Lenovo introduced a new wave of Yoga hybrids, shaving off size and weight so the devices are lighter when used as tablets, and faster in laptop mode.

The new Yoga hybrids include the 13.3-inch Yoga 2 Pro and 12.5-inch ThinkPad Yoga, which also have higher resolution touchscreens and faster processors than the first Yoga systems that started shipping in October last year.

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Yoga's design lets people turn its screen around almost 360 degrees to turn the laptop into a tablet, different from other hybrids that come with detachable keyboards or swivelling screens.

The Yoga 2 Pro is 15.5 millimeters thick, and weighs 1.36 kilograms, which is 0.22 kilograms lighter than the Yoga 13, an earlier model. But perhaps the biggest improvement is the optional 3200 x 1800-pixel screen, whose resolution is among the highest in laptops.

"We've made it better in almost every way," said Nick Reynolds, executive director, Lenovo Business Group, adding that reducing the weight makes it a more usable Windows 8 tablet.

The Yoga 2 Pro will start at US$1,099. Lenovo is estimating anywhere between six to nine hours of battery life. It will come with Intel's fourth-generation Core processors and up to 512GB of solid-state drive storage.

The ThinkPad Yoga, which will start at $949, is designed for professionals who need more storage or docking capabilities. It also has ruggedness and security features found on other ThinkPad laptops. System administrators will be able to remotely control them.

The ThinkPad Yoga will have up to 1TB of hard-drive storage. An optional stylus will be available. The hybrid can be configured with 1920 x 1080, or 1366 x 768 resolution screens. Other features include two USB 3.0 ports, a mini-HDMI slot and NFC (near-field communication) hardware.

The computer also has a feature in which the keys rise and lock into the chassis as the screen is folded into tablet mode. The keys integrate into the chassis, making it easier to use the hybrid when in tablet mode. This feature is not available on the Yoga 2 Pro, in which keys do not go up, and users can feel the keyboard when holding the hybrid in tablet mode.

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Lenovo's Yoga hybrids strike a lighter, sleeker pose

Gabriel Axel

I began my journey as an aspiring neuroscientist determined to understand the basis of what makes us human. What was our most fundamental essence that allowed us to be, express and function in all the wondrous ways that we do? I knew the answer had to lie in the brain, the most complex and mysterious organ in the body and the one that held the most promise for unearthing the origin of our unique species. I toured universities in the U.S. and Europe, studying and conducting research looking for answers. I devoured every piece of knowledge I studied, mesmerized by the wonders of the brain.

I was looking for consciousness itself. I realized after some time, however, that consciousness itself was not to be limited to being found in the brain. All human endeavors that have ever reached greatness from elite athleticism and creative genius to humble expressions of grace through service have touched a deep strand of humanness, lodged within the metaphorical heart. As amazing as the brain was, I knew that consciousness this essence for which I was searching had to be lived and directly experienced.

[Read: Yoga for People Who Are Overweight or Obese.]

I wanted some activity I could incorporate regularly that would help me develop physically, mentally and emotionally, and also touch this ineffable essence itself. My busy schedule of study and research at the time did not allow for simultaneously doing various workouts and activities to these ends, so I set the intention of finding a single activity that would address these needs together. This was the pivotal moment when I found yoga. Yoga struck a deep chord in me. There were marked increases, both immediate and long-term, in physical strength and flexibility, mental calm and overall peace both inside and outside the actual practice. I was hooked.

Neuroscience has repeatedly demonstrated the capacity of the brain to rewire itself through experience, known as neuroplasticity. In a practical sense this means that every moment of experience creates grooves in the landscape of the brain, which then affects the way we relate to the minds and bodies of ourselves and others, as well as to the environment around us. The good news is that a changeable brain is a hackable brain in other words, by understanding some of the rules of brain function, it is possible to learn how to use its capacities more effectively in order to deliberately bring about positive change.

[Read: Yoga With Down Syndrome: Sarah Schaffer's Story.]

I discovered along the path that this deliberate act is part and parcel of yoga. Yoga is a scientific technology that harnesses the innate capability of the body as a vehicle for transformation. It is a technology, a human art, purposefully crafted to serve as a tool for maximizing the health and potential of the human being. Yoga has been popularized by its physical aspects, which are an integral component of the larger science of yoga. The system as a whole, which includes techniques that address many aspects of the human being, works the brain and nervous system in a synchronized and harmonious manner. The techniques are manifold, but they are based on core principles. These can be unpacked in a digestible manner using exercises that improve fitness and well-being if appropriately applied.

[Read: Yoga for People in Wheelchairs.]

Yoga starts as the process of harnessing the brain's capacities and naturally evolves into the art of living well. As negative habits, patterns and influences within ourselves and from the outside are progressively dropped in favor of more sustainable ones, yoga can become a way of life it becomes not about what we do, but how we do things. The principles of yogic science and brain science mesh together to create a blueprint for transformation. There is tremendous power in combining a technology that has stood the test of thousands of years of human evolution with a rigorous science of the most complex and fascinating organ in the human body.

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Your Brain on Yoga: A Blueprint for Transformation

We go hands-on with business and consumer Yoga systems, plus a tabletop PC, a new line of semi-hybrids, and more.

As part of the IFA flood of new laptops, tablets, and other products, Lenovo is introducing a new PC line, as well as serious revisions to the popular Yoga hybrid. Also new, an Android tablet called the S5000 and a phone called the Vibe X, both of which claim to be especially lightweight.

Below you'll find links to hands-on impressions, photos, and video of Lenovo's new PC lineup, including a high-res update of the popular Yoga hybrid, and a brand new Yoga version from the ThinkPad brand, which includes a keyboard update that's been on our wish list for some time.

IdeaPad Flex 14 The IdeaPad Flex line, available in 14- and 15-inch versions, doesn't fold all the way back into a tablet like the Yoga does. This is more of a laptop with some extra flexibility, bending its screen back by 300 degrees to allow for what we've been calling a kiosk mode, with the screen pointing out from the rear of the laptop, away from the keyboard and touch pad. Read our First Take and see hands-on video here.

IdeaPad Flex 20 Unlike earlier tabletop PC such as the HP Rove 20 and original Sony Vaio Tap 20, which both weigh around 12 pounds, the $899 Flex 20 is closer to 8 pounds. That's about the same as Sony's just-announced 21-inch Tap 21, and a little more than Dell's excellent, and extremely thin, 18-inch XPS 18. Read our First Take and see hands-on video here.

IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro How do you top the much-loved original? In the case of the just-announced Yoga 2 Pro, the star of the show is an ultra-high-res 13.3-inch display, with a native resolution of 3,200x1,800 pixels. That puts the Yoga 2 in similar territory to the Toshiba Kirabook, Retina MacBook Pro, Chromebook Pixel, Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus, and a handful of others. Read our First Take and see hands-on video here.

The keyboard recedes into the body and is locked in tablet mode.

ThinkPad Yoga Lenovo has a new take on the Yoga that should make a lot of people very happy. This new ThinkPad-branded model has a seriously engineered keyboard and chassis that pulls the keys into the body as you fold it over backward into tablet mode. Read our First Take and see hands-on video here.

Read more from the original source:
Lenovo offers new Yoga hybrids, a new Flex line of PCs, and more