Month: February 2019

Chromebooks used to be the laptops that cost a dime a dozen, but in 2019 you can get premium Chrome OS devices that pack the specs and designs that are capable of getting real work done. For the past couple of months, I’ve been using the Lenovo Yoga Chromebook, and for getting things done, it’s one of the best options currently available.
The Lenovo Yoga Chromebook, the C630, represents a couple of firsts in the Chrome OS world. For one, it’s the first option ever to offer up a 4K display. On top of that, it’s also the largest “high-end” Chromebook ever with a whopping 15.6-inch display. To me, though, the most important first it represents is being the first proper workhorse machine on Google’s platform.
HARDWARE |
For a premium Chromebook, the Lenovo’s Yoga Chromebook C630 doesn’t disappoint. Crafted from aluminum in a gorgeous “Midnight Blue” color variant, it’d be hard to disappoint. Aside from the color, though, Lenovo doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the hardware. This machine feels very durable and in the several weeks I spent testing it, it didn’t get a scratch either. Notably, though, it does pick up fingerprints quickly and easily, and they’re not easy to get off.
The one sore point of the hardware, though, is the weight. There’s never any getting around a 15.6-inch machine being heavy, and the Yoga certainly is. This machine is by no means light which means, most likely, it’s not a laptop you’ll be taking around town or on a trip. It certainly won’t be good for a flight.
DISPLAY |
What makes up for that weight is the size. The Lenovo Yoga Chromebook has a 15.6-inch display, a rarity in the Chrome OS world. We’ve seen it on a couple of fairly low-cost machines, but this is the first premium machine with the feature. There’s a 4K variant that we’ll have further coverage on soon, but my review unit was a 1080p model and, honestly, I can say it’s one of my favorite Chrome OS experiences to date.
Having the truly massive canvas to work on combined with the 1080p resolution means you’re getting a machine that can truly do it all, at least given Chrome OS’ restrictions. On an average workday, I can have Slack, Spotify, and Chrome windows all open at once without losing sight of anything. I can’t say that about any other Chromebook right now, even the Pixelbook.
That screen is also touch capable. Personally, though, I never once took advantage of that feature. Using a device this large as a tablet is, frankly, a ridiculous idea in every conceivable way. The only time I did use the 360-degree hinge was to clean off the screen.
As a final note, brightness on the 1080p model is also pretty solid. It’s best used indoors, though. Outside it struggles to be seen on a bright day, but it does manage to get dim enough to be usable at night in a dark room.
PERFORMANCE |
Enhancing the canvas are the specs under the hood. My unit included an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD for storage. Even with over a dozen tabs open and some Linux applicationsopen too, this machine simply doesn’t skip a beat. I honestly don’t hesitate to say that, right now, this isthe fastest Chromebook on the market.
This is largely thanks to the fact that Lenovo opted to use full-fledged Intel chipsets rather than the Y-series chips we see in other Chromebooks, even at this price point. My unit specifically offered up a Core i5-8250U. For that reason, it’s safe to say that if you want to get work done on your Chromebook and not get bogged down anywhere, the Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630 is without a doubt the way to go.
We’ll have more to say about how this machine performs under load soon. Our own Kyle Bradshaw is currently testing out the 4K model and will be following up with a review on how that model handles the needs of a developer who uses Chrome OS.
BATTERY LIFE |
As with any big Chromebook, battery life on the Lenovo Yoga Chromebook is a highlight. That is, at least on the 1080p model I’ve been using. Typically, I can easily get through a full workday, roughly 6-8 hours of active use, on a single charge and leave about 30-40% remaining by the end of the day. With light usage and lots of standby, it’s easy to pull a full week out of this machine.
When it does come time to recharge, I really appreciate that the Lenovo Yoga Chromebook uses USB-C. There’s a port on either side of the machine for convenient charging. What I don’t like, however, is that the charging cable has a brick in the center. It’s 2019, we should be far beyond that.
As a side note, the 4K model simply won’t have the same results. From what I’ve been told by those using that model, battery life takes a serious hit, so you’ll have to decide if that extra resolution is worth the extra time you’ll spend charging.
KEYBOARD & TRACKPAD |
This might be my favorite bit about the Yoga C630 Chromebook. The keyboard and trackpad on this machine are both delightful to use. The Pixelbook might be the only keyboard I like the feeling of more, but the keys Lenovo uses here are top-notch.
Typing takes just minutes to adjust to this size, and the large surface area of the machine means there are no sacrifices made with the spacing or layout. It’s a natural and excellent experience. I can easily type on this machine for hours at a time without feeling fatigued, and the key travel gives a satisfying click each time.
In my opinion, there’s just nothing to complain about with this keyboard. Well, except for the fact that some models don’t have a backlit keyboard. My unit did not, but models bought directly from Lenovo do.
As for the trackpad, it’s as solid as Chrome OS gets. I still prefer the Pixelbook just a bit, but Lenovo’s option is solid. Touch response is quick and accurate, and the trackpad responds well to taps and presses. The spring mechanism still means you won’t be able to click down on the top of the trackpad, but that’s something I’m willing to overlook.
FINAL THOUGHTS |
From the moment I opened up the Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630 until the day I wrote this review, the constant thought in my head about this machine has been “this is a Chromebook I can actually get work done on.” It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to say that, as I’ve found myself gravitating more and more to Windows machines. If you’ve been looking for a Chrome OS workhorse that can keep up with everything you need to do, the Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630 is it.
You can buy it now directly from Lenovo or from Best Buy. Pricing starts at $599, but at the time of writing the base i3 model is actually just $499.

