Laptop – SoFun

Kano lets kids build their own Windows 10 laptop

NEWS – The new Kano PC isn’t just a kid-friendly laptop with a colorful orange keyboard. It’s a laptop that kids can build themselves with easy to assemble modules and cables that require no previous knowledge of electronics or soldering.

Kano is the same company who makes the Computer Kit Touch tablet that I reviewed last fall. The Kano PC is a similarly designed kit that comes with easy to understand step-by-step instructions for kids ages 6 and up. Partnering with Microsoft, Kano is offering a fun way for kids (and adults too – I won’t tell!) to build their own Intel Atom based touch screen Windows 10 computer with a detachable keyboard. Kids can then use the Kano PC to learn how to program.

The Kano PC is priced at $299.99 and will be available at the end of October. For more info head over to kano.me for all the details and to pre-order.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: Do-It-Yourself, Laptop, STEM, Windows 10

Kano lets kids build their own Windows 10 laptop originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 22, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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VAIO gets that more ports are more better!

NEWS – VAIO recently announced a new laptop, the SX12. What’s unusual about this computer is not the 12.5 inch screen, the 8th generation Intel processors, or its less than 2 pounds weight. What’s unusual is the number of ports. It has USB-C (for charging), 3 USB-A, HDMI, SD card, headphone, Ethernet, and VGA ports. That’s enough to make even a full-sized laptop jealous. It also includes a multi-touch trackpad, a fingerprint sensor, and an anti-glare coating, along with 14 hours of battery life and option for an LTE module. The price is expected to be between $1,100 and $2,000, depending upon the options chosen. It’s great for a computer vendor to realize that even light and thin laptops need a lot of ports; too bad there’s no word if/when it will be sold in the US.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: Laptop, Sony

VAIO gets that more ports are more better! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 16, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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Julie’s gadget diary – The Huawei MateBook X Pro could actually replace my MacBook

ARTICLE – I have been using iMacs and MacBooks to do my Gadgeteer work for the past 13 years. I love the simplicity of macOS and although I use a Windows 10 laptop all day long at my day job, I’m always happy to go home and use my 12-inch MacBook. However, a few weeks ago my MB had to be admitted into the “hospital” to fix the keyboard and I was without it for 2 whole weeks. During that time I used a Windows notebook and I survived the experience quite well. So well in fact that it made me start thinking about my next notebook computer and if it will be a Windows notebook instead of another MacBook. One such Windows notebook to catch my eye lately as a potential replacement is the Huawei MateBook X Pro which I’ve had the opportunity to test drive.

I will let you know right away that if you came here to read a full review of the MateBook X Pro, that you’re going to be disappointed because this article is not a review. At least not in the traditional sense. You can read a bazillion reviews on other tech sites if that is what you’re looking for because talking about the ins and outs of hardware specs makes my eyes glaze over and might do the same for you. Nope, this article is going to be my general impressions after using this notebook for a few days to do the type of tasks that I do with my MacBook.

First of all, the Huawei MateBook X Pro is a gorgeous piece of hardware that looks and feels like a premium device. The brushed metal housing comes in either Mystic Silver or Space Gray. Hey, can they really call it that? I was sent the Space Gray version and it’s a looker. It looks like it has a blue or even purple tint to it in some light conditions. Regardless, it looks nice.

Then you open the display and wow. Super thin bezels and a gorgeous bright, vivid, crisp picture with 178-degree viewing angles. It’s a touchscreen too which I always forget about. There’s something about notebooks with touchscreens, I just can’t make myself touch the display. I guess it comes from years of knowing that doing so would leave smudges and could even harm the screens that keep me from wanting to use that feature.

This display blows my 12-inch MacBook away as far as resolution (3000 x 2000) which is a silly statement given the MateBook X Pro is 13.9-inches and my little MacBook is only 12-inches. Using the Huawei made me feel like I could easily do away with an external monitor, not that I really want to ditch my BenQ PD2710QC DesignView 27-inch Designer Monitor which I’ve been enjoying the last few months.

