Notebooks, Tablets, Smartphones, Wearables And Gadgets
In-depth product reviews and news of notebooks, tablets, smartphones, wearable technologies and gadgets. We're now living in a contextually-aware computing world and mobile devices can not only help us enjoy the ride but create and capture new experiences as well.
Tech loving Star Wars fans have something new to lust after this holiday season courtesy of Lenovo and Disney, the unique Star Wars: Jedi Challenges. This is an augmented reality gaming system featuring the Lenovo Mirage AR headset (which works with a number of smartphones), a fancy "collector quality" Lightsaber, and a lighted, spherical beacon that looks somewhat like Epcot Center. Oh, Lord Vader... That Lightsaber The Lightsaber included in the kit looks fantastic and really is collector quality. It looks and feels like something you might pay big bucks for at a convention or specialty shop. It has a white tip when off, but glows a soft blue color when the saber is on and...
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Anyone that has worked with laptops for a while might recall the ThinkPad brand from back in the day before Lenovo purchased the client PC division from IBM. One of the most notable things about the old-school ThinkPads was the keyboard, complete with a blue enter key and a red trackpoint nub smack dab in the center. After Lenovo took over the ThinkPad line, some of the beloved industrial styling cues from those workhorse machines left along with the IBM logo. However, Lenovo is now celebrating the 25th anniversary of the ThinkPad brand with a unique ThinkPad 25 Anniversary Edition notebook that combines some aspects of IBM's retro-style circa 1992 with the features and performance...
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If there's a sleeper phone that's been on our radar for a while here, it's the LG V30. LG has been teasing this phone for what seems like an eternity. We actually got our first hands-on time with it a couple of months ago in August. However, LG has been conservative with its last couple of handset roll-outs, taking the same preview tease approach with the LG G6, where we got an early look prototype unit and firm rules of engagement with it before final production units arrived. The G6 was one of the first generation thin bezel phones on the market at the time and LG wanted to make doubly sure it was ready for prime time when it shipped. The same can be said for the new V30, as this device feels...
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One could argue that the two primary features of a modern laptop, that can most prominently define the user experience, would be its display and keyboard. After all, these two aspects make up the majority of a notebook PC's human-computer interface. If that's the case, then Lenovo's latest ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 2) with OLED display has a rather unfair advantage. As we've noted in the past, Lenovo has some of the best laptop keyboards in the business, at least in terms of usability and feel. And when you couple a 14-inch OLED (Organic LED) display with one of the best laptop keyboard designs on the market, you're definitely starting with a winning combination. Of course, the keyboard and display...
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If ever there was a brand of laptops that folks might refer to as “iconic,” it would be Lenovo’s ThinkPad line of business-class machines. The ThinkPad line was also a very successful go-to notebook brand for many mainstream consumers over the years as well. Known for their minimalist, straight-forward but highly functional design characteristics, the first ThinkPad was initially introduced by IBM in 1992. Lenovo then moved in to acquire IBM’s PC business in 2005. And so, if you’re already doing the math, today actually marks the 25th anniversary of the venerable, and yes iconic, ThinkPad laptop computer. It also happens to be the day Lenovo is taking the wraps off a new machine that was designed...
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The PC gaming market continues to grow, thanks in part to the increasing popularity of eSports. While Lenovo is best known for its Thinkpad and Yoga family of notebooks with legendary reliability and slick form factors, it was time the company got serious about gaming. So, Lenovo took the plunge and launched a new sub-brand at CES this year – Legion. The new Legion family of gaming notebooks include the entry-level Y520, mid-level Y720, and high-end Y920. Lenovo sent over the mid-level 15.6-inch Legion Y720 series for us to check out, which provides a step up in build quality over the entry-level Y520 without going all-in with the beefier 17.3-inch Y920. The headlining feature of the Legion Y720...
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If you keep a pulse on the premium smartphone arena, you probably have a line on the fact that there might be something special about the forthcoming LG V30. Set for an official IFA 2017 unveiling, the new handset has been leaked, rumored and even teased by LG itself. LG in fact has been on a consistent marketing blitz, releasing bits and pieces of LG V30 features to keep the buzz factor and discussion of its new device at peak volume. Regardless, with a complement of features that may not be earth-shattering, but when combined add up to what could be handset nirvana for many, it's beginning to feel like LG may truly have something compelling in hand for Android power users with the V30....
