Lenovo ThinkPad T431s review: A high-priced Ultrabook without the high-end specs

LENOVO, INC. ThinkPad T431s $1,209.00 Lenovo's pricey new entry into the Ultrabook market caters deftly to business users, but it fails to deliver most of what's good about Ultrabooks: speed, portability, and convenience.


Lenovo’s long-standing tradition of producing black, boxy, boring laptops continues with the ThinkPad T431s, and it’s a testament to their underlying quality that businesses and business users continue to embrace them. But the company might want to rethink the “Ultrabook” suffix tacked onto this one's name, which conjures images of sleek, sexy, and speedy machines. The T431s is none of those things.

Rather, it has the heft and bulk of a more traditional laptop, weighing 3.6 pounds and measuring 0.8 inch thick. One suspects Lenovo could have squeezed in an optical drive, though at least the system leverages its large chassis to pack in plenty of expansion options: ethernet and VGA ports, a Mini DisplayPort, a 4-in-1 memory card reader, and a Smart Card reader for organizations that still rely on them. It also has a fingerprint reader, another nice security-minded perk. The system has only two USB 3.0 ports (three would be better), but one of them is powered so you can charge a mobile device even when the ThinkPad is off.

The T431s ranks among the slower Core i5–equipped Ultrabooks we’ve tested.

  Like a growing number of laptops, the T431s lacks a drive-activity indicator. And although Lenovo included an LED for the Fn-key lock, the Caps Lock key didn’t get the same simple amenity. That’s inexcusable from a company known for great keyboards.

Indeed, this ThinkPad’s comfortable, backlit, perfectly spaced keys make typing a pleasure. It also has dedicated Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys, though they’re not grouped together. That’s a mild annoyance; a bigger one is the bottom-left corner placement of the Fn key. Most touch-typists’ fingers are accustomed to finding a Ctrl key there.

ROBERT CARDINLenovo's ThinkPad T431s is a relatively thick, heavy, and slow Ultrabook.

 Lenovo has redesigned its touchpad. This one is appreciably spacious and smooth to the touch, with buttons in all four corners. The top two are intended for use with Lenovo’s trademark pointing stick, which seems downright quaint today, but its presence will undoubtedly please longtime ThinkPad users. The entire touchpad is also a button, and that “give” can be awkward at times, especially if you land a little harder than you anticipated with your finger. To avoid accidental cursor clicks, you’ll need to develop a light touch.

ROBERT CARDINThinkPads are known for their sturdy construction, and the T431s is no exception. With its Worldbench score of 121, the ThinkPad ranks among the slower Core i5-equipped Ultrabooks we’ve tested. The Sony VAIO Fit 15 posted a higher score, and the 128GB SSD in the Dell Latitude 6430u helped it earn a significantly higher result. The ThinkPad has a quick 7200-rpm, 500GB hard drive augmented by a 24GB SSD cache.

The ThinkPad T431s was only slightly faster than the Asus VivoBook S550CA we use as a notebook reference point. (Click to enlarge.)

  Despite having only a three-cell battery, our review unit managed to last 4 hours, 45 minutes in our rundown test, which is about average for systems in this class. Like other Ultrabooks, the T431s has a nonremovable battery—a potential problem for business travelers who must swap in a spare power pack when the first one runs dry.

The ThinkPad’s 14-inch screen has native resolution of 1600 by 900 pixels. That’s sufficient for enjoying HD movies and other video, but it’s shy of the 1920-by-1080 displays offered by other Ultrabooks (such as the Samsung Series 9). What’s more, we expected a laptop in this price class to include a touchscreen, but the T431s lacks one. On the plus side, the screen exhibits very little glare, and Intel’s integrated HD Graphics 4000 supplies enough horsepower for stutter-free full-screen video (at least based on what we streamed from Hulu and YouTube).

As Ultrabooks go, the ThinkPad T431s is far from the skinniest, lightest, fastest, or longest-lasting model you can buy. And without perks like a touchscreen and solid-state storage (the latter is available on other configurations), it’s hard to justify Lenovo’s higher-than-average price. Business users might continue to appreciate the ThinkPad’s sturdy design, security features, and comfy keyboard, but others will find more features and better performance for less money. 

