Bucket Tech: HUAWEI MateBook D15

Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) last Friday announced the launch of its all-new Super Device line HUAWEI MateBook D15 which offers you a seamless integration brought by the Smart Office setup. The new 12.6-inch HUAWEI MateBook D15 is available on the Huawei website and across select retailers in South Africa, starting 15 June 2022 priced at R11 999.

The all-purpose HUAWEI MateBook D15 is made for everyone and continues the design elements established by the MateBook D Series, that utilises Huawei’s ‘Pure Shape’ minimalistic design philosophy with its thin and light metal body. It also features a 15-inch HUAWEI FullView display with an 87% screen-to-body ratio.

Solid performance supported by a new 11th Gen Intel® Core™ Processor

To many of us, a laptop is not only a tool to get work done but also an entertainment platform. A new 11th Gen Intel® Core™ Processor built on the 10nm SuperFin technology powers the HUAWEI MateBook D15. The quad-core, eight-thread processor has faster performance to effortlessly handle everyday usage scenarios and features integrated Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics to provide graphics performance rivalling entry level discrete counterparts. The new HUAWEI MateBook D15 can be configured with up to 16GB dual-channel RAM for faster and smoother multitasking and features a high speed SSD (Solid State Drive) to further improve the overall system performance. Also, an advanced cooling system featuring high-density HUAWEI Shark fin fan and two heat pipes, leverages the bionic design to ensure the laptop performs stably under load.

Metallic beauty with a FullView Display offering exciting visuals while protecting eyesight

A product exemplifying Huawei’s “Pure Shape” design philosophy, the new HUAWEI MateBook D15 has a minimalist design with clean refined lines running through the metal body, creating an understated appearance in either classic Space Grey or an elegant Mystic Silver colourway. Additionally, the HUAWEI MateBook D15 is as light as 1.56kg and measures only 16.9mm at its thickest point. Travelling with it is effortless and the rich array of ports along the sides of the laptop will satisfy most everyday usage scenarios. The HUAWEI MateBook D15 features a 15-inch anti-glare display that retains the series’ signature FullView design, offering an 87 percent screen-to-body ratio with a 16:9 aspect ratio for immersive cinematic experiences. The display also has passed TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light certification and Flicker Free certifications for a protective and comfortable viewing experience. The low blue light level helps reduce eyestrain related to prolonged display use.

Triple your productivity and creativity with the Smart Office Experience

We all want the ability to switch seamlessly between our laptops, tablets smartphones and monitors. This does not only guaranty swift and effortless operation, it also opens gateways to boost productivity and creativity. Huawei’s Smart Office experience enables you to connect all three devices at the same time such as a laptop, tablet and monitor. When a HUAWEI MateView GT is connected with a compatible laptop, for example, with the HUAWEI MateBook D15 via a USB-type C, it becomes a second monitor for the laptop. Furthermore, the same laptop can also be connected with a tablet via Multi-screen Collaboration, with keyboard and mouse connected to the HUAWEI MateView GT. This combination makes it possible for you to use up to three independent screens at once, with content flowing seamlessly between the trio!

Swift Charging

One of the common drawbacks of laptops are the battery life and charging speed, right? Thankfully, Huawei tackles this point with the HUAWEI MateBook D15. The AC adapter supports HUAWEI SuperCharge™ for quick charging with compatible Huawei smartphones. A 15-minute charging session provides enough charge for the HUAWEI MateBook D 15 to run for up to two hours.

Login securely with fingerprint power button

One recurring feature that you are going to love on the HUAWEI MateBook D15 is the inclusion of the fingerprint scanner embedded in the power button. This is a nice touch and makes biometric unlocks a breeze and most of all, you do not have to sign in with passwords or scan your fingerprint separately to login. While some people are content with a system good enough for web surfing, others require a laptop than can handle tasks that are more intensive. The HUAWEI MateBook D15 gives you all that and a tad bit more starting with its thin and light minimalist metallic body, eye protection FullView Display, 11th Gen Intel® Core™ Processor for a smooth and solid performance, Smart Office experience which offers futuristic ways to interconnect with multiple devices for seamless cross-device sharing and more.

