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Hybrids still fall short of laptops
By Ryan Nakashima |
April 14, 2013, Sunday
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Print Edition
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SINCE Windows 8's debut in October, many of hot-looking devices try to combine elements of tablets and traditional PCs. These hybrids seem as if they would be great both for relaxing with an e-book and for writing stories when I occasionally need to snap back to workmode.
But trying out three tablet-PC hybrids running Windows 8 has convinced me that the good old laptop still reigns for creating documents quickly and accurately. It's still superior for working at a desk, table, counter, or on your lap. And it has the best possible mix of battery life, processing power and compatibility with legacy software.
Unfortunately, where the hybrids worked well as tablets, they fared poorly as document-creators, or the other way around.
I'm not alone in wanting a be-all, end-all machine that bridges the gap between tablets and PCs. The three hybrid computers I tried didn't meet my needs. They show promise if you're willing to give up typing speed or if you don't mind a heavy tablet that you'll have to look down at in your lap. Be aware of these issues.
Iconia W510 by Acer
Price: US$750
The white and metallic Iconia W510 is an instant attention-grabber with its slender profile and detachable screen, which on its own weighs less than an iPad, at 1.27 pounds (0.58 kilograms). Small speakers create a muted, tinny, stereo sound. It's a comfy couch companion if I just want to check e-mail and watch videos.
Unfortunately, the W510's guts didn't match its exterior. Repeated software updates and spotty Wi-Fi connections led me to put the machine down in frustration at times. I couldn't diagnose the Wi-Fi problem fully, but other devices worked fine on my high-speed home network.
Videos played in fits and starts. I needed a half-hour session with a Netflix customer service rep to troubleshoot video issues, which were resolved by uninstalling and reloading two programs. Xbox Music, which comes with Windows 8, repeatedly failed to go past a single song. The other two devices were fine.
The W510 delivers on its promised ultra-long battery life of 18 hours when the keyboard is attached.
But plenty of quirks detracted from that convenience. It took several installations of Office, and a call to Microsoft reps, to figure out the computer was hiding Office icons in an obscure part of the tile-based interface. I finally was about to set up and use Outlook e-mail. Changes I made to Word and OneNote documents synced across several devices.
But the W510's keyboard is too small to type accurately and fast, and the touchpad didn't accept two-finger swipe inputs like the other two.
Surface Pro by Microsoft
Price: US$899 (plus US$120 for Touch Cover with keyboard)
The latest device from Microsoft is the epicenter of design Catch-22s.
It uses Intel's i5 processor so it can run a full version of Windows 8 well. But the chip gets hot and requires a fan for cooling. That adds bulk and a vent around the outer edge. All this means the Surface Pro is one-sixth of an inch thicker than the Surface RT, which runs a lightweight version of Windows 8 and can run only software designed for that system.
The Pro is also half a pound heavier at 2 pounds (0.91 kilograms). That may not sound like much, but if you hold it like a tablet, the bottom corners dig into your palms. For me, it's too heavy to be used easily as a tablet.
Then there's the detachable touch keyboard cover. On your lap, using the keyboard is prone to error and is exasperating. It frequently needed to be detached and reconnected. Using the on-screen keyboard doesn't help much as it blocks the view of what you're doing. Because of these issues ... I prefer a laptop with a bigger, more responsive keyboard.
Yoga 13 by Lenovo
Price: US$1,300
It gets its acrobatic name because it folds back, transforming to a tablet.
Though it looks like a sleek laptop with rubberized coating, at 3.4 pounds, it's not light enough to be used as a tablet. The 13-inch (33-centimeter) screen is gargantuan in tablet mode. It's more than twice as heavy as a full-size, 10-inch (25-centimeter) iPad; 4.5 times as heavy as Google's smaller, 7-inch screen tablet, the Nexus 7.
Other than that, it works like a high-end laptop. The version powered by Intel's i7 chip did everything I want a laptop to do. It has an easy-to-use keyboard and enough processing power to avoid lags using key programs such as Office. It also solidly connected over Wi-Fi to the Internet.
Its touch screen allowed me to use Windows 8's tile-based interface with ease. The screen is big enough so that when using the desktop area, programs that appear in traditional Windows format are somewhat navigable using my finger.
