IdeaPad Yoga and ThinkPad Twist: Windows 8 Computers Bend and Twist

Oct. 9, 2012 — -- The number of computers being released ahead of Windows 8 might seem crazy, but there's also a bit of crazy in the computers themselves.

This evening Lenovo released the details of its Yoga convertible laptop and its ThinkPad Twist and Lynx models. All three of the Windows 8 computers pair touch screens with keyboards.

In some cases, as with the Lynx, Lenovo is offering a simple tablet with a keyboard accessory, but in others, like the Yoga, it is offering a laptop with a hinged screen that is more flexible than your yoga instructor.

Flexibility With Yoga

The Yoga, which was first previewed at the Consumer Electronics Show last year, looks like a regular laptop -- until you start pushing the screen back. The hinge moves 360 degrees, allowing you to rotate the screen all the way over the back of the keyboard to make it a tablet. You can also prop it up and turn it into an easel or tent of sorts. To see the entire thing in action we encourage you to check out the video above.

The Yoga will come in two flavors. The Yoga 13 comes with Intel processors (Core i3 or i5), a 13.3-inch display, and Windows 8 Pro. It will start at $1,099 and will be sold at Best Buy starting Oct. 26, when Windows 8 officially launches.

The Yoga 11 will have an 11-inch screen and be powered by an ARM Tegra 3 processor from Nvidia.

The lower-powered processor enables the computer to run Windows RT, a version of Windows that doesn't support older applications. However, because of the lower-energy chip, it will run 13 hours on a single battery charge. The processor architecture also costs less, so the Yoga 11 will start at $799.

Twist, Lynx

While the Yogas might steal the show with their flexible screens, Lenovo has two more tablet/keyboard devices up its sleeve. The ThinkPad Twist is a modern take on the old tablet PC. Or, really, it is just like an old tablet PC with a new operating system. The 12.5-inch screen swivels around and locks over the keyboard to turn it into a tablet.

Aimed at business users, it will be available with Intel's Core processors, solid-state hard drives, and optional 3G. It will start at $849 and be available at Staples and other retailers.

There's one more, too. Well, actually two more. Lenovo announced the Windows 8 Thinkpad Tablet 2 a few weeks ago and is now announcing a similar tablet with a dockable keyboard called the Lynx.

The Lynx is a tablet with an 11.6-inch screen, available with a keyboard that connects to it. Many Windows 8 computers are following this design, including Microsoft's own Surface tablet and Acer's new Iconia W510. The Lynx starts at $599 for the tablet; the keyboard costs an extra $150.

Lenovo announced last week that it will start making PCs in the United States in January 2013. According to Lenovo, the Twist will be one of the computers made in the America next year.

Lenovo wasn't willing to say, however, what other crazy computers might be coming out of the factory next year.