The HUAWEI MateBook D15 is available for R11 999 on the Huawei Online Store and will be available for purchase from the 15 June 2022.

Bucket Tech: HUAWEI MateBook X Pro 2021: The sleekest laptop of 2021

The HUAWEI MateBook X Pro 2021, which comes in Emerald Green or Grey, has been elevated from its predecessor on aesthetics and performance, with a sleeker design, latest gen processor, long-lasting battery life, brand new touch pad, 3k touch-screen display, fast network connection and multi-screen collaboration. 

Super performance

This ultra slim metallic laptop has upped its power to the 11th Gen Intel Quad Core processor, which is 22% faster than the 10th generation of its previous processor. It also comes with HUAWEI dual shark fin fans design for better performance.

3K Spectacular Touch-screen Display

The Ultra FullView Display delivers all content in spectacular 3K definition. That means that every series or movie you watch will be crystal clear and vibrant thanks to the 3000x2000 resolution display Multi-touch screen. 

When you have a long day’s work ahead, there’s no need to worry about straining your eyes because the Eye Comfort Mode–TÜV Rheinland certified Low Blue Light will make it that much more pleasant for you to work throughout the day. And, the brand-new TouchPad will give you a more stable experience.

What’s more, the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro 2021’s data transfer abilities, fast network connection Wi-Fi 6 with up to 2400 MBps and 160MHz, and Bluetooth transmission speeds are top of the range. And it comes with a 56Wh battery, which is doubly impressive given its compact design. Together with HUAWEI AX3 router, it can support a frequency bandwidth of up to 160MHz, which is nearly three-times faster than Wi-Fi 5. With a super battery charge, you can browse the internet for up to 10 hours, watch videos for up to 10 hours or work for up to 11 hours.

Multi-screen collaboration update

The latest-generation Multi-screen Collaboration displays multiple phone apps at a time on your PC, taking multi-tasking to a whole new level. Whether it's comparison shopping on different e-commerce platforms or watching a video while commenting in a chat group, you can now fit your busy life onto a single screen.

HUAWEI MateBook D14 and HUAWEI MateBook D15

The HUAWEI MateBook D14 and D15 are also powerful machines, with a sleek form, impressive battery life, immersive display and affordable price.

 All-day-long battery with fast charging

The 14-inch HUAWEI MateBook D14 features a 56Wh (rated value) battery, which allows you to 13 hours of video time, 15 hours of uninterrupted work time or 11 hours of internet browsing time. The HUAWEI MateBook D15, on the other hand, has a slightly larger 15.6-inch screen and a 42Wh battery, which gives you to watch videos for up to 10 hours.

Ultra FullView Display

Thanks to Huawei’s expertise in system integration, the laptop delivers a borderless viewing experience with only a 16.9mm-thick chassis, making both laptops two of the thinnest and lightest PCs in their class.

Huawei Share

Both HUAWEI MateBook series laptops come with Huawei Share, which allows you to project your smartphone display to a PC and control both devices simultaneously. Once the connection is established, you can drag and drop files across the systems to seamlessly transfer files and operate mobile apps directly on the PC, including editing documents.

16GB +512GB SSD Storage

Equipped with 16GB of Dual-channel DDR4 memory, the HUAWEI MateBook D 15 has enough memory to handle most high load apps on the market. Compared to single-channel memory, Dual-channel memory supports up to 50 per cent higher data transfer speeds.

Great value for money

All three laptops come with a VIP Service offering, which includes 2 or 3 years of full warranty, 24/7 online technical support, a VIP Cleaning and Maintenance Service, and a Free home pick-up and delivery service. 

The most affordable of the bunch, the HUAWEI MateBook D15 will cost you R16,499, while the HUAWEI MateBook D14 is priced at R16,999. The range-topping HUAWEI MateBook X Pro 2021 costs R34,999. 

All the laptops in the HUAWEI MateBook series can be purchased from the Huawei Store (online). Select models are available from Incredible Connection, Takealot and Vodacom.  

