Over the last year, while reporting a book I want to write on contemporary gold prospectors, I've had a notebook computer epiphany. My greatest insight has been driven by the ground truth of humping a 40 pound ruck loaded with an ultra portable computer, solar cell recharging rig, two fully charged auxiliary batteries that work with my phone and my portable as well as printed and digitized sectional maps, plus food, first aid kit, two boxes of .22 hollow point ammunition,a basic fishing kit stored in a Tupperware container, a sleeping bag and a lightweight tent. Foremost I've learned that the most important characteristic of a great ultra-portable is rock solid construction and unquestionable reliability
I learned this the hard way but was saved by my backup notebook ( an Acer Swift 5) stashed in my luggage at a friends house in Placerville, CA.
When I first began outlining my book idea, I went shopping for a new portable. Because a lot of my research involves digital images, a 2in1 s seemed like a perfect fit, so I marched over to the Marine Exchange at Camp Pendleton and went shopping. After looking at its configuration and capabilities I plopped down almost $950 for a Microsoft Surface Book. I was also attracted by its raw video and system performance and its superior battery life
I liked and still do like the usability of the Surface Book, although the separate, small battery for the screen is a problem.
My Microsoft labeled experience left me convinced most notebook computer designers have never ever done much more than build to marketing design bullet points or copy other manufacturers reference designs. In the case of my first Surface Book I came to believe Microsoft had copied the worst of Apple’s MacBook Air.
One of the other systems I looked at gained a quick lead in my search. That system was Lenovo’s Yoga 740, a convertible with a 14-inch screen that is now nestled in its padded compartment in my backpack. My purchase was swayed by the remarkable durability and solid design of the 740, so it moved to the top spot on my shopping list.
I like thAt this machine uses a USB C connection to charge its battery, since I often use a solar charger when I’m in the field.
Although my usage patterns may seem primitive, I do carry music and movies stored on USB devices TUCKED safely in my ruck. The Yoga 740’s audio is well above average and its two speakers have great tonal fidelity.
Physically the Yoga 740 is a lightweight three pound two in one with a 14-inch 1,920 x1080 screen the system tapes out at .67 x12.7x 8.5 inches. It's a snug notebook built on what’s become an industry standard ultrabook foundation: 1.6 GHZ I-5Intel processor,512 GB SSD and 8GB of physical memory soldered directly to its motherboard.Despite its small size, the Yoga 740 is built like a tank, a point I really appreciate since there are time sIve used it for note taking while it was in my lap or on a nearby rock.
In addition to USB-C the 740 also includes a headphone jack and two external ports as well as rock solid 802.11C connectivty I rely on for reliable tethering. cell connectivity.THE Yogfa 740's operating asytem is Windows 10 Homw 64,
I’m a ham handed typist and there’s no flex in the keyboard as I wail away at 60 to 70 wpm.
Finger print reasding techno0lo0gy issupported in this 2-1 and I like it very much.
Using the 740 as a large tablet to look at detailed quarter sectional and topographic maps as well as publicly available photogrammetry images of the CA gold country was a key purchase decision for me. Thus far i’ts UHD screen has not let me down, although I’ve learned to not try to read maps in bright oblique sunlight. But Hey, What the heck, Slipping into moderate shade is a price I’ll willingly pay.
There are ultra-portables subcompacts that offer more than the 740’s eight hour battery life, but after humping this notebook in the boonies, I’ve found its battery life is just about a perfect match with my attention span.
Given that I’m using my Yoga 740 to spot riverside or otherwise primitive camp sites or evidence of vegetative discoloration (visual evidence of which suggests subsurface mineral deposits) on overhead images, the one option I felt was critical was a $30 digital pen
There may be other convertibles that offer better performance, battery life or LTE connectivity, but for the first time in years, I’ve found a rock solid ultra-portable with functionality that meets my pretty advanced needs.
Including the digital pen, I paid only about $780 for my new rig, which is much much cheaper than a new MacBook Air or Current generation Microsoft Surface Book.
There are some things I believe Lenovo has to do to improve this machine. Foremost on my personal list is to improve its Microsoft registration software, which is so bad I had to invest in a second cup of coffee at a Starbucks in Rescue, CA. Reducing bloatware on this machine could also improve the user experience.
Learning to use a 14-inch tablet can be tiring. However , I’m completely sold on the Lenovo Yoga 740. Its practical, very affordable and built like as tank yet lightweight
SO if you're up humping the five-county CA gold country and see a some dude hunched over a 40-pound ruck thinking of a frosty cold Orange Julius, stop and ask me about my two -in -one convertible.I'll show you the birds’ eye views of reclusive contemporary gold prospectors.
Mandatory disclosure, I’m a fully disabled Viet Vet and I’ve reviewed more than 2
,000 portables in the last 30 years,. Before retirement I was the producer of the mobile technologies showcase DemoMobile, and responsible for selecting as many as 50 percent of all companies and technologies unveiled at both Demo conferences.--Jim Forbes 9 June 2020.
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