard, the Yoga Book becomes a unique 2-in-1 device. Taking that innovation one step further, Lenovo has layered into the Yoga Book another feature called the Create Pad. This is a layer of Electromagnetic Resonance (EMR) film that resides under the keyboard that is powered by Wacom Feel technology. This Wacom digitizing pad supports up to 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity and 100-degree angle detection. The Create Pad’s EMR waves are sent from a sensor, receiving the signals returned by the pen. These signals are then processed through algorithm-based analysis, allowing written on the paper or multi-use pad. Lenovo claim that you never have to charge or replace the real-pen accessory and it’s batteries. It's easy to instantly collaborate and share notes and drawings with colleagues on the Yoga Book. Students and professionals can quickly digitize their lecture or meeting notes. Artists and creatives can sketch their ideas that get immediately backed up. A practical feature of the Real Pen is the ability to transition from digital stylus to a mini-ballpoint ink tip. Simply use the cap of the pen to swap out the tips and start writing on the Book Pad. Lenovo has included the Book Pad pad that holds a stack of paper. There is no special technology within the pad or paper itself. It simply helps align the stack of paper with the underlying digitizer. The pad can be refilled with standard A5 sized paper. In the Box with the Yoga Book comes: 1 Real Pen 1 Book Pad 20 Paper Book Pad Refills 3 Real Pen Ink Refill Another surprise feature was the inclusion of Dolby Atmos. I was sceptical about how well, if at all, the Yoga Book would handle 3D sound. It is very impressive and I'm still wondering how Lenovo and Dolby manage to produce sounds that sound like they are coming from above and behind you from 2 tiny speakers on the side of the Yoga Book. In summary, the Yoga Book, while it will never replace my desktop PC for many dedicated tasks, it has replaced my laptop, mobile phone and notebook for all other tasks. The battery will last anywhere between 10 and 15 hours, which is impressive and frees me from always looking for a power outlet. The Yoga Book far surpassed my expectations, and can easily out perform the likes of the iPad Pro in terms of a professional tablet. And the ability to digitise handwritten notes using a real pen and paper has been a godsend while revising. I can't recommend the Yoga Book highly enough, it is everything you expect from a notebook, a tablet, and more.

