Monthly Archives: November 2015

Review: Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro, a multimedia hub

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Working in the Android blogosphere, I’ve had the opportunity to review quite a few devices. Yet, the company that continually ceases to impress me is Lenovo. While most other companies follow tried and true formulas for new devices, Lenovo has continued to innovate and try new ideas. Do these concepts always work? No, but that’s part of the beauty of Lenovo. It’s a company that’s not afraid to take risks.

The Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro is Lenovo’s latest Android tablet, and one of the most interesting to date. Like its predecessor, it features a host of multimedia capabilities, including a surprisingly good sound set-up and the remarkable addition of a built-in projector. What do all of those interesting features add up to in a tablet? Read on to find out.

1. Hardware

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Lenovo has a lot of experience in hardware, and it shows in the Yoga Tab 3 Pro. The device has a 10.1-inch QHD (2560×1600) IPS display that has a PPI of 299. Inside, the Yoga Tab 3 Pro packs a quad-core 2.2GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage plus a microSD card slot and a 9600mAh battery. It also has a 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front-facing camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and LTE.

For the multimedia features, you’re looking at four front-facing JBL speakers that are utilizing Dolby Atmos technology for loud, crisp sound. Lenovo has also outfitted the Yoga Tab 3 Pro with a built-in projector that features a brightness of 50 lumens and a projector image size of up to 70 inches.

As far as hardware goes, the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro has you covered.

2. Design and Build Quality

Lenovo’s past tablets have excelled in terms of design and build quality, but the Yoga Tab 3 Pro takes that fame even further. The device still features that classic Lenovo design with a cylindrical battery and kickstand, but it swaps out the textured plastic back for faux leather, which adds an air of refinement. The faux leather is also far more comfortable to grip than the bumpy, textured plastic.

The distinctive kickstand still features a number of different poses, including the interesting ability to hang on a hook. This may initially be a little baffling, but it has some uses. You can use it to comfortably watch a movie without a solid surface to place the tablet on or you can use Lenovo’s eFrame software, which allows the Yoga Tab 3 Pro to become a digital picture frame or calendar. The calendar features gorgeous landscape photos and actually has some use, as well as being aesthetically pleasing.

As far as build quality goes, I wouldn’t be worried about the Yoga Tab 3 Pro. It feels sturdy and well-constructed, with no creaking or flexing in the body. The size of the tablet also aids in the build quality, as it’s much smaller than its predecessor, making drops less likely.

Cheers to Lenovo for continuing its tradition of excellent design and build quality.

3. Display

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Sharp though it may be, the display on the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro could still use a bit of work. Whites are a little tinted, and colors are saturated, but slightly off. Blacks are actually quite deep for an IPS display, and pleasantly enough, we couldn’t find any light bleeds on our unit, which has been a problem for some of Lenovo’s past tablets.

While the display may not be perfect, it’s very sharp and is perfectly decent for viewing movies, pictures and other content.

4. Software

Lenovo has had a rough time with software in the past, but with the Yoga Tab 3 Pro, the company finally seems to be listening and has held back a bit on the software. Past versions have been heavy with customization, which led to a lot of lag and slowdowns. This new software still has some problems with bogging down, but it’s less heavy than past software and also looks much nicer.

Lenovo may still be better off just ditching its own software and going with stock Android, but if it can work on the performance optimization and make the UI a little more cohesive, we might able to accept that as a compromise.

As one downside, the Yoga Tab 3 Pro is running Android 5.1 Lollipop rather than the newer Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Lenovo doesn’t have a great track record with timely updates, so if you prefer to have the latest and greatest software, you may want to look elsewhere.

5. Performance

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As mentioned in the software section, the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro does have a performance bugs. During some animations in Lenovo’s custom software, the device will lag or stutter. Most of these seem related to Lenovo’s software customization rather than to the hardware or OS itself. As far as specs go, it should be quite capable of handling itself without lag, as long as it’s properly optimized by Lenovo.

