Dubai
Lenovo’s Ideapad Flex 14 takes some of the ideas from the Yoga computer which can tilt 360 degrees but the Flex 14 can tilt 300 degrees - stand mode and laptop mode.
Flex 14 is a budget laptop with touch-capable Windows 8 operating system. The device isn’t as stylish as the Yoga but impressive.
The 14-inch device is powered by fourth generation Intel i5 processor running at 1.6GHz with 8GB RAM and 128GB solid state drive. The affordable Flex 14 is only 0.85-inch thick and weighs just 4.4 pounds.
The storage space is small so users need to be choosy about storing apps and media files on this device.
Even though the device is impressive the screen has only 1366 x 768 resolutions and no IPS panel. The screen’s viewing angles are not good and can lose contrast beyond a certain degree. The lower screen resolution will also not give you the best result when watching Full HD content.
The laptop has a soft touch casing with brushed metal inside but the Chiclet keyboard has little flex in the centre. The keyboard and the touch-pad designs are excellent but no backlight. The Synaptics touchpad is large enough to launch the Charms menu, two-finger rotate and pinch to zoom function.
The device is ideal for business and productivity purposes where users can present a PowerPoint or videos in the stand mode but not for real gaming because it has an integrated graphics card. The hinges are strong enough and do not wobble when folding the device.
Regarding connectivity options, it has one USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI out, SD/MMC card slot, headphone jack, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi and Ethernet port. The 720p webcam integrated into the device can capture decent video but only for chatting purposes and the speakers deliver good audio. The bottom-mounted speakers are powered by Dolby Advanced Audio. The sides of the notebook are made of plastic to cut costs.
A pair of rubber bumpers on the left and right edges of the device protects the keys when in the stand mode against the table.
The integrated dual array microphone allows users to interact with the laptop using voice commands powered by Dragon Assistant. It really works well and can learn users’ accent in the initial set up. The set up process trains the software to recognize voice by making the users read some of the preloaded phrases for a number of times.
Once the set up the completed, users can say “Hello Dragon” to activate the software and number of tasks can be done to search the web, check social media accounts or play music and videos.
Lenovo has not added too many bloatware into this device but with useful utilities and apps. The One Key Recovery is a quick to back up and recover files. The Energy Manager utility offers easy way to switch power profiles and adjust screen brightness.
The third-party apps pre-installed on the device are Accuweather.com, Amazon Kindle, Zinio, Skype, Evernote Touch, Rara music service, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster, ; Film on Television,eBay and McAfee Central.
The battery life is impressive even though not as mentioned by Lenovo. The device lasted seven hours and 48 minutes of continuous internet surfing with WiFi on and at 50 per cent brightness, which is well above the average. The advantage is that the battery is removable, so a spare battery can double the productivity time. It is priced at Dh????