Ultrabook Prototype Combines Touch and Eye-Tracking Technology

The latest wave of Windows 8 ultrabooks blend keyboards, mice, and touchscreen gestures into a (theoretically) seamless experience. But even with touch as an input option, accessibility remains an issue for people with limited mobility, or those who suffer from long-term repetitive stress injuries.

A prototype ultrabook from Tobii and Synaptics shows what the solution to those problems looks like: a notebook that uses a built-in eye-tracking system to register input, as well as a pressure-sensitive touchpad that can register gestures more precisely and in three dimensions.

I’ve personally checked out Tobii’s eye-tracking technology at CES the past few years. It’s evolved from something experimental and somewhat gimmicky into a useful and intuitive tool. I tried out the developer edition of Tobii’s eye-tracker on a Windows 8 machine at this year’s CES. The experience showed me how handy eye-based input can be — I quickly jumped through onscreen tasks like selecting e-mails to open from a list or browsing through an array of photos onscreen. People with little or no use of their own arms and hands can, with practice, use only their eyes to navigate through any number of digital experiences.

For those with some or full use of their hands, the pressure-sensitive touchpad opens up new input possibilities, too. It can sense how hard you’re pressing, and input can be measured in not just two dimensions (x and y), but three (x and y and z). The applications to take advantage of this will likely need to be more customized than the eye-tracking tech, which can be adapted to work like a mouse or other pointer.

A lot of hype has centered around voice dictation technology (Dragon Dictate is often a solution for those that currently suffer from wrist or hand ailments), but in an office setting or situation with a lot of noise, dictation is less optimal. You can use your eyes, or a touchpad, just about anywhere.

You can expect devices like the Tobii-Synaptics prototype to start hitting store shelves sometime next year.

Ultrabook systems reach another level with the ASUS TAICHI

What a difference a few years make. Intel's Ultrabook™ standards and Core™ processors have brought us laptops that are thinner, lighter, and more powerful than ever, while managing to offer even better battery life. All Ultrabook systems come equipped with Intel's Anti-Theft Technology, and newer ones have bright, sensitive touchscreens.

 

Best of all, Ultrabook systems can help us bridge the worlds of desktop and mobile computing. Consider ASUS' TAICHI series of laptop-tablet hybrids. Thanks to its twin screens, a TAICHI works as a conventional laptop and as a tablet: no clumsy twisting or sliding required. And because the two screens can mirror each other or display separate content, two people can watch the same program or video while facing each other. They can even work in separate programs on the one same TAICHI.

 

TAICHI Program Manager Tony Lin and his product team took some time to help acquaint us with this versatile Ultrabook.



You'll find one of the TAICHI's two screens where you'd first expect it -- facing the keyboard the way you would on a traditional laptop. The other is on the back, facing out. Both are 11.6-inch, full HD, 1920x1080, in-plane switching (IPS) panels. IPS is an LCD technology which arranges the liquid crystal molecules parallel to the glass, offering users "the finest graphic quality…and great viewing angles" of up to 178 degrees, says Lin.

 

These two screens give you four separate ways to use the TAICHI. Moving from one to another is as easy as opening a laptop or pressing a button.

 

Notebook mode: Your basic laptop, except that the TAICHI is more than basic. Between the high-quality and touch-sensitive screen, the Intel® Core™ processor, and the backlit keyboard, it's an exceptional PC even if you use it only as a conventional laptop.



Tablet Mode: But when you close the case, the screen on the back takes over and you've got a tablet with the full power of a PC. Need more precision than you can get with your finger? Simply use the included stylus.

 

Mirror Mode: Now we move into whole new areas of functionality. You can use the TAICHI like a conventional laptop, but with both screens displaying the same images. This, says Lin, makes the TAICHI perfect for showing a presentation to a small audience, "without the need for a bulky projector or clumsy external monitor." You can also watch a movie with a friend while sitting on opposite sides of a table. In fact, thanks to each screen's 178-degree viewing angle, people can sit almost anywhere at the table and still see the movie.

 

Dual screen mode: Here, the TAICHI effectively becomes two computers, and demonstrates the multitasking power of its Intel® Core™ processor. One user can sit in front and use the keyboard and multi-touch touchpad, while another can run entirely different, touch-friendly programs on the back. By using the bundled Screen Share app, you can run a presentation and see the script on one screen while a small audience views slides on the other.