Hands on with the Nintendo Switch

On Friday 13th January 2017, Nintendo held the London launch event for the upcoming Nintendo Switch, set for release in the UK on Friday 3rd March 2017, which will retail at £279.99. At launch the Switch will be available in two variants. Both are identical and will include the Nintendo Switch console, Nintendo Switch dock, Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controller, Nintendo Switch controller straps and a HDMI cable. So what's the difference between both available consoles on day one? You will have the choice of dual Grey or Red and Blue coloured Joy-Con controllers. Nintendo also showed off the Pro Controller, which will retail in the UK between £70 - £100(!!). There was also mention of themed Joy-Con controllers, so expect to see Mario, Pokémon and Zelda themed controllers in the coming year. But what about the console itself? Well it feels like a premium product, solid and well built from Glass and Metal, which instantly raised my hopes and expectations. The Switch has a 6.2” capacitive multi-touch display with 720p resolution, which is a perfectly acceptable resolution when playing the console in handheld or tabletop modes. When connected to a TV via the dock the Nintendo Switch is capable of outputting games at up to 1080p / 30fps. In terms of memory, the Switch comes with a meager 32GB of internal storage, however this can be expanded via Micro SD up to 2TB. Expandable memory is a good move by Nintendo. If you judge the Switch against the storage requirements of PS4 & XBox One, 32GB will fill up fairly quickly. The Switch is mains powered when used as a home consoles, and powered by a non-removable battery when used as a handheld. Nintendo stated the Switch will have a maximum battery life of up to 6 hours, however Nintendo themselves said that has battery life is game-dependent, with anywhere between 2.5 to 6 hours depending on what software you’re running. Taking the Switch from home console to handheld and back again was seamless with the screens instantly switching from one to the other. I can see this being a valuable feature in family households where TV time is often fought over. The Joy-Con controllers that come bundled with the Switch are the most versatile controllers I've seen on a home console. They attach and to the sides of the Switch in handheld form, detach for party games, similar to that of the Wiimote, albeit more advanced. Finally they can be connected together as a control pad for TV game sessions. The Joy-Cons are full of accelerometers and gyroscopes for motion control, and something Nintendo call “HD Rumble”, which is an advanced form of Force / Haptic Feedback and are great fun. However they also feature an IR camera for use in multiplayer games, which although innovative is a tad gimmicky and will probably be quickly forgotten by game developers and gamers alike. Joy-Con controller's dimensions: Height: 102mm, Width: 35.9,mm, Depth: 28.4mm, Weight: Joy-Con (L) 49.3g, Joy-Con (R) 52.2g, Battery: Lithium Ion Then we have the Pro Controller, a traditional gamepad that Nintendo are selling separately. The Pro Controller is set to retail between £70 - £100. It was a very average control pad and didn't add anything that I could see that would justify that price point. The Nintendo Switch will launch with five titles on Day One: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild- Link finally gets the open world experience many gamers have been hoping for. It is a thoroughly beautiful game. While the Zelda series has kept me entertained for the past 30 years, it doesn't have that mass appeal that Mario has. Coupled with the fact Nintendo are releasing it on the same day the Wii U gets Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it begs the question - if you already own a Wii U why do you need the Switch, and if you don't own a Wii U are you going to be interested in Zelda? I think Nintendo should have made this a Switch exclusive to give it that extra appeal. That said, I think this has the potential to be 2017’s Game of the Year. 1-2-Switch- Switch exclusive. This is a party game in a similar vein of Wii Sports. It has mini games such as Fencing, Table Tennis, Wild West Duel and a Cow Milking competition (yes, really! Where it differs from Wii Sports is that this will cost you £35. It feels like a tech demo that should be bundled with the Switch, but the Switch doesn't come bundled with any games at launch. Super Bomberman R - Switch exclusive. Bomberman is a frenetic multiplayer game where the aim is to drop bombs in a maze, blocking your opponent's path. It's been a Nintendo favourite for the past 33 years, and is a great addition to the launch line up. Just Dance 2017- As party games go, the Just Dance franchise is great fun for all ages, and the Joy-Con are small enough to allow you to play without being intrusive and weighed down. Additional friends can join in without a Joy-Con as the game allows you to also use your mobile phone as a control sensor. Skylanders Imaginators Starter Pack Switch- this has been out on other consoles since October 2016. For those that don't know, Skylanders is a 3D Platform game which uses real world toy figurines to play in game by placing your chosen Skylander figure onto the game portal. Skylanders appeal to both kids and collectors. Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis due for release in April, but everyone's favourite plumber won't get an original release until Super Mario Odysseythis Christmas. Aside from Breath of the Wild and Odyssey the is a lack of first party killer games, and third party announcements are currently thin on the ground but these should pick up throughout the year. Expect big announcements at this year's E3 Expo. My overall hands on impressions with the Nintendo Switch are that it is an impressive evolution from the Wii U. Nintendo have clearly listened to their fans and improved upon what worked with the Wii U and thrown in the controller Innovations that Nintendo have become know for with every generation. The Switch has the potential to appeal the the Core gamer with the capacity to take your home console gaming with you wherever you go. The Switch will also appeal to the Casual gamers with the simplistic motion control and three versatile and practical combinations of game Control. The Switch retains familiarity with much loved characters and classic titles, while offering new ways to interact with games and challenge friends in any environment you care to take the Switch. Is Nintendo going to manage to emulate the past successes of the NES, SNES or Wii and dominate the market with the Switch? I don't think the Switch is powerful enough to convince Third Party developers to port their main titles that are required to dominate the market share, but as a family/party console and as a handheld it is way ahead of the Sony & Microsoft. And while Sony & Microsoft consider the future to be VR, Nintendo are keeping it social. And do you know what? I think I love it, for that reason I pre-ordered a Switch without hesitation.

Hiatus

Apologies for the infrequent posts on the blog since I created it last month.

I have plans to improve the contents and look of the blog in the next few months, however I'm currently studying for an exam in mid March, so until then I won't be posting as often as I would like to.

I have a couple of reviews in the pipeline that I will look to post in the coming weeks, such as the new Chime unit from Ring that was sent out last week. Aside from that, there won't be much in the way of new content until after my exam or unless I get something that I have to review.

Thanks for understanding.

Impervious Drip Tips

For those out there that vape, drip tips are either something you buy to customise your mod, or you keep the stock drip tip. I tend to fall into the latter. However, this week I bought a new drip tip from http://impervious-tec.com which claimed "No Hot Spit - Self Cleaning - Antibacterial- Customisable - Certified Safe".

I'd never heard of Impervious Drip Tips before, until saw Victor Mullin review them on his Vaping With Vic YouTube Channel. I trust Vic and he gave a glowing review for a hygenic drip tip that prevented spitback. So I headed straight to impervious-tec.com and purchased 3 drip tips (2 black, 1 silver).

