How the Lenovo Yoga Tablet Ousted the iPad…at Our House

I still remember when the first iPad came out.  I couldn’t wait to buy it…in fact, I waited a year because I knew that the next generation iPad would be better than the first.  When the second iPad was available, I pre-ordered it and even had “Cunningham Command Center” imprinted on the back for posterity (and the fact they were offering free imprinting).  Once it arrived, the iPad 2 never gathered dust, I used it everyday throughout the day.  That was in March of 2011.

Although I have tested and tried out many tablets since that time, nothing could separate the grip and commitment I had to the iPad 2…not even shelling out additional funds for the latest iPad….until I attended the Lenovo Yoga Tablet Intro Party in Los Angeles and left the party with a 10 inch Lenovo Yoga tablet.  It was a big event, even Ashton Kutcher was there to tell us all why he loves the Lenovo Yoga.

The big selling point?

The feature that separates the Lenovo Yoga Tablet from all the others?  It has a built-in kickstand.  I remember leaving the party thinking, “OK, that’s cool, but is it really revolutionary?”  Well, honestly, the answer is yes, it is.  The Lenovo Yoga Tablet has a built-in metal kick-up stand that allows you to set your tablet upright anywhere you want….

In the Kitchen

By Your Bedside

In the Bathroom

On Your Lap

On Your Desk

On the Workbench

Outside…..

OK, wait, I have to show you these pictures.  A few weeks ago while watching my son at soccer practice, one of our moms was using her tablet outside.  She didn’t have a Lenovo Yoga tablet, here’s how she solved the problem, by using her phone as a kickstand.  Yes, it can be done this way each time, but it is so incredibly handy to have a built-in kickstand.

What About a Case? 

Now you may wonder, well, why not buy a case to any tablet that has a built-in kickstand.  Yes, you can do that, but for me, it adds to the size and profile of the tablet and I prefer a sleeker look – especially with a tablet I use so much around the house.

The Lenovo Yoga Tablet is available in the 8 inch size for $199 and the 10 inch size for $275, available directly through the Lenovo Store.

Are There Any Other Distinguishing Features?

Yes, there are a few other cool features I like about the Lenovo Yoga Tablet that the iPad can’t beat:

1.   Sound – The Lenovo Yoga Tablet uses Dolby Digital Plus DS1 sound which sounds great when watching movies or listening to Pandora.  But even better, the speakers are front facing, so music and movie soundtracks comes right at you rather than distorted from the side of the tablet.

2.  Battery Life – The Lenovo Yoga Tablet has an 18 hour battery life – I only need to charge it every 4-5 days, unless I’m watching a lot of videos, then every 3-5 days.  It is so nice not having to worry if there’s enough juice on it to work.

3.  Flexible Storage – It comes with 16GB of storage along with the flexibility of adding your own microSD card for a total amount of 64 GB available.  No iPad can come close to this flexibility.

4.  Android – The Lenovo Yoga Tablet runs on 4.2 Jellybean Android.  It doesn’t have the latest Android update, but that will come in time.  For now, it’s very handy and efficient to own a tablet running on the same platform as my phone.  This makes it seamless when answering emails on Gmail or adding to my Google calendar.

A Mom’s Perspective

I spent around $850 for my iPad 2, with 64 GB of space…and that was nearly 3 years ago.  Today, you can pick up a Lenovo Yoga Tablet  for $275 for 16 GB and replace the 16 GB micro SD card with a 64GB card ($50 from Amazon) and save a bundle versus today’s iPad Air 64 MB which sells for $699.  Granted, the iPad Air does have more pixels in its display, but you have to ask yourself whether it’s still worth the extra $350…and it doesn’t have a built-in stand!  😉 LOL

My favorite places to use the Lenovo Yoga are in my bedroom on my stomach.  I don’t have to hold it up and I can quickly go through my email’s in the morning before beginning my day.  I use it in the kitchen to follow recipes.  I can easily move it from one counter to another to follow the process of cooking.  I start with it in my prep area, than move it to the stove, then finally to the couch, when I’m tired and waiting for things to cook out.  I like to use it at my desk.  I can focus on my work and just glance over to my second screen, the Yoga Tablet, to check email’s without having to leave the screen I’m using on my PC.  It’s more efficient this way.

Lastly, I use it each school day morning to check the weather and read our daily devotion from the Bible app with my kids.  This is one of my favorite times of the day to spend with the kids before the day gets too hectic.

So where would you use the Lenovo Yoga Tablet?

*  I was given a Lenovo Yoga Tablet as a member of the Lenovo Moms and will be using it on a daily basis to make life easier.  All opinions are my own.