 

The ASUS design team knew that consumers wanted to get the best of both tablet and laptop computing. "We are always looking at ways to improve the user experience," Lin told us. "With the TAICHI, we wanted to create a perfect fusion between a Notebook and Tablet..."

 

Tablets and conventional laptops each have their own strengths. Now consumers don’t have to choose. The TAICHI provides both in one.

 

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Announcing the PCWorld 2013 Ultrabook giveaway

PCWorld is hosting a giveaway for four Ultrabook PCs, just in time for the summer. That's right, you'll have a chance to win one of four almost-new Ultrabooks. Each machine was lab-tested by PCWorld as part of our regular product reviews regimen, but all remain in very good shape. Indeed, the most abuse they experienced came via standard system benchmarking.

 

To enter, you'll need to be a registered member of PCWorld.com. If you're not already a member, you can join here.

 

These are the four Ultrabooks we're giving away:

The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 is one of the Ultrabook systems we are giving away.

Once you're signed up, you then need to read the PCWorld Ultrabook Giveaway Contest Rules.

 

Entering is pretty simple. Send an email to contests@pcworld.com. You need to include the following information in your email:

 

Personal contact information, including email address, physical mailing address where potential prizes may be shipped, and a telephone number;

 

Your PCWorld username (see registration page to register at no cost);

 

Date of birth; and

 

The words “PCWorld Ultrabook Giveaway” in the subject header of the email entry.

 

All submissions must be sent no later than 11:59 PM on Monday, July 8th, 2013. Again, please read the rules, because we do reserve the rights to reject entries depending on certain conditions, such as late or multiple submissions. That's right, you can only enter once.

 

Again, please read the rules, which specifically defines the conditions under which entries may be rejected.

 

All winners will be chosen by random drawing. The drawing for all four winners will take place after the end of the contest, sometime after July 9, 2013.

 

If you win, we'll contact you after the drawing, sometime after July 9, 2013. Contact will be made via email, and you'll need to respond to the email to receive your prize. Once we receive your acknowledgment, we'll ship your prize to you.

 

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Your Ultrabook and the Cloud: A Great Partnership

Ultrabooks are engineered for portability—they’re thin, light, and have an extended battery life that lets you work or play anywhere the moment takes you. They contain fast, durable solid state drives (SSDs) that let you whip through huge files and shrug off bumps and vibrations.

 

But those SSDs tend to contain a lot less storage space than their bulkier laptop cousins. And that can be a problem when it comes to installing software and having access to your data while on the go. With a little help from the cloud, though, you’ll never miss that extra storage space.

Acer Aspire S7

Traditional hard drives don’t fit into the Ultrabook equation. They’re simply too big and too power hungry.  That’s why Ultrabooks like the Acer Aspire S7rely on flash-based solid state drives which have no moving parts to break and require less space and less power and are faster than a traditional hard drive.

 

However, those SSDs hold a lot less data than most standard hard drives. 128GB and 256GB are the norm, as opposed to the 500GB and 750GB behemoths found in many traditional laptops.

 

That means your Ultrabook has only about a quarter of the local storage space for installing the applications you use, and for saving your files. If you’re not careful about what data you choose to store locally, your drive will quickly be filled to capacity. That’s where the cloud comes in.

 

The cloud is an all-encompassing term used to refer to most anything on the Web or online. If you’re using Internet-based services or online data storage, you’re operating “in the cloud.” Ultrabooks are equipped with wireless networking that enables them to connect to the cloud anytime you’re in range of a network. Here’s how that will help you get the most out of your new Ultrabook.

 

Today’s advanced software offers many advantages, but it takes up a lot of space. The operating system alone and the basic tools that make the PC functional will fill up much of your SSD, leaving you little room for documents and spreadsheets—never mind your photos, videos and digital music.

 

No problem. There are a wide variety of online data storage and file sharing options to choose from. Many offer free storage in the cloud, but generally only 5GB or 10GB. If you need more space than that, it will cost you.

 

What you need is a strategy that combines the best of both worlds. You can complement your limited storage with services like Microsoft’s SkyDrive, Box, DropBox, SugarSync, or Google Drive, and add a roomy external hard drive for backup and even more storage.