A little more work and Lenovo could have a very powerful tablet on its hands.

6. Battery

With Lenovo’s past tablets boasting impressive battery life, we expected a lot from the Yoga Tab 3 Pro. Fortunately, it delivered. Lenovo estimates about 18 hours of usage time, but we were able to stretch that to about 20 hours without a problem. The Yoga Tab 3 Pro brings in a 10,200mAh battery and, as an added bonus, it does support fast charging, which significantly reduces the amount of time needed to get a charge.

Keep in mind that using the built-in projector is going to burn through more battery. But if you’re running low, it’s easy to fill back up again with the fast charging. All in all, Lenovo has once again delivered solid battery performance.

7. Multimedia Features

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Not a category that we usually use in reviews, this one is for devices like the Yoga Tab 3 Pro that bring in unique features for multimedia. The sound on the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro is something special, with the device delivering very crisp sound, even at high volumes. Even more impressive than the crispness is the actual volume of the speakers. The four speakers can get rather shockingly loud, making a perfect companion for the projector, as you likely won’t have to worry about using external speakers to make sure everyone can hear.

The built-in projector is the other unique feature and while seemingly odd, it’s actually full of uses. Not only can the projector make it very easy to watch a movie with friends, but it also has more practical applications for the professional world. It’s quite easy to run through a PowerPoint or slide show on the Yoga Tab 3 Pro, and the projector gives you a simple and portable way to display it to others. Very handy, indeed.

Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro8 / 10

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Lenovo has spent the last couple of years creating interesting devices and then refining them based on feedback. The Yoga Tab 3 Pro is the latest step in the refinement process, and it shows significant improvements over its predecessors. It’s faster, sleeker and more functional than previous models. It’s continued to take the unique core elements of Lenovo’s tablets and develop even more uses for them.

These refinements ultimately lead to a better experience for the user, which is the end goal. As it stands, Lenovo can continue to refine a few things, but the company is headed in a very good direction with the Yoga Tab 3 Pro.

Lenovo usually lists the Yoga Tab 3 Pro for $499, but is currently sold out on its website. Best Buy, however, does have the device in stock for $449.

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AT&T begins selling 64GB Variant of Samsung Galaxy S6 Active

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The Galaxy S6 has been criticized for only offering about 23GB of usable free space on the 32GB model. Some people will want to opt for a higher capacity phone in order to make do without a micro SD card slot.

The problem herein lies with those on AT&T who wish to purchase a Galaxy S6 Active. Until recently, the Active only came in 32GB for all color configurations. Now however AT&T is now offering a larger 64GB memory option for those who wish to purchase a Galaxy S6 Active. It is still unknown if Samsung plans to release the Active variant of the phone outside of the US, though

It is a little disappointing that this decision was made so late in the life of the S6’s product cycle. The Galaxy S7’s rumored release is already around the corner and slated for a Q1 2016 launch and even though the rugged version typically comes out a few month later we still wish we had 64GB from the…

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Why Alibaba’s Potential Acquisition of SCMP Will Not Impact Its Valuation?

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There have been reports of Alibaba in talks to buy controlling stake in Hong Kong based South China Morning Post. While none of the parties have confirmed this deal, we believe it will not have any significant impact on Alibaba?s valuation. SCMP’s revenues for FY2014 were $161 million and its net income stood at $21 million. These numbers are not significant when compared to our estimate of Alibaba’s revenues for FY 2015 which stands at $94.6 billion and the net income figure of $50.6 billion. Alibaba’s potential inflow from SCMP will not be significant enough to make any impact on its valuation.

