Lenovo ThinkPad Twist

Lenovo has quite a few different offerings available with the new Windows 8 operating system and I agree with most of the reviewers out there that believe that Windows 8 is best when being used in conjunction with touch technology. So if you are looking for a Notebook and want to have the newest a greatest make this one of your must have options on the new notebook. I recently posted information on the Lenovo Yoga that is one interesting design, The ThinkPad Twist is reusing a traditional convertible PC design with the center post allowing the screen to swivel the screen to fold back onto the keyboard to give you a 12 inch fat tablet configuration. Priced from $829 to $1,129 with the primary difference in processors and the amount of RAM.

Weighing in at 3.48 pounds the Twist can easily be cradled in the crook of your arm or handled single handedly. The from factor lends itself well towards presentations which is probably why you would be considering this type of notebook in the first place. However, it is not as easy to handle as a true tablet would be which is characteristic of all 11.6 – 13.6 inch Windows 8 convertibles. The touchscreen is made of Gorilla Glass using HD IPS (in-plane switching) display for wide angle views, again great for presentations. It has a 1,366 x 768 pixel count  which is below the Yoga’s 1,600 x 900 display. I would liked to seen a little better resolution but it isn’t there. The shell construction is of Magnesium Alloy that provides extra durability and keeps it light and thin.

As with most of Lenovo’s laptops this one also has their ThinkVantage Active Protection System (APS) that uses an accelerometer to detect movement and stops the drive when a fall or similar event is detected. Rubber mounts are used for the hard disk drive to provide a little more protection. Other specs include a real Ethernet jack, two USB 3.0 ports, a mini-DisplayPort, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a mini-HDMI connector. There is  a memory card reader that is often left off of the smaller notebook systems.

Save for a few small modifications, this is more or less the same six-row, island-style keyboard Lenovo used on the X230 and some other recent systems. At this point, it's been at least six months since the company unveiled its latest keyboard design. The important thing to know is that the keys have about 30 percent more surface area than they used to. Meanwhile, the page up / down buttons have moved to the lower right area, so that they're clustered in with the arrow keys, arranged side by side instead of stacked on top of one another. It's also spill-resistant, like other ThinkPad keyboards before it. As for ergonomics, Lenovo has maintained that even though it's moved from a traditional spread to a chiclet arrangement, the keys should still offer about the same amount of pitch.

So what's new? Lenovo has added four Windows 8 hotkeys to the Function row up top. These include buttons for searching, settings, the app list and toggling between open apps. With regards to that last one, you'll see a row of thumbnails stretch across the screen, with each one representing an open program. You can click on them with your mouse or finger, of course, but you can also use the left, right and Enter keys to select the one you want. As I earlier suggested I prefer using Windows 8 with some sort of touch input device, but it's still nice to see Lenovo adding an extra option for people who prefer keyboard shortcuts. One missing feature is that the keyboard is not backlit which is something that I would have liked to seen.

Battery life is a little poor as well. Lenovo rates it at 7 hours but in battery tests using WiFi and streaming video only about 4 hours was the mean time of support. I have included a table from engadget showing some comparable system’s battery test times as well to compare their results. Other than this poor result from the battery life, a real road warrior may find this feature one that would prevent them from purchasing it. However, if long battery life is not an issue for you. then the other features add up to a very nice device.

Could the Start Button possibly come back to Windows 8

I am sure this would make a lot of people happy to see happen. Could the fact that Steven Sinofsky is out be enough of a change to make this happen? Since he is attributed to being the driving force for losing the Start Button this could be one of the results of his leaving. There are already patches provided by third party entities that bring the Desktop and Start Button back to the interface and it would be a great thing to have this as an option for corporate users. Big change isn’t good in the Corporate World because of the costs associated with retraining office workers with new programs and interface designs. Something along this line would greatly contribute to the acceptance of Windows 8 more quickly in business environments.

ASG V7 will end-of-life soon

  

Upgrade before end December 2012

Important: Version 7 of the Astaro Security Gateway (ASG) will end-of-life on 31 December 2012. On this date Sophos will stop all security patching, pattern updates, firmware updates and technical support for this version. If you still have an active installation of ASG V7 you should move to a newer version before this date.

Your migration options
You should migrate to the latest stable version of Sophos UTM 9 or ASG V8, both of which continue to receive security fixes and deliver ongoing protection for your company. For a complete list of current options, pricing, and any other questions you have please contact us at Computer Connections.

You can also take advantage of our special, limited-time opportunity to get a new appliance model at a discounted price through our Hardware Refresh Program! Speak to us to learn more.

Hardware
Hardware appliances running V7.510+ can use the option on the Up2Date menu to one-touch-upgrade to ASG V8. This brings you to the V8 platform automatically but requires further Up2Dates after the migration is complete to be on the latest version of V8.

UTM 9 is the successor to ASG V8 and includes a number of new features including the HTML 5 VPN portal and the option to add Endpoint protection. You cannot upgrade directly to this platform from ASG V7 via a one-touch operation. To move from ASG V7 to UTM 9 you will need to install UTM 9 and then restore a backup file. While your legacy configuration should import successfully, for best results you should first restore your backup into ASG V8 and then take a backup from that platform into UTM 9.

Software
Installations running an ASG V7 software appliance on their own hardware need to install an updated version and then restore a backup file of their configuration. This will apply all your settings except for log files and on-box reports. Logs can be exported in bulk from within the WebAdmin beforehand. Reports will begin anew on your updated platform as existing reports will be removed.

For further information or help upgrading please call us at 724-838-7526 and we will get one of our technical support team assigned to assist you.