Besides macOS, what I love most about MacBooks are the keyboard (well at least until mine died!) and even more, the trackpad. I’ve tried several other Windows laptops over the years and the main thing that I hate about them is the trackpad. So I wasn’t expecting to like the Hauwei’s but I was pleasantly surprised by how roomy, smooth, tactile, and responsive it was. If trackpads were the main reason I’ve not switched back to a Windows computer, that excuse died when I started using the MateBook X Pro.

The backlit keyboard is also roomy and comfortable to type on. Another bonus is that it is spill proof. I wonder if that means that it is also dust proof… I’m looking at you Apple. The keys look very much like my MacBook’s keys as far as shape, color, etc. But the larger sized keys really make this keyboard a joy to type on if you’re a touch typist like I am. My fingers can absolutely fly on this notebook.

There are also two surprises hidden in the keyboard if you include the power button as part of the keyboard. The power button has a built-in fingerprint reader so you can turn on the notebook and sign in to the homescreen all with just one press.

The other surprise is hidden in the center function key above the 7 key. Press this key and a little camera pops up out of the keyboard. Nifty, but the only problem is that it’s not best angle if you have a double chin since the camera is pointing up at a very unflattering angle instead of straight at you.

Another plus is that even though the MateBook X Pro is thin and relatively lightweight at 2.93 pounds. It doesn’t skimp on ports either as there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port, and a Thunderbolt 3 USB-C port on the left side of the notebook.

And on the right side is a USB 3.0 type A port for all of your legacy devices like flash drives, etc. The only thing missing is a card reader and another thing to consider is that the MateBook X Pro doesn’t have a fanless design. While using it, the fan did kick on a few times which reminded me just how much I hate fan noise. So that’s something to consider.

I have really enjoyed using the MateBook X Pro and I’m a little sad to send it back to Huawei. The battery life has been stellar, the display is killer, the Dolby Atmos speaker system is top notch, and the overall build quality is excellent.

As I’ve said many times in my other gadget diary posts, I do about 90% of my work in a web browser (my current favorite is Chrome) and the rest of my work is done in Photoshop and a few other apps like AirDroid, FileZilla, DayOne, ToDoist, etc. I’m not a gamer and don’t need to edit video all that often. So it all honesty, I can do the bulk of my Gadgeteer work in Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, or even Linux. So for me, when it comes to choosing hardware, it comes down to things like the keyboard, the trackpad, the display, available ports, size, weight, etc. Other than the built-in fan and that it runs Windows OS, I really like this notebook. A lot.

It would be nice if Huawei notebooks were available for people to see in person here in the US in stores like Best Buy because I bet they’d sell a lot more of them if people could touch and feel them. It can be scary to spend over $1000 on a computer without actually seeing one in person, but from the short time that I’ve spent with the Huawei MateBook X Pro, I am smitten with it. It’s a premium notebook that is on my short list of options when the time comes for me to upgrade.

When it comes to price, the MateBook X Pro starts at $1,199.99 which gets you the Intel Core i5 8th gen 1.60GHz CPU, 256GB SSD, and 8GB of memory. If you want to fully load it with an Intel Core i7 8th gen 1.80GHz CPU, 256GB SSD and 16GB of memory, that will set you back $1,499.99. Either configuration is less expensive than a 13-inch MacBook so if Windows OS is your preference, this notebook offers a great value and a real bang for your buck and should be considered if you’re needing to upgrade, buy a laptop for a kid going off to college, etc.

You can read all the specs and info about the Huawei MateBook X Pro on Huawei’s site and you can buy one from Newegg or Microsoft.com

Filed in categories: Articles

Tagged: gadget diary, Laptop, Windows 10

Julie’s gadget diary – The Huawei MateBook X Pro could actually replace my MacBook originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 10, 2018 at 4:10 pm.

