Hands-on review: Lenovo Y50 review

Everyone knows Lenovo for its leading business and hybrid laptops (and sometimes both with the ThinkPad Yoga). But did you know that the Chinese vendor also makes gaming laptops? Amid the Alienwares and Origins of the world, it's easy to forget, but not for long.

This is the Lenovo Y50, the successor to the company's Y510p gaming notebook and a first for Lenovo in several ways. Lenovo recognized that, even in the gaming clamshells, thin