Explore 100,000 Stars From the Comfort of Your Browser

Okay, if there was a question before this certainly shows how much of a geek I am. Here is a quick Stellar Map of the Milky Way that you can explore from within your browser. I could get lost in this for awhile that’s for sure. Run the site through your Google Chrome Browser for best results. 100,000 stars…

Interesting review on the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 inch

Lenovo is definitely giving us many options with Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro machines and here is one more example. Since CES I have been drooling over this design probably only because it is so much different. Priced in the UltraBook price range it is an interesting the mixed review that I have seen on it so far. The one thing I would hope for with this design is a more substantial hinge. In the early years when I had one of the first Microsoft Tablet/Convertibles.

Most consider the tablet function a little unwieldy which I can understand but I still come from a 15 inch display convertible that weighed in at a hefty 5.5 lbs so using a thin and light 13.3 inch unit is like heaven. If you feel that it might be a little big, think about deciding to downsize to the 11.6 inch version. Though it’s hdd is much smaller 65gb and the big difference is that is running Windows 8 RT. So if you need more power and function you have to stay with the larger unit.

Here are the basic specs:

• 360 degree dual- hinge flip design
• At 0.67" (16.9mm) thin and 3.1 lbs (1.47kg), the Yoga is the industry's thinnest convertible Ultrabook
• Powered by the next generation ("Ivy Bridge") Intel Core processor family and a Windows 8 operating system
• 8 hours of battery life
• Up to 8 GB of RAM
• Up to 128GB SSD storage (optional upgrade to 256GB)
• 13.3" screen with 1600 x 900 resolution and 10-point capacitive touch
• Design: Soft touch rubber paint on the exterior for strong grip, a leather cover on the palm rest, and side buttons designed for easier access for all usage modes
• Starting at 3.4 lbs
• Prices range from $999 to $1,549
• Expected Ship date mid December 2012

Take a look at these articles for more in depth reviews:

• Windows 8: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga Flip - Jan. 9, 2012 by Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows
• Lenovo Yoga Review: This Is How You Build a PC/Tablet Freak Machine by Kyle Wagner Gizmodo
• Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 review by Dana Wollman engadget

All in All I think that it is a buy if your are looking at this market but I have two concerns, the keyboard review and how well it will hold up and the sensitivity of the touchscreen.

Yoga 13 Tech Specs

Ultrasound gesture control for Windows 8

I caught this over at Engadget and watched the video that they provided. This looks really neat and I hope that it becomes a new addition for our PC’s and notebooks. With the addition of this type of interface you won’t need to touch your screen so it ought to stay much cleaner.Take a look at the video demo below I think you will find it interesting.

Press Release:

Elliptic Labs Launches First Commercial Touchless Gesturing Technology Using Ultrasound, Designed for Electronic Devices and Windows 8

Windows 8 Gesture Suite and SDK Available

PALO ALTO, Calif. – November 13, 2012 – Science fiction and futuristic movies stepped into reality today as a result of powerful new touchless gesturing technology from Elliptic Labs (www.ellipticlabs.com) based on ultrasound. Enabling consumer electronic devices to respond to natural hand movements all around a screen, Elliptic's breakthrough technology is the first of its kind commercially available and has been incorporated in the Windows 8 Gesture Suite, introduced today. See video here.

Elliptic is the leader in ultrasonic touchless gesturing for consumer electronic devices. Its patented, low-power, responsive new technology is superior to the limited, camera-based approaches on the market. The Windows 8 Gesture Suite enables a touchless version of all touchscreen gestures in the new operating system. Combined with Elliptic's SDK, the technology gives OEMs the flexibility to create disruptive new ways to interact with devices.

Elliptic's ultrasound technology uses sound waves and microphones to detect movement, similar to how radar detects objects. The technology is not limited to detecting movement within camera view - it detects natural hand movements that extend beyond the camera, surrounding a device screen.

"Microsoft's new Metro interface changes how consumers interact with the operating system and the design is a perfect fit for touchless gestures. Elliptic's Windows 8 Gesture Suite gives users a touchless version of the gestures they already know from a touchscreen," said Tobias Dahl, CTO and founder of Elliptic Labs.

"The future of technology lies in moving from touchscreen to gesture recognition, but to date, using cameras has proved limiting and unnatural to users," he said. "Ultrasonic gesture technology uses sensors to deliver its capabilities and extends gesture-space to all sides of the screen, ensuring that the technology is robust and - unlike cameras - can be used in dark and bright light. Our Elliptic Windows 8 gestures gives users full control of the new interface by simple intuitive gestures in 3D space, enabling a more natural and efficient way to work."

Ultrasonic touchless technology uses up to 95% less power than current camera image-based gestural systems, making it an attractive option for device manufactures around the world. Elliptic provides a Starter Kit for laptops; an out-of-the box solution that allows customers and partners to get started with ultrasound-based gestures without designing hardware. It also comes with an SDK that incorporates natural gestures into devices and delivers an extensive range of example applications. With the SDK, customer and partners can create disruptive new ways to interact with devices and applications beyond Windows 8. The set of controls allows using gestures for scrolling, selecting, rotating objects and controlling menus.

Elliptic's software is in high demand by large OEM, ODMs and component and chip manufactures that are looking to integrate new capabilities allowing consumers to interact with tablets, ultrabooks and smartphones.

Availability

Elliptic's Windows 8 Gesture Suite, Starter-Kit and SDK are available immediately. For more information, contact sales hello@ellipticlabs.com or visit www.ellipticlabs.com.