 

Bucket Tech: Lenovo ThinkBook 13S

It's strange times we find ourselves in, while working from home was more of a norm for a select few, 2020 made this a reality for many with the lockdown regulations enforced by Governments around the world. Many thought it wouldn't be possible to do their jobs from home but here we are, halfway through the year and we're still managing. Technology has played a pivotal role in helping us achieve this, from high-speed internet to the devices we use. Gone of the days where you need high powered, big bulky desktops to work on as now most of the world's most powerful computers are either your handheld mobile devices or notebooks. Yes, the notebook has come on in leaps and bounds over the years and while many require it for its portability, it's becoming quite the norm in offices spaces too. 

Last week Lenovo sent me their new ThinkBook 13S to use while I worked from home, having an Ultrabook of my own, albeit 7 years old already I was keen to see what the new generation of these devices had to offer and I was pleasantly surprised. Lenovo has been in the market for as long as I can remember and their products have always been some of the best out there in terms of affordability and reliability, catering for every type of consumer. So testing out their highest end product was going to be fun. The ThinkBook 13S is catered for the professional who is on the move, needs something small, light and limit the use of plugging into charge. Yes, while I understand that presently we're not allowed to move a lot, no one said you cannot move around your house while working. 

The design of the ThinkBook is pretty much the same as any other notebook but with the 13 inch screen it makes the overall package very compact and easy to carry around. Weighing just 1.4kg's it won't make you break a sweat as well. It's an eye catching product, as its finished in a metallic all-aluminium chassis and the FHD display has a narrow bezel finish giving you more screen to device ratio, measuring in at just 5.5mm. The screen also includes dramatic Dolby Vision, with high dynamic-range technology for increased brightness, expanded contrast, amazing colours and more refined detail which is very evident when watching Full HD videos on it. Also with this, looking at the screen for longer periods doesn't strain your eyes like other screens would. Being one that types alot, I was glad to see that the keyboard had large buttons, almost bigger than your normal desktop keyboard. This made typing a breeze, as with normal Ultrabooks, they do tend to make the keys slightly smaller to accommodate other parts of the device. The keyboard also features hotkeys making it quicker to work as well as a finger print reader on the power button so it knows its you switching it on, no need for passwords and logging in there after. 

When it comes to processing, the ThinkBook 13S is class above the rest, with an 8th Gen Intel Core i7, along with a 256GB SATA SSD as well as 16GB of RAM, this machine flys from start up! Booting in just 0.5 seconds and performing the most difficult tasks with ease. I mainly used it for blogging, browsing and watching online content as this model didn't come with the any pre-loaded office type software but I did manage to work on some web-based office documents and found it pretty easy and straight forward. The major talking point about the ThinkBook though is its battery life, with an 11 hour battery capacity from a single charge, it comes with a Slimtip 45W charger which is pretty sufficient but there is a rapid charger as an optional extra 65W Rapid charger which can charge the device up to 80% in just an hour, which would give you about 9 hours of battery life. 

Ports and slots, the ThinkBook 13S has 2 x  USB-B (3.1) and 1 x USB-C, an HDMI 1.4b, a Headphone/ mic combo port and the AC adaptor port. It supports USB-C Dock as well as Hybrid USB-C.  Connectivity wise, it as WLAN 11ac 2x2 as well as Bluetooth 5.2. While it being great for business use, I found myself using it more for entertainment use, and the audio on the ThinkBook is great, it has Dolby Audio and 2 x 2W Harman speakers, the mic as dual-array noise cancelling, so it is optimized for voice recognition on Microsofts Cortana, yes you can give the device all sorts of commands just by speaking to it! Overall, I've been quite impressed by this little device, while it may be small, it packs a punch and has a hell of a stand by time. I found myself logging it everywhere I go in the house as it was that easy to carry around. Also another thing that seems to be an issue with devices like these are the cooling systems with the fans normally working over time when unplugged, apart from this one being so silent I never heard it often while being in use. It certainly is one of the better devices in its category at the moment and well worth it. 

Windows Surface Pro

Last year I had the opportunity to view and play around with the Windows Surface RT as I said its an awesome device, definitely a major threat to other tablet devices in the market. Whilst it was pretty good, the RT wasn't the range topper in the for the Surface. This is where the Pro comes in, a few weeks back I attended a presentation which showcased what the Surface Pro was capable of.