I gave one to my wife for her tank, and I kept the other 2. Putting 1 on my Smok Baby Beast (with RBA deck) and the other on my Wotofo Sapor. The first thing I noticed was that it was quite a tight draw, but there is a ball in the middle which is designed to prevent spitback, so this wasn't a major concern as I kind of expected a tight draw.

The second thing I noticed was I had a lot of e-liquid in my mouth. This shouldn't be happening, especially from a company who's name literally means "not allowing fluid to pass through". Remember, I bought THREE of these drip tips. I tried both of my drip tips on various tanks & drippers and various mods at various temperatures, and still this kept happening. I asked my wife what her experience was like with her drip tip, unsurprisingly she complained of lots of e-liquid going into her mouth also.

So the problem isn't with me, my vaping style, my mods or tanks because I'm not the only person I know experiencing this problem. We've both gone back to our stock drip tips, which is a real shame because I really wanted this to be an amazing product.

My message to Impervious is up your game or change your name. Until then, I cannot recommend this product to anyone.

SanDisk Ultra Micro SD Card

I needed to buy a microSD card for recording high definition video on a budget “GoPro” style action camera, the MUSON MC1, to use as a Dash Cam.

The price of SD Cards has plummeted in recent years. I remember buying my first 500mb SD Card in the early 2000s, which cost around £90 - nowadays SD Cards can hold more than 200Gb of memory, which is staggering compared to the early days.

In recent years SD Cards almost became obsolete as most high-end smartphones from Android to iPhone and even the lesser spotted Windows Phone, only offerd internal storage and no microSD slots. However expandable memory has made something of a comeback with newer handsets as they can store an extraordinary amount of data.

So what makes a great microSD card? In my opinion it is capacity and a fast read/write speed.

The SanDisk Ultra is a Class 10 microSD card, but what does that mean?
Well, put simply, it transfers data at a minimum of 10 MB/s. But this is the minimum speed, so you can expect faster transfer speeds.

Why the SanDisk Ultra?
£9.99 for 32GB and it writes data fast enough for even the most demanding tasks today. The SanDisk Ultra turned out to be an easy pick for three reasons.

1) It's as faster and cheaper than some other Class 10 cards.
2) The SanDisk brand has a name you can trust and overwhelmingly positive customer reviews.
3) The SanDisk Ultra will handle pretty much anything you can throw at it, including 4K video files.

The SanDisk Ultra is the most popular SD Card on Amazon with 1,978 other customer reviews averaging 4.6 out of 5, and 1,596 5 Star Reviews.

The SanDisk Ultra microSD was one of those rare purchases where I didn't have to research the SD Card market to find the best in my budget. I've been using SanDisk for over a decade, so know that they are fast, reliable and suitable for use in a smartphone or camera and at £9.99 it won't break the bank.

The SanDisk comes in Amazon's Stress Free Packaging so there is no fiddling with hard shell plastic covers. It also comes with a full size SD adapter. An extra bonus is the SanDisk Ultra lifetime warranty, so should it fail or corrupt, SanDisk will replace it.

To summarise, this is a superb SD Card at a great price and lifetime warranty so should anything go wrong, SanDisk will replace it.

Let's talk about Sky Mobile

Today I received an email from Sky with an "exclusive" invite to join their new MVNO, Sky Mobile.

The email starts "Hi Dave, Sky Mobile is here, and you can be one of the first to join the smart network and enjoy a new way to manage your own data..." ok, so the hook has worked. I'm interested. I've been selected to join their new mobile network. Oh, how special do I feel right now? But it gets better...

"As a Sky TV customer you can get free Unlimited Calls and Texts on up to 5 SIMs - helping you and the whole family Save up to £600 a year." The key phrase here is "UP TO" Telecoms Companies love using "up to" because the average person doesn't register "up to" they just see the words before and after. Saving me £600 a year? Where do i sign?? Most people never achieve the Holy Grail of the "UP TO", whether that is broadband speed or a cash saving amount.

Sky continue to say "Only with Sky Mobile is your unused data yours to keep for three years. We'll automatically Roll it over into your piggybank at the end of every month to use whenever you like." Ok, so that's good. You get to keep unused data for 3 years. I like that idea.

"Simply create a plan that's just right for you. Pick your data and select your free Unlimited Calls and Texts. And no matter what you decide you can choose to change it whenever you like." Flexible plans, nothing new there. Free calls and text, also not a new concept. I think every network offers free calls and texts at some point in their tariffs. Just tell me how much Data you offer...