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There is a new-found push to market, lightweight 2-in-1 devices as productivity tools for business-savvy road warriors. That has occasionally been an angle, though for the most part, the appeal of these convertible systems has largely been their ability to function as both a tablet and a general purpose laptop for lightweight computing or media consumption duties. There have been previous attempts to expand the 2-in-1 category into the business market, and that is where Lenovo's new ThinkPad X1 Tablet fits in.What we have in for review is Lenovo's second generation ThinkPad X1 Tablet for 2017. Like cars, system makers often release new models by the year, so long as Intel and AMD cooperate with...
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Lenovo has carved out quite a business for itself in the laptop space over the years, led more recently by premium machines like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. However, there are obviously many more models in the ThinkPad family of products, beyond just the top-shelf X1 Carbon line. In the more affordable ThinkPad T470s (starting price of $959), you will find a thin, light ultrabook with many of the features Lenovo is known for, including the usual fantastic keyboard setup and solid performance. At just 2.9 pounds, you’d be forgiven for thinking it doesn’t pack much punch, but this Kaby Lake powered ultrabook can get the job done. The T470s is available with a 14-inch 1920x1080 (HD) screen...
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Lenovo's venerable ThinkPad business oriented laptop line is punctuated by a couple of stand-out models, but perhaps none as striking, at least for a ThinkPad, as the ThinkPad X1 series. In its current lineup, Lenovo offers two models specifically that command attention perhaps more than others, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga that we recently revisited--with its 360-degree hinge and sweet OLED display--and the new 5th generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon that we'll be looking at here today. Though the 5th gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon may share a similar design signature and materials as the previous generation, Lenovo's 2017 version has been almost completely re-designed. Lenovo made some tough, smart decisions here...
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There's absolutely no question about it. LG obviously launched the new LG G6 right in the middle of the marketing buzzsaw that is Samsung's Galaxy S8 launch. And while it's fair to compare the G6 against the backdrop of the Samsung dynamic duo, some of the reviews I've seen so far, in my humble opinion, are unnecessarily critical of LG, largely due to timing I think. Since when did we become so jaded, like undercover restaurant critics in our own inner circle, that we can't judge a product based on its own merits? I'm not calling anyone out but I'm here to tell you that the LG G6 is likely a very competent alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S8. No doubt there are caveats, as there will be with...
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After months of leaks, the LG G6 has finally been officially unveiled. LG has gone completely back to the drawing board versus its predecessor, the questionably modular LG G5. In its place is a sleek, amazingly compact and efficient aluminum unibody design with a large 5.7-inch display. It's a truly premium flagship device and we got some quality hands-on time with it in New York last week. That display is the main focal point of the G6, and it has a rather unorthodox 18:9 screen ratio, which LG says allows the device to fit better in your hand. The thin bezels of the new flagship also give the LG G6 an 80 percent screen to body ratio. LG notes the aspect ratio is being adopted...
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‘Tis the season to stomp on your enemies with the help of new gaming hardware, so we jumped at the chance to fire up a couple of Lenovo’s top gaming machines, a burly 17-inch gaming laptop and a gaming desktop PC designed in conjunction with Razer. Just a small side note: we're actually giving away these machines in the days ahead to a couple of lucky individuals participating in our Lenovo HOT Holiday Giveaway. We thought it might be interesting to preview these to beasts before we gave them away, though. Regardless, the maker of the ThinkPad line has been fighting its way into the gaming market with the Y900 series, and as bold and powerful as these systems are, they have Lenovo’s...
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Lenovo introduced the Google Project Tango Augmented Reality-infused Phab 2 Pro smartphone back in June and the product marked a number firsts for both the manufacturer and the industry as a whole. The Phab 2 Pro is the first consumer retail device to support Google Project Tango AR technology, with a multi-camera and sensor array that gives the smartphone the ability to sense and "see" the environment around it, and then map and render virtual augmentations in the environment for the user. The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is also one of the largest Android smartphones on the market currently, with a ginormous 6.4-inch IPS display and a footprint exceeding 7-inches at its tallest point. Without question,...
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