 

Cloud storage does more than just save space. When you store data in the cloud, it’s accessible from other devices as well. If your Ultrabook is lost or stolen, or you’re visiting a friend and don’t have your Ultrabook with you, you can still log in from virtually any Web-enabled device and get your data. Most cloud storage platforms also offer mobile apps that make it easy to access data with a smartphone or tablet.

 

If you want to really minimize the amount of data stored locally on your Ultrabook, you can used cloud-based services instead of installing many types of software on your PC.

 

No need to install the many gigabytes of Microsoft Office on your PC; you can instead use Office Web Apps to access nearly all of the same tools in the cloud. Rather than storing gigabytes of photos on your Ultrabook, you can use a service like Flickr, or use Facebook or Google+. Instead of filling your drive with MP3s, you can use ITunes Match or a streaming music service like Pandora to play your music from the cloud.

 

If you follow these simple, space-saving tips, you’ll have the best of both worlds: A svelte, responsive Ultrabook and access to your stuff -- whenever and wherever you want it.

 

Follow me on Twitter: @sajilpl

Stay Connected Anywhere, Anytime with an Ultrabook

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Lenovo's X1 Carbon offers an understated look and exotic chassis material, but the LCD panel display quality could be better.

 



Ultrabook™ systems are thinner, lighter, and fasterthan standard laptops. They are designed for style and portability -- freeing you to have fun or be productive virtually anywhere. Being mobile means being connected, of course, and you want it to be as simple and reliable as possible. The versatile Ultrabook fits that job description: You can connect via Wi-Fi, a personal hot spot, Bluetooth or wired Ethernet.

 

Ultrabook systems like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon put the power of a desktop PC in your hands when you’re on vacation, at the airport, or streaming a movie to your smart TV in the living room.

 

Cutting the cord has never been easier.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon and other Ultrabook systems are equipped with fast 802.11n Wi-Fi. Public hotspots and wireless networks have become urban essentials. Starbucks and McDonald’s, to name just two, provide free Wi-Fi and you can find one of them or an Internet Café almost anywhere.  With the built-in Wi-Fi, the Ultrabook can easily connect to available wireless networks.

 

The 802.11n Wi-Fi is dual-band, which means you won’t have to worry about interference from microwaves, cordless phones, and other appliances. You can surf the Web, or stream music or movies, smooth and stutter free.

 

Even if there isn’t a Wi-Fi network nearby, you can use a portable hotspot. In fact, most smartphones can act as a personal hotspot as well. The Ultrabook connects with the hotspot device (or smartphone) via Wi-Fi, and the hotspot / smartphone connects to the Internet over 3G or 4G cellular, allowing the Ultrabook to share the connection and access online resources.

 

There are times when Wi-Fi alone isn’t enough. Bluetooth is a great tool for sharing files or photos with others. The X1 Carbon offers Bluetooth 4.0 as an option, and the technology is included by default in some Ultrabook systems.

 

An Ultrabook with Bluetooth can pair with other Bluetooth-enabled devices to establish a peer-to-peer network. Bluetooth comes in handy as a means of transferring files securely between devices in your house, with a Bluetooth-enabled device of a friend, or during a meeting at work.

 

Bluetooth is also useful for a variety of other purposes. There are Bluetooth-enabled mice, headsets, keyboards, speakers, and more. With Bluetooth technology, you can connect a wide range of peripheral devices to your Ultrabook to extend its capabilities and expand the range of things you can accomplish.

 

As convenient as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth are when connecting on the go, they’re typically not as fast or stable as an old-fashioned wired connection. In the interest of maintaining a slim profile, most Ultrabook systems lack a built-in Ethernet port. But there’s a simple solution: Add a USB dongle to your arsenal and you can easily establish a high-speed wired Ethernet connection.

 

Carrying an extra component is not the most convenient thing, but those dongles are small and weigh next to nothing. When you need the extra speed -- playing a complex  multiplayer game or backing up gigabytes of data to the cloud, for example -- or find yourself in a place that doesn’t offer Wi-Fi, you’ll be glad you’ve got that little dongle with you.

 

Cut the cord, and leave the house or office. The Ultrabook is designed to let you get things done any time, and virtually anywhere you want to.