"1Gb Plan = £10 per month, 3Gb Plan = £15 per month, 5Gb Plan = £20 per month" WHAT?? At what point do Sky expect anybody to have surplus data that they can "piggybank"? I'm not even halfway through the month and I've already uses 6.35Gb. And this is just the SIM only option. Sky haven't even launched their handsets yet. So who is this aimed at? There are already much better SIM only deals out there:

1) EE are offering 10Gb 4G Data, Unlimited Calls + Texts - £19.99 per month

2) O2 are offering 10Gb 4G Data, Unlimited Calls + Texts - £20 per month / 20Gb Data, Unlimited Calls + Text

3) Three are offering Unlimited 4G Data, Calls Texts and 30Gb tethering for £32 per month

Vodafone's SIM only deals are compatible with that of Sky and aren't the best when compared to the other networks, but can be found here.

Sky also boasts "Sky Mobile also gives you a new way to access Sky Entertainment when you’re on the move. For the first time, you can Sync Sky+ recordings to your phone, creating a personal playlist of the shows you love, to watch wherever you want." however if, like me, you subscribe to Sky's flagship Sky Q service you won't be able to access this. A quick skim of the small print and you will see "Sync: Sky TV customers with a compatible device and Sky+ box only (see sky.com/compatible). Not compatible with Sky Q. Selected content only. Sky+ and Sky Go apps required."

So Sky aren't making this feature available to customers of their premium platform? Why? Are Sky abandoning the Sky Q brand because of low uptake or have Sky developed a Next Gen format in Sky Q that isn't compatible with anything without a strong WiFi network?

Speaking of WiFi, Sky also claim you will be able to access millions of Sky wifi hotspots for free, all you need is the Sky WiFi app. Well as an existing Sky Fibre customer I should already be able to access this service for free, right? Well allegedly so, but on downloading the app from the Google Play Store I was cryptically informed that "Sorry, this app isn't supported by the iOS version installed on your handset..." could that be because I'm using Android and not iOS?

Previously, when I've owned iPhones, I've had no problem using Sky applications. The user interface has never been pretty, but they worked. On switching to Android I soon discovered that Sky have little interest in supporting Android as an operating system. Very few of the apps in the Google Play Store are compatible across Android devices or various versions of the Android OS.

I have no idea who Sky are aiming their mobile network at as it is currently too expensive for what they are offering and their existing applications aren't fully compatible with my current OS. Add the fact that they have overlooked Sky Q customers for whatever reason, not only will I not be taking a Sky Mobile contact, I am now questioning the value of my £119 per month Sky Q subscription.

Sky, Believe In Better? I do, and I think I can get better somewhere else!

MUSON Action Camera

The MUSON Action Camera is the latest in a long line of budget "GoPro-esque" cameras, and it gives the competition a damn good run for your money.

Straight out of the box, you are greeted with a professional looking carry case which contains a staggering array of almost every conceivable fixing that allows you to mount this camera on pretty much anything you can think of. If you're a complete camera novice it really is just a tiny bit daunting.

There are 9 different mounts to attach your camera to tripods/selfie sticks, dashboards, cycle/crash helmets, and harness/clothing. Whatever you are planning to do, MUSON have provided the attachments to get you started. They have also thrown in a spare 900mAh battery, which was a welcome bonus.

I was disappointed that the camera doesn't have any on board storage, but for a camera this cheap the manufacturer had to save money somewhere. So you will need to provide your own Micro SD Card with a maximum of 32Gb - MUSON suggest a "Class 10 Micro SD Card". If you aren't sure what a Class 10 SD Card is, just get a SanDisc Ultra 32Gb.

There are 4 camera functions:
Video (720p @ 60fps or 1080p @ 30fps)
Photo (Single shot photo)
Burst Photo (Series of photographs)
Time Lapse (Series of photographs at set time intervals)
The camera can record on a loop with an optional Date/Time stamp, so is ideal for use as a Dash Cam.

The MUSON MC1 is WiFi enabled and comes with a companion app, Ez iCam App. It is clear that this app was an afterthought as it is basic in its functionality, and none of the cameras in the connectivity menu look like the MUSON. I couldn't get my Android phone to connect with the WiFi no matter what I tried, however it took me seconds to set the WiFi up on iOS with the iPad.
Once the WiFi is set up, the app allows you to mirror the camera's LCD screen on your mobile giving you a massive touch screen record button. I could see this being a useful function to Vloggers.

Picture quality is quite possibly the best I have seen in this price range. It's not as vivid or sharp as some of its higher priced competitors, but it's ideally placed for the extreme sports hobbyist, or someone who wants a very good and inexpensive dash cam or helmet camera.