One of the biggest changes Samsung is bringing to its upcoming Galaxy S10 comes in the form of the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that resides beneath the glass. However, that sensor might cause some issues with screen protectors designed for the Galaxy S10 and S10+. Apparently, though, Whitestone Dome Glass screen protectors still work, and they might be the only option.
If you’ll recall this past week, a hands-on video leak revealed a screen protector on the Galaxy S10+ that housed a cut-out for the fingerprint sensor. For obvious reasons, that’s something most users simply aren’t going to want. However, Whitestone Dome claims that its screen protectors do work with the technology, and that they are the only option that will be available, at least at launch.
Covered on the company’s homepage right now, it’s made clear that Whitestone Dome Glass does indeed work with the Galaxy S10 and S10+. The company explains that traditional screen protectors don’t work with the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S10 due to the air gap that’s typical with that sort of installation. Because Dome Glass uses a liquid adhesive for installation, this apparently isn’t an issue. That tech is patented and not in use elsewhere, so for the time being it seems this is the onlyfull-coverage option for Galaxy S10 owners.
These screen protectors will be available from the day the Galaxy S10 is announced, February 20th, and they’re also already up for pre-order on Whitestone’s site. Pricing is a hefty $60, but you’ll get two Dome Glass protectors for that and all the needed installation tools. Considering other models cost $50 or so for just a single screen protector, $60 doesn’t seem so bad. Of course, buyers will still have to deal with the lengthy installation process. Our Whitestone review for Pixel 3 offers a look at that.
Hands-on: Whitestone Dome Glass for Pixel 3 XL is an expensive but perfect screen protector
As a side note, this basically confirms that the Galaxy S10 will have an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, as if all the previous leaks didn’t give that away already.

Microsoft is working on a new Remote Desktop Client that is optimised for their Windows Virtual Desktop push, which would see companies run their productivity software primarily in Microsoft’s Azure cloud.
The client app has been leaked by WalkingCat, with download links available in his tweet below:
The client features:
Provides a remote desktop experience and remote applications on any device. Combine Microsoft 365 and Azure to give users the unique multi-session Windows 10 experience with outstanding scalability and low IT costs.
The main features are as follows:
Provide users with the unique multi-session experience of Windows 10 – Provide your users with the only complete Windows 10 enterprise multi-user environment virtualized in the cloud, always up to date and available on every device. Leverage the cost-effectiveness of shared computing resources previously available only with server-based virtualization.
Optimize for Office 365 ProPlus – Run a full Windows 10 desktop optimized for Office 365 ProPlus, providing your users with the most productive virtualized environment.
Deploy and Scale in Minutes – Virtualize and deploy modern and legacy desktop apps with unified management, without having to host, install, configure, and manage components such as diagnostics, network, connection broker, and gateway.
Microsoft is hoping that companies will use the service to run their legacy Windows 7 environment safely in the cloud while they slowly transition their workforce to Windows 10. The service lets companies use their existing software licenses for their virtual software and comes with free extended support for Windows 7, which is ending January 14, 2020.

In a thorough research note outlining Apple’s plans for 2019, analyst Ming-Chi Kuodescribes his outlook for the next iPhone lineup. According to Kuo, the 2019 iPhone lineup will mirror that of the current lineup, including 6.5-inch and 5.8-inch OLED models as well as a 6.1-inch LCD model.
As for changes to expect in 2019, Kuo says the iPhone XR successor may be upgraded to 4GB of RAM, while all models will include frosted glass casing, larger batteries, the ability to wirelessly charge other devices, and new technology for indoor positioning and navigation.
The new 5.8″ OLED may support DSDS, and the new 6.1″ LCD may be upgraded to 4GB. All of part of the new models’ main upgrades include Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) for indoor positioning and navigation, frosted glass casing, bilateral wireless charging for charging other devices, upgraded Face ID (with a higher power flood illumination), larger batteries, and triple camera feature (wide, telephoto, and ultra-wide lens).
Kuo also says all three models will include Lightning connectors rather than USB-C and have the same notch area as current models, contradicting other rumors of smaller notches.

We know almost everything about Samsung’s 10th anniversary Galaxy S10 with Samsung itself happy to leak the full range. But what Samsung would prefer you don’t know is the range’s biggest upgrade comes with a significant problem…
A new video leaked by MobileFun highlights the issue: Samsung’s world-first Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader does not work with screen protectors. Moreover, the only successful workarounds look either ugly or expensive.
MobileFun’s video demonstrates the former. The popular accessory retailer shows that the only solution for standard screen protectors is to cut a hole in them around the new sensor. This looks terrible and is also self-defeating because it exposes a significant (and crucial) part of the display to damage.
As for the expensive option, this comes via premium screen protector manufacturer Whitestone who told 9to5Google it will have the only protector which is compatible with the Galaxy S10’s Ultrasonic reader at launch. It will cost an eye-watering $60.
Why is the workaround so expensive? Because it requires a very different (and more awkward) method of fitting a protector to the display.
Whitestone explains that the problem is no trace of air is allowed between a screen protector and the Galaxy S10’s Ultrasonic sensor – something that is impossible to achieve with any standard protector’s simple peel-on application. Instead, Whitestone uses a liquid adhesive which 9to5Google has tested and found to be a “lengthy installation process”.
The good news is the results are impressive if you get the installation right but at $60 for a two pack (single packs are not available), it is also not something you don’t want to mess up more than once.
Currently, it is unknown whether Whitestone’s method can be reproduced more cheaply and the precision liquid install process is likely to put off some buyers anyway.
All of which creates a bigger problem because the Galaxy S10 is going to be the most expensive Galaxy S model ever and with its Ultrasonic reader baked into the display, these are screens you do not want to crack.
As such, the biggest weakness of Samsung’s new entry-level Galaxy S10emay now become its greatest strength…