 

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How to Extend Your Ultrabook Battery Life

One of the most appealing characteristics of an Ultrabook™ is battery life. Mobility often demands that your laptop last a full workday between charges -- sometimes longer.

 

As great as the battery life of a typical Ultrabook may be, it’s still finite. The average battery life is generally less than the theoretical battery life, and your mileage may vary significantly depending on how you use your laptop.

 

Intel understands that the processor consumes a lot of energy—both for the processing itself, as well as for the cooling necessary to maintain the processor at a reasonable temperature. Intel has designed the Core processors with cutting edge technologies engineered to help them operate efficiently, and generate less heat, so you can use your Ultrabook even longer on a single charge.

 

Even with superior technology your battery will only last so long. Luckily, there are some things you can do to eke out every last ounce of juice and extend the battery life to its absolute fullest. Try these tips:

 

1. Dim the display

 

Lighting up all of the pixels on the screen is one of the biggest power drains for your Ultrabook. Try reducing the brightness of the display to the lowest possible setting without making it so dim that it affects your ability to see the display or use the computer.

 

2. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

 

Even if you’re not actively using them, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are constantly scanning the area for available connections and continue to consume power. If you know you don’t need them, turn off wireless connections like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, or cellular data.

 

3. Shut down unused applications

 

Just as wireless connections suck power even when idle, unused applications running in the background continue to use system resources and battery life as well. It’s OK to leave open applications you’re still actively using—that’s the benefit of using a multitasking operating system. However, you should shut down any tools or services you aren’t using to conserve power.

 

4. Disconnect unused peripheral devices

 

Devices and gadgets plugged in to USB ports draw power even when they’re not actively being used. If you want to get every last minute of battery life out of your Ultrabook, disconnect any unused USB peripherals.

 

5. Change your power settings

 

To automate your power savings as much as possible, go into the power settings in Windows and select the Power Saver profile. The power profile has two separate modes—one for while the Ultrabook is plugged in, and one for when it’s operating on battery power. You can customize the “On battery” settings to designate how many minutes should elapse before Windows will dim the display, turn it off, and finally enter into sleep mode. You can also choose a default display brightness to associate with the power profile.

Samsung Series 9

Wringing extra minutes out of your battery is one way of making it last longer. There is another facet of battery endurance to consider, though. How long will your battery work before it simply dies?

 

Most of the long-term damage to your rechargeable battery occurs when it’s at or near full capacity. When the battery is at 100 percent, it heats up, and the excess heat breaks down the core of the battery cells, making them less capable of holding a charge. Over time, the capacity declines, and eventually the battery won’t hold a charge at all, and you have to replace it.

 

Some Ultrabook systems also use proprietary technologies to further extend battery life. Samsung has developed PowerPlus, which includes a feature called Battery Life Extender mode. When you enable Battery Life Extender mode, PowerPlus limits the charge on the battery to only 80 percent of its full capacity. In Battery Life Extender mode, the battery never approaches or reaches 100 percent, so you avoid the overheating and damage to the battery.

 

By following some simple tips to minimize or turn off components that drain your Ultrabook battery, you can make sure you have enough juice to get through the day. And, with an Ultrabook like the Samsung Series 9, you can extend the overall life of your battery—saving you from having to replace it, and saving the environment from landfills piled up with exhausted batteries.

 

Twitter: @sajilpl

 

 

Four Ways to Fuel Inspiration with an Ultrabook

Being creative is about feeling free to express yourself and being empowered to do it the way you want. Few of us feel creative or empowered when we’re jammed into a cubicle cooking up a spreadsheet.  Sometimes you just need to break the routine to find your inspiration.  Here are four simple ways you can use an Intel inspired Ultrabook™ to keep your mind limber and your ideas flowing.

 

Work in the park.  Let your surroundings enlighten you.  Trees, sky, squirrels, and even pigeons can inspire a starving mind.  A bit of time spent outside can be liberating, refreshing, and eye opening.  Certain Ultrabook systems, like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, are equipped with 3G connectivity, allowing you to connect to the Web anywhere you have data service through your cell phone carrier.