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Nextbook Flexx 11a 11.6″ Convertible Touchscreen Tablet PC review

I’ve been using a Mac as my main computer at home for quite a few years now. I started with an iMac, went to a 15″ MacBook Pro, then to a 13″ MacBook Pro, next was a MacBook Air, and now I’m currently using a 12″ MacBook. I keep downsizing because I prefer a lightweight laptop that won’t break my shoulder when I travel but is still large enough to work on. The 12″ MacBook is almost perfect. But, I recently had an itch to switch to a Windows laptop and was shopping around for an ultralight machine and started thinking about 2-in-1 laptop/tablet devices. As luck would have it, the folks at Nextbook asked if I would like to review their budget-priced Nextbook Flexx 11a 1.6″ Convertible Touchscreen Tablet PC. I was happy to accept their offer and decided to make the Nextbook my travel companion for my yearly vacation to Florida. Read on to find out what I think of the Nextbook after using it exclusively for a full week.

What is it?

The Nextbook Flexx 11a is a laptop with an 11.6″ touchscreen that can be used as a laptop or detached from the keyboard and used as a tablet PC.

Hardware specs

1.84GHz Intel Atom CherryTrail Z8300 quad-core processor
2GB DDR3L of system memory
64GB of internal memory
Genuine Microsoft Windows 10 OS
11.6″ touchscreen 1366×768 resolution (IPS)
Back 2MP webcam and front 2MP webcam with microphone
USB 2.0 port, micro USB 2.0 port, micro HDMI port, headphone jack
Built-in WiFi and Bluetooth v4.0
Dimensions (L x W x H) 11.36 x 0.39 x 7.65 Inches
Weight 3.02 lbs

Design and features

My first look and feel of the Nextbook didn’t cause me to say words like “wow” or “oh my”. This is a budget computer, so the Nextbook isn’t flashy which is fine by me.

The case is made of plastic and it feels like plastic right down to the creaking and cracking noises that it makes when you lift the lid and perform the Gadgeteer squeeze test.

The back side of the display has a dark gray matte finish on the top, with Nextbook and Intel logos, and a back facing 2MP camera.

You’ll also find the power button and a volume button bar on the top edge of the back side of the display.

On the right side of the keyboard, you’ll find a full-sized USB connector that can be used for a wired mouse, flash drive, etc.

On the opposite side of the Nextbook is a 3.5mm headphone jack, microphone, power port, micro USB, micro HDMI, micro SD card slot, and a status LED for charging status.

The Nextbook display opens up to reveal a a silver and black plastic QWERTY keyboard with a touchpad below it. Click the image above if you would like to see a larger view of the keyboard.

Although the Flexx 11a is a small laptop, the keyboard is roomy enough for a touch typist like myself. The keyboard is a little spongy feeling, but I didn’t have any problems with the layout.

The touchpad is adequate, but nowhere nearly as responsive as the touchpad of every MacBook that I’ve ever used. I’m kind of a touchpad snob and compare every one that I try to the ones on a MacBook because they are that good.

During my week using the Nextbook, I had a lot of issues selecting multiple lines of text using the touchpad. Sometimes I’d highlight a whole section and as soon as I’d try to copy it with a CTRL-C, the selection would change to just the first word or two. This became very frustrating and I found myself relying on a wireless mouse when I wanted to do extended writing and text editing.

Display

The Nextbook Flexx 11a’s display is about the same size as my 12″ MacBook, so I had no problems with the size. For a sub $200 laptop, I was impressed with this little laptop’s display. The colors and sharpness of text and graphics are very good. It’s not a retina display, but when I place the Nextbook next to my MacBook, I really can’t tell a huge difference between them except for the huge bezels on the Nextbook.

Setting up Windows 10

It’s been awhile since I’ve set up a new Windows computer so I was surprised when the setup for the Nextbook was mostly handled by Microsoft’s Cortana voice assistant. She tells you what she’s doing during each step of the setup and asks questions that you can answer with a Yes or No answer using your voice. It was slick and easy.