Firstly its size, the dimensions are pretty much the same as the RT apart from the thickness. It is a little less than double the thickness of the RT which isn't really that bad. Obviously with it being thicker the weight would increase but again, I've used tablets or slates that were heavier. The build quality like the RT is pretty good, the magnetic snap on keyboard works well and because its so thin one hardly notices it. 

One might get put off with the Pro by it being ticker and heavier but it is with good reason. The Pro is powered with an Intel CPU and is basically a fully functional ultrabook. If one has to compare it to any of the ultrabooks in its range, the Surface Pro would probably be better. Portability for many is a key factor and many with ultrabooks like myself often find the need to have a tablet when moving around, yet if one had a tablet, because its limited in many aspects they would find them self wanting a notebook/ ultrabook. 

The Windows Surface Pro provides the user with the best of both. It can be a hand held tablet when need be and if the occasion arises where you need to do work that requires a keyboard, within a matter of seconds you can setup the keyboard which doubles as a cover and open the stand at the back and you're good to go!

Now the Microsoft Surface isn't yet available in South Africa but as I learnt during my time at TechEd 2013, there are plans of it being introduced to the market in both the RT and Pro versions in the second quarter of the year. It will be interesting to see how the consumers react to this device, seeing that Apple has dominated the market especially with FNB's promotion of the iPad. Personally I would love to own one, Windows 8 does take some time to get used to but with the touch interface it works brilliantly.

HP Elite Range

On Wednesday I was invited to the launch of HP's Elite series laptops and tablet PC's. The venue was the stunning Oyster Box hotel in Umhlanga, pity the weather couldn't match the venue but the function was held in doors so we were spared from the torrential downpour.

 

 

Hewlett Packard have always been one of the market leaders in terms of their notebooks but as modern trends are growing, the end consumer is opting for something, smaller, lighter, more durable but still must have the capabilities of their normal notebook. Step in HP's Elitebook series, essentially it is their version of the Ultrabook. Its powerful, small and is operated by Windows 8, which is taking the world by storm and fastly becoming the most used OS.

 

 

At the launch, HP revealed their Elite 810 Revolve. They spared nothing with this little device as it contains a 3rd Generation Intel Core processor, 256 Solid Slate drive, 4 gigs of ram and a 11.6" HD Touch Screen which, wait for it...revolves. Well that's where they got the name I suppose, its one of the most impressive ultrabooks I've seen. The specs are mind blowing and it runs like a dream. The keyboard is back lit so you can work in the dark without hitting the wrong keys. The revolving screen also enables you to flip it 180 degrees round and close the clam and you can use it as a tablet. The device itself doesn't weight much, coming it at about 3 kg's which is relatively light. Pricing for it isn't known as yet but I would bet its between the R25,000 and R20,000 mark.

 

 

Next up was the moment we were all waiting for, the official launch of the Elitepad 900. Tablet PC's are becoming more and more popular but with the current favourites being the iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tabs and the various other Andriod operated tablets, none can offer the end consumer with a full PC experience. Microsoft have their surface but unfortunately it hasn't hit our shores as yet, Samsung have their Slate but it is priced a lot higher than the iPad and isn't the smallest and lightest portable tablet around.

 

 

The Elitepad 900 is a 10.1" tablet which only weighs about 700 grams is sleek, extremely durable so an engineer like myself can take to site visits without wrapping it in bubblewrap to protect it. Performance wise, it has a 1.80Ghz Intel Dual Core Atom processor and has 64gig on board memory. The Elitepad has 2 USB3 slots and 2 camera's, the primary being 8 mega pixel and the front has Full HD recording capabilities for live video meetings.

 

 

With this being their key product and only one the range, they have also made alot of accessories for the tablet, my favourite being the expansion jacket. Not only does it give the tablet more protection but also increases the number of ports you have and added micro SD card reader and HDMI out. There are also docking stations, added batteries to prolong life and keyboards etc.

 

 

Again pricing for this device is unknown but if its around the R10,000 mark it is fully worth every cent. With Windows 8 as its operating system, it works like a dream, the touch interface works so well. If only they could've given me one after the launch since my laptop is on its last legs but I guess the finger food and whisky had to do.