24 Hours Later
For those of you wondering what it is that I decided to purchase to replace my MacBook Pro, here it goes:
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11s.
256gb SSD
8gigs RAM
Core i5 Ivy Bridge Processor
11.6" Touch Display
I will say this again: This laptop has THE best keyboard I've ever used on any laptop EVER - and possibly any keyboard I've ever used.
Regarding the track pad, which I lambasted a bit yesterday, I must say that as I get used to it, it doesn't feel quite as glitchy. I still don't like it as much as the Mac track pads, but I think they may have made a pact with the devil to get those things so buttery smooth.
Also, I wish I could turn off the physical "Right Click." The track pad is one giant button, but the lower right of it is still the "Right Click" area. I can also Two Finger click anywhere with the same result. Let me pick which way I want to do things in that instance (or, beloved readers, please let me know how to do this).
To be honest, I kind of hate the name of this device - I think it's too long. Simply the Yoga 11s would be perfect, but that's a little odd to bitch about, so I'll move on.
The first thing I will say is that the battery life is not what I had expected. I had expected it to be less than what I'd been getting, but I'm not even hitting the five hour mark currently, which is vastly disappointing. The one thing I will say is that this may not always be the case. Batteries sometimes need a little bit of time to properly adjust themselves to use.
Or at least I hope I remember that correctly - don't quote me on that and I'm too tired to go look it up myself.
My next mild disappointment is in the ability to work with calDAV and cardDAV. On the one hand I think it's rather cruel for Google to stop support of AES so that Windows users are more or less left behind, but it's also unfair of Windows to try and stay in the past as much as they do with some things.
Since Windows Phone 8 will soon support CalDAV and CardDAV I suspect support for Windows 8 isn't far behind at this point. I just wish it would hurry up. I don't like having to use the Google Apps online when Windows has such clean, wonderful apps I could be using for Calendaring and the like.
My next little bit of aggravation comes from the lack of Disk Utilities (or my inability to find them if they're there). Turns out I had to rescue my Sister-In-Law's laptop tonight and to do that, I had to build a fresh Windows USB Installer. I ended up using the command line, which I'm not as familiar with as I am with UNIX and LINUX Command Lines, but I got it done, wiped her system and installed a fresh copy of Win 7 on her HP.
To accomplish the same thing on a Mac would have taken less work.
BUT considering most people never use the utilities that Mac has built in, it doesn't surprise me that Windows keeps some of that functionality in their CLI (Command Line Interface). Once I figured it out, pretty easy to make happen.
Windows 8 is not as intuitive as Microsoft would like you to believe. I had to look up some videos on basic stuff like how to close an application (not with the mouse interface, but from the tablet mode interface).
So, for anybody who maybe wondering: If you want to close an application and you don't have a keyboard or mouse attached (or they're flipped out of the way), drag from the top of the screen down until the App detaches itself from the edges and slide it all the way to the bottom of the display - boom, it's gone.
Once you figure it out, it's pretty easy, but there's nothing that says "This is how you do this."
One of the things that has always impressed me about Microsoft is it's use of Desktop Space. I'm not certain how they do it, but any display always looks bigger than it does when using Mac - even if you turn on Automatic Hiding for the Dock on the Mac. Windows 8 is no different even when using the Windows 8 Style Apps - since they were designed for full screen, they just seem to belong there and don't feel stretched out like Mac applications always do when you enter Full Screen mode.
I actually have a ton more to say, but I don't have the energy right now. It's another late night and another early, early morning and I'd like to pretend that I got something that kind of resembles sleep.
Maybe if I can find a way to monetize this blog I won't have to go bed and get up early.
Ha.
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11s.
256gb SSD
8gigs RAM
Core i5 Ivy Bridge Processor
11.6" Touch Display
I will say this again: This laptop has THE best keyboard I've ever used on any laptop EVER - and possibly any keyboard I've ever used.
Regarding the track pad, which I lambasted a bit yesterday, I must say that as I get used to it, it doesn't feel quite as glitchy. I still don't like it as much as the Mac track pads, but I think they may have made a pact with the devil to get those things so buttery smooth.
Also, I wish I could turn off the physical "Right Click." The track pad is one giant button, but the lower right of it is still the "Right Click" area. I can also Two Finger click anywhere with the same result. Let me pick which way I want to do things in that instance (or, beloved readers, please let me know how to do this).
To be honest, I kind of hate the name of this device - I think it's too long. Simply the Yoga 11s would be perfect, but that's a little odd to bitch about, so I'll move on.
The first thing I will say is that the battery life is not what I had expected. I had expected it to be less than what I'd been getting, but I'm not even hitting the five hour mark currently, which is vastly disappointing. The one thing I will say is that this may not always be the case. Batteries sometimes need a little bit of time to properly adjust themselves to use.
Or at least I hope I remember that correctly - don't quote me on that and I'm too tired to go look it up myself.
My next mild disappointment is in the ability to work with calDAV and cardDAV. On the one hand I think it's rather cruel for Google to stop support of AES so that Windows users are more or less left behind, but it's also unfair of Windows to try and stay in the past as much as they do with some things.
Since Windows Phone 8 will soon support CalDAV and CardDAV I suspect support for Windows 8 isn't far behind at this point. I just wish it would hurry up. I don't like having to use the Google Apps online when Windows has such clean, wonderful apps I could be using for Calendaring and the like.
My next little bit of aggravation comes from the lack of Disk Utilities (or my inability to find them if they're there). Turns out I had to rescue my Sister-In-Law's laptop tonight and to do that, I had to build a fresh Windows USB Installer. I ended up using the command line, which I'm not as familiar with as I am with UNIX and LINUX Command Lines, but I got it done, wiped her system and installed a fresh copy of Win 7 on her HP.
To accomplish the same thing on a Mac would have taken less work.
BUT considering most people never use the utilities that Mac has built in, it doesn't surprise me that Windows keeps some of that functionality in their CLI (Command Line Interface). Once I figured it out, pretty easy to make happen.
Windows 8 is not as intuitive as Microsoft would like you to believe. I had to look up some videos on basic stuff like how to close an application (not with the mouse interface, but from the tablet mode interface).
So, for anybody who maybe wondering: If you want to close an application and you don't have a keyboard or mouse attached (or they're flipped out of the way), drag from the top of the screen down until the App detaches itself from the edges and slide it all the way to the bottom of the display - boom, it's gone.
Once you figure it out, it's pretty easy, but there's nothing that says "This is how you do this."
One of the things that has always impressed me about Microsoft is it's use of Desktop Space. I'm not certain how they do it, but any display always looks bigger than it does when using Mac - even if you turn on Automatic Hiding for the Dock on the Mac. Windows 8 is no different even when using the Windows 8 Style Apps - since they were designed for full screen, they just seem to belong there and don't feel stretched out like Mac applications always do when you enter Full Screen mode.
I actually have a ton more to say, but I don't have the energy right now. It's another late night and another early, early morning and I'd like to pretend that I got something that kind of resembles sleep.
Maybe if I can find a way to monetize this blog I won't have to go bed and get up early.
Ha.
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