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The Key Downside Scenarios For Twitter’s Stock

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Twitter‘s stock has lost favor among investors this year, with its stock plunging by around 30% year-to-date. Slow growth in its user base, coupled with a soft future outlook, have been mainly been responsible for the bleak performance. Additionally, a spate of management changes have also weighed on the stock. Though our $34 price estimate for the company’s stock represents a premium of over 30% to the current market price, we believe there are certain plausible scenarios that could lead to wide swings in Twitter’s valuation over the coming years. More specifically, the possibility of a less-than-expected increase in the user base and advertising revenues could adversely impact the stock over the next several years.

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MindGeek Is Both Plaintiff And Defendant In Two New DMCA Lawsuits

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In October, MindGeek found itself on the opposite end of two lawsuits, each making the same basic allegation. The company, which owns eight of the 10 biggest porn sites on the Internet, filed a complaint against WGCZ S.R.O., the parent company of porn tube sites XVideos and XNXX. According to trade site XBiz, MindGeek claims “tens or hundreds of thousands” of its videos have been illegally hosted on XVideos and XNXX, which have been viewed in aggregate more than 100 million times. MindGeek claims WGCZ S.R.O. failed to respond to any of its DMCA requests to remove the videos and is demanding $150,000 for each of its videos hosted on the competitors tube sites.

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Please Teach Your Kids To Send Text Messages In Complete Sentences

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My 10-year-old son and I communicate by text message on the nights that his mother has custody. Usually, he’s asking me for technical support because there is a problem with his laptop. Sometimes, he asks me to bring something to school for him in the morning. Occasionally, he wants permission to do something on the nights when he knows he’ll be with me.

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Los juegos de Android de la semana (LXXV)

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horizon-chase

El famoso Black Friday se ha dado por finalizado, aunque todavía algunos estamos echando un ojo al Cybermonday de hoy. En Google Play hemos contado con multitud de ofertas de títulos de pago que hemos podido conseguir con suculentos descuentos, pero desde el equipo de Andro4All siempre intentamos acercarte la mejor calidad para todos los bolsillos con títulos eminentemente gratuitos. Así que en el recopilatorio de esta semana te traemos juegos como Horizon Chase, Score Hero o ICE que no tienen nada que envidiar a otros títulos de pago.

  • Score Hero – Siempre has querido ser una estrella del fútbol, ¡y lo sabes!. Lo malo del asunto es que es un sueño que sólo muy pocos son capaces de alcanzar, pero con Score Hero podrás conseguirlo. En el juego encarnarás a un futbolista desde las categorías inferiores hasta tu equipo de fútbol profesional favorito, y eso sin moverte de casa.

  • Speed Racing Kart – Todos quieren imitar al clásico Mario Kart, pero casi nadie lo consigue. Sin embargo Speed Racing Kart tiene los elementos necesarios para hacerse un grande del género rescatando esa simpatía y personalidad que otros no han tenido. Así que espera lo mejor del título desenfadado de Nintendo pero para Android.

  • Tiltagon – Los veteranos recordarán los típicos juegos de madera donde teníamos que guiar una bola sin que ésta se fuera directa al suelo. Tiltagon rescata esa esencia con un título para móviles realmente adictivo pero que, a nuestro juicio, es demasiado complicado… ¿o es que nos hacemos mayores?.

  • ICE – Hay títulos de estrategia, y luego hay otros donde se nos estruja el cerebro sin compasión. Quizás recogiendo ambos tenemso a ICE, un juego de estrategia en tiempo real donde nos debemos encargar de conquistar nodos mientras intentamos no hacer ningún movimiento erróneo.

  • Horizon Chase – Los amantes de Out Run o de Top Gear van a alegrearse al saber de la existencia de Horizon Chase, un juego de conducción arcade con gráficos vectoriales, pero al mismo tiempo bonitos, que ofrece coches de escándalo y mucha velocidad en circuitos que te llevarán por varios países del mundo.

¿Qué te han parecido los juegos de la semana?.

¿Y tú que piensas? Pásate por Los juegos de Android de la semana (LXXV) para dejar tu huella.

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Publicado recientemente en Andro4all

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