Lenovo has confirmed an October release date for its IdeaPad YOGA 13-inch, 360-degree flip and fold Ultrabook that was shown at CES in January and IFA 2012 last month. It will be joined by another three Windows 8 devices to create a new convertible product family. A smaller 11-inch YOGA and an 11.6-inch tablet named the IdeaTab Lynx will be released later this year, while the business-oriented ThinkPad Twist Ultrabook will appear around the same time as the pack leader.
When Lenovo outed the YOGA 13 in Las Vegas back in January, only a few basic specs were revealed. While these haven't changed, the remainder have now been disclosed. The first of the company's new convertible range, the YOGA 13 can be placed in Tent mode (standing on its edges) or Stand mode (with its keyboard laid flat against the desk) as well as more familiar laptop and tablet orientations.
Upon release on October 26 for a starting price of US$1,099, the 13.1 x 8.9 x 0.67-inch (333.4 x 224.8 x 16.9 mm) Ultrabook will be available in third generation Intel Core i3-3217U, i5-3317U and i7-3517U processor configurations (with integrated HD 4000 graphics), sport a one-megapixel HD webcam and benefit from a Dolby Home Theatre capabilities. There's both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 connectivity, a 2-in-1 media card slot, and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Lenovo has given the mighty YOGA 13 a little brother in the shape of the YOGA 11, which is being billed as the world’s slimmest multi-mode PC at 15.6-mm thin. It features an 11.6-inch multitouch display (which doesn't benefit from the wide-viewing-angle capabilities of its bigger sibling) and runs on Windows 8 RT instead of the full version.
The YOGA 11 is powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad core processor supported by up to 2 GB of DDR3 RAM and up to 64 GB of eMMC storage, comes with a built-in 720p HD webcam, USB 2.0 connectivity and Wireless-N Wi-Fi, with Bluetooth available as an optional extra. It's also claimed to offer up to 13 hours of battery life.
The YOGA 11 has been given a December shipping window for a suggested starting price of $799.
The IdeaTab Lynx features an 11.6-inch IPS multitouch display, and is said to be one of the first Windows 8 tablets to be powered by Intel's latest Atom dual core processor (running at 1.8 GHz). There's up to 2 GB of LPDDR2 system memory and up to 64 GB of solid state storage with microSD expansion on offer, along with micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports. The tablet benefits from a 2-megapixel webcam with digital microphone, dual surround sound speakers and Dolby Home Theatre audio.
The Lynx can also be docked to an optional keyboard to extend its battery life to a claimed 16 hours and offer physical device connectivity via two full-size USB 2.0 ports. The new IdeaTab has also penciled in for December availability at a cost of $599 for the tablet and an extra $149 for the keyboard.
The remaining Windows 8 convertible is the small-business-friendly ThinkPad Twist Ultrabook, which features a bright (350-nit) 12.5-inch Corning Gorilla Glass IPS multitouch display that can be rotated and twisted around a central hinge. It's available in up to third-gen Intel Core i7 processor options supported by up to 8 GB DDR3 RAM and storage options of up to a 500 GB HDD (with included Active Protection to help protect against accidental drop damage) or 128 GB SSD.
The Twist has a mini-HDMI port, two USB 3.0 ports, a mini DisplayPort and a 4-in-1 card reader, along with an HD webcam supported by dual-array microphones and noise-cancellation, Dolby Home Theatre audio, optional 3G and a claimed battery life of up to seven hours. This model has been given a starting price of $849 and is available from October 26.
Source: Lenovo