 

Stream updates to stay informed.  Your Windows 8 home screen is equipped with plenty of customizable options, including the ability to pull in real-time updates from all your favorite resources and feed them right to your desktop.  Set it up and check in with it whenever you feel a little drained.  Fresh news and interesting stories always help to get the wheels turning.

 

Organize brainstorming sessions.  The best material often comes out of collaboration and open-minded discussions.  Nothing beats in-person communication for brainstorming, but with our friends and family so busy and scattered, that can be impossible.  A video hangout on Google+ is a pretty good alternative, letting you easily get multiple people together to share thoughts and hash things out.

 

Take and view pictures. Photography is a very powerful too, even for amateurs.  When you take pictures, you’re recording your surroundings through your own personal lens, and producing a shareable image that represents your view of the world.  Sometimes, looking through your own photographs can help trigger your unique perspective, and knock loose some ideas.  Check in on your photo gallery every once in a while, or better yet, set up a slideshow on your Windows 8 Ultrabook.  In addition to the built-in photo viewer, there are several free slideshow apps with expanded menu options.

 

If you’ve got your own secrets to sparking inspiration, please share them below.  Good luck out there!

 

 

An Inside Look at How Toshiba’s KIRAbook Raises the Bar for Ultrabook Systems

Toshiba Kirabook i7 Touchscreen $2,000.00(Lowest Price) The Kirabook looks the part of a luxury laptop, and it’s the first Ultrabook to compete with Apple’s Retina lineup. But Toshiba made some disappointing decisions on the way to a $2000 price tag.

 



All Intel inspired Ultrabook™ systems offer slim designs, lightweight builds, productivity-boosting battery life, and so on. But with so much in common, some models end up getting lost in the crowd.  Toshiba engineered its KIRAbook to stand out. It’s slim and lightweight, yes, but goes beyond the Ultrabook basics by integrating state-of-the-art features in exciting new ways.

 

“KIRAbook is not about being first-to-market with new technologies,” says Carl Pinto, vice president of marketing, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. “Instead, it focuses on implementing these advanced technologies into the form factor in the best way possible.”



The KIRAbook features an Intel Core processor powering a damage-resistant Corning Concore Glass display with a 10-point multi-touch surface. Unlike many 13.3-inch Ultrabook systems, which keep screen resolution low and limit gesture capabilities to the touchpad, the KIRAbook employs a PixelPure touchscreen with a native 2,560 x 1,440-pixel resolution. With a pixel density of 221 pixels per inch, the razor-sharp screen excels at games, movies, photos, and other image-oriented activities. Indeed, for photo editing in particular, PixelPure allows for the kind of fine-detail work that would normally require a high-end desktop monitor.

 

“We color-calibrated each unit’s screen at the factory for optimal picture quality and a broad range of true-to-life colors, something no one else in the industry does,” notes Pinto. To help highlight the KIRAbook’s photo and video acumen, Toshiba bundles full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 and Premiere Elements 11.



The KIRAbook incorporates several industry-leading design elements, including a magnesium-alloy lid and chassis, DTS Studio Sound-enhanced Harman Kardon speakers, and a roomy touchpad that supports all Windows 8 gestures, just like the screen.

 

The entire system weighs only 2.6 pounds, with a profile that’s a mere 0.7 inches. Despite these svelte specs, the KIRAbook packs a full-size HDMI output, three USB 3.0 ports (most Ultrabook systems have just two), and a backlit keyboard for easier typing in low-light environments. Intel® Wireless Display is on hand to allow wireless screen sharing with compatible TVs and projectors, and a 256GB solid-state drive allows for lightning-fast booting, shutdown, and overall performance.

 

Pinto sums it up thusly: “KIRAbook was designed to be the perfect union of elegant design, meticulous craftsmanship, and unparalleled performance—it is ultimately equipped with all the features and capabilities a user could ever need.”

Twitter: @sajilpl

How to Use an Ultrabook to Cut Study Time in Half

Being a student can be a blast – as long as you’re not spending all four years with your head buried in books.  You might be surprised how much time you waste by not taking advantage of readily available technology.  There are plenty of simple and inexpensive ways that can you can save time, improve your work, and maybe even boost your GPA.  Here are some ways an Intel inspired Ultrabook™ can help you get the most out of your classes and your college experience.