Is it a laptop or a tablet?

The Nextbook Flexx 11a can be used like a traditional laptop but unlike Microsoft Surface and other tablet-style PCs that have a kickstand, the Nextbook works just fine on your lap even though it’s slightly top heavy.

For those times when you want to use the Nextbook like a tablet, you just detach it from the keyboard with a simple tug.

The Flexx attaches to the keyboard with magnets that hold it securely in place but also allow for easy detachment.

The nice thing about the Nextbook is that you don’t have to charge the keyboard separately or bother with pairing it to the tablet. Charging is done through the tablet/display when it’s attached to the keyboard and the keyboard just works as soon as it’s connected to the display.

The display/tablet has a touchscreen so you can use your finger to tap icons and use an onscreen keyboard.

The tablet will also auto-rotate feature when you turn it from landscape to portrait orientations. For audio, there are two speakers built into the edge of the display.

I’ve tried Windows 10 on small tablets before and didn’t really enjoy the tablet PC experience but I hoped the Nextbook would offer a better feel since it has a bigger display.

I had no real issues using the Flexx 11a’s display to watch media, read, and surf websites while in tablet mode, but to do real work in this format didn’t work out well for me. I didn’t like using onscreen keyboards because I can type so much faster on a physical keyboard. I also find selecting items in menus and tapping small buttons with my finger to be tedious and frustrating.

Performance and battery life

The first thing I noticed about the Nextbook Flexx 11a is that it seems to take forever to fully charge it. I’m talking over 4-5 hours for an 8 hour run time return.

As far as performance, the Nextbook felt “ok” after a reboot and an hour or less of surfing using Chrome. But once you opened a few tabs, performance became noticeably sluggish. I would use the task manager to kill the Chrome processes and things would be “ok” again for awhile. I think the problem is due to the fact that this laptop only has 2GB of ram and it has a budget processor.

I’m not an expert on CPUs, so I went to someone who knows much more than I ever will on that topic: Lisa Gade from MobileTechReview.com. Lisa reviews laptops so she knows what she’s talking about. Just for fun, I asked her how my early 2016 12″ MacBook with a 1.1 GHz Intel Core m3 processor compares to the Nextbook Flexx 11a’s 1.84GHz Intel Atom CherryTrail Z8300 quad-core processor. Yes, I know it’s crazy to compare apples to oranges or in this case an Apple to a Nextbook, but both machines have mobile processors, so I was just curious as to what Lisa would say:

The MacBook is a rocket scientist compared to the Cherry Trail Atom CPU. I’ve reviewed a few Cherry Trail over the years, but nothing recently (I guess I’m a CPU snob). I can live with having to use a Core m3 and 12” MacBook here and there. The Atom is “just shoot me now” territory, for my unduly colorful and subjective opinion ;).

This might be the most useful for lots of metrics for each:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Atom-x5-Z8300-SoC.146643.0.html
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-m3-7Y30-Notebook-Processor.178426.0.html (this is the slightly slower 1.0 GHz rather than Apple’s 1.1 GHz, but close enough).

Final thoughts

When it’s all said and done, I find it hard to complain very loudly about the Nextbook Flexx 11a due to the fact that it only costs $179 and can be used as both a Windows 10 laptop or a Windows 10 tablet.

As long as you understand its limitations and keep in mind that it’s no speed demon, the Nextbook Flexx 11a is a capable little computer for email, browsing, watching videos and even some lightweight gaming.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Nextbook. Please visit their site for more info and Walmart to order.

Product Information

Price:	$179.00
Manufacturer:	Nextbook
Retailer:	Walmart
Pros:	Budget-friendly price Can be used as a laptop or a tablet Touchscreen micro SD card slot
Cons:	Sluggish performance

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Laptop, Tablet, Windows 10

Nextbook Flexx 11a 11.6″ Convertible Touchscreen Tablet PC review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 31, 2017 at 3:02 pm.

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