The Yoga 13 has long enough battery life to be used for an entire working day without charge. It has better and more powerful speakers than the other two devices by far.
In the end, the Yoga worked best for me, probably because it was the most like a laptop, but not a very usable tablet.
But trying out three tablet-PC hybrids running Windows 8 has convinced me that the good old laptop still reigns for creating documents quickly and accurately. It's still superior for working at a desk, table, counter, or on your lap. And it has the best possible mix of battery life, processing power and compatibility with legacy software.
Unfortunately, where the hybrids worked well as tablets, they fared poorly as document-creators, or the other way around.
I'm not alone in wanting a be-all, end-all machine that bridges the gap between tablets and PCs. The three hybrid computers I tried didn't meet my needs. They show promise if you're willing to give up typing speed or if you don't mind a heavy tablet that you'll have to look down at in your lap. Be aware of these issues.
Iconia W510 by Acer
Price: US$750
The white and metallic Iconia W510 is an instant attention-grabber with its slender profile and detachable screen, which on its own weighs less than an iPad, at 1.27 pounds (0.58 kilograms). Small speakers create a muted, tinny, stereo sound. It's a comfy couch companion if I just want to check e-mail and watch videos.
Unfortunately, the W510's guts didn't match its exterior. Repeated software updates and spotty Wi-Fi connections led me to put the machine down in frustration at times. I couldn't diagnose the Wi-Fi problem fully, but other devices worked fine on my high-speed home network.
Videos played in fits and starts. I needed a half-hour session with a Netflix customer service rep to troubleshoot video issues, which were resolved by uninstalling and reloading two programs. Xbox Music, which comes with Windows 8, repeatedly failed to go past a single song. The other two devices were fine.
The W510 delivers on its promised ultra-long battery life of 18 hours when the keyboard is attached.
But plenty of quirks detracted from that convenience. It took several installations of Office, and a call to Microsoft reps, to figure out the computer was hiding Office icons in an obscure part of the tile-based interface. I finally was about to set up and use Outlook e-mail. Changes I made to Word and OneNote documents synced across several devices.
But the W510's keyboard is too small to type accurately and fast, and the touchpad didn't accept two-finger swipe inputs like the other two.
Surface Pro by Microsoft
Price: US$899 (plus US$120 for Touch Cover with keyboard)
The latest device from Microsoft is the epicenter of design Catch-22s.
It uses Intel's i5 processor so it can run a full version of Windows 8 well. But the chip gets hot and requires a fan for cooling. That adds bulk and a vent around the outer edge. All this means the Surface Pro is one-sixth of an inch thicker than the Surface RT, which runs a lightweight version of Windows 8 and can run only software designed for that system.
The Pro is also half a pound heavier at 2 pounds (0.91 kilograms). That may not sound like much, but if you hold it like a tablet, the bottom corners dig into your palms. For me, it's too heavy to be used easily as a tablet.
Then there's the detachable touch keyboard cover. On your lap, using the keyboard is prone to error and is exasperating. It frequently needed to be detached and reconnected. Using the on-screen keyboard doesn't help much as it blocks the view of what you're doing. Because of these issues ... I prefer a laptop with a bigger, more responsive keyboard.
Yoga 13 by Lenovo
Price: US$1,300
It gets its acrobatic name because it folds back, transforming to a tablet.
Though it looks like a sleek laptop with rubberized coating, at 3.4 pounds, it's not light enough to be used as a tablet. The 13-inch (33-centimeter) screen is gargantuan in tablet mode. It's more than twice as heavy as a full-size, 10-inch (25-centimeter) iPad; 4.5 times as heavy as Google's smaller, 7-inch screen tablet, the Nexus 7.
Other than that, it works like a high-end laptop. The version powered by Intel's i7 chip did everything I want a laptop to do. It has an easy-to-use keyboard and enough processing power to avoid lags using key programs such as Office. It also solidly connected over Wi-Fi to the Internet.
Its touch screen allowed me to use Windows 8's tile-based interface with ease. The screen is big enough so that when using the desktop area, programs that appear in traditional Windows format are somewhat navigable using my finger.
The Yoga 13 has long enough battery life to be used for an entire working day without charge. It has better and more powerful speakers than the other two devices by far.
In the end, the Yoga worked best for me, probably because it was the most like a laptop, but not a very usable tablet.
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