 

Use note-taking software.  There are a lot of popular note-taking applications, including Google Notes, Evernote, OneNote, and Uber Note.  These are amazing tools for keeping yourself organized, improving your note-taking capabilities, and staying on schedule.

 

Record lectures.  There are dozens of free programs to record and save audio files, and every Ultrabook is equipped with a built-in microphone.  If you want to boost the quality of your recordings, you can get a pretty decent USB microphone for as little as $40.

 

Use voice recognition technology.  A program like Dragon’s NaturallySpeaking can take what’s being heard in the classroom or the study room and automatically transcribe it into text for you.  

 

Use the cloud to collaborate.  Google Docs, Google Drive, and other cloud programs are great tools for sharing class resources and collaborating with peers.

 

Learn the shortcuts.  Windows 8 is designed to be an intuitive, time saving portal to all of your important programs and files.  You can make your life a lot easier by learning some of the simple, built-in Windows 8 shortcuts.

 

Work on the go.  With a portable device like an Ultrabook, you can make the most out of every minute you have in between classes, during your commute, or over lunch.  A convertible like the Yoga IdeaPad 13 is great for close quarters in tablet mode, and can be flipped to full keyboard mode when you need to get more involved.

 

When it comes to getting the most out of college, everybody will tell you to enjoy the social experience without neglecting your studies.  While that’s easier said than done, hopefully these suggestions will tip the party-study balance in your favor.

 

 

The Best Ultrabook Systems Under $800

If you’ve been eyeballing an Ultrabook™ but think your budget won’t accommodate one, fear not: There are plenty of ultra-thin, ultra-light, ultra-speedy systems that won’t break the bank. In fact, for $800 or less, you can replace your aging, under-powered laptop with one of these state-of-the-art machines. Why opt for an Ultrabook? They’re ideal for business travelers, offering not only slim, lightweight designs, but also lightning-fast boot speeds and enough battery life to survive a coast-to-coast flight. Here’s a look at four of the best models you can get for under $800.

A dual-personality Ultrabook: half laptop, half tablet

Lenovo ThinkPad Twist

Can’t decide between a laptop and a tablet? Who says you have to? True to its name, the business-friendly ThinkPad Twist can alternate between the two: The screen pivots and folds down atop the keyboard when you’re ready to stop typing and start tapping. In meeting parlance, that means you can sit at a conference table or stand on the factory floor and still have easy access to your documents. Plus, you get 500GB of storage along with extra gigabytes of solid-state space to improve performance. If there’s a downside here, it’s that the 12.5-inch touchscreen is a little smaller than ideal laptop size, while the entire system feels a little heavy when used as a tablet.

A midsize Ultrabook with a downsize price tag

Asus Vivobook

Want to use Windows 8 the way Microsoft intended? Choose an Ultrabook that has a touchscreen so you can tap, pinch, and swipe your way through apps and operations. The Asus VivoBook features a 14-inch multi-touch display and a 500GB hybrid drive: ample storage for your stuff, plus a 24GB solid-state drive to help Windows boot faster. However, if you use a lot of peripherals, you may be disappointed to learn that only one of the system’s three USB ports supports USB 3.0.

Style, speed, and portability in one streamlined package

Acer Aspire S5

Acer’s dazzling matte-black Aspire S5 is without a doubt one of the most travel-friendly Ultrabook systems in the group, weighing just 2.6 pounds and measuring a scant 0.6 inches thick. What’s more, it comes with a 128GB solid-state drive, meaning Windows 8 boots, runs, and shuts down even faster than laptops with hybrid drives. The 13.3-inch screen lacks touch capabilities, though, so you’ll have to rely on the roomy touchpad if you want gesture-powered interaction with Windows 8.

Big screen, fast storage, small price

Vizio CT15-A4

Ultrabook systems are designed for easy portability, but some users need a bigger workspace than the typical 13- or 14-inch screen affords. The Vizio CT15-A4 raises the bar to 15.6 inches, at the same time bumping screen resolution to 1,920 x 1,080—same as you’d get from a big desktop monitor. Translation: more words, windows, and spreadsheet cells on the screen at a time, and sharper-looking movies. The system also packs a 128GB SSD for blazing performance. Just keep in mind that at around five pounds, this outweighs some smaller systems. It might make your carry-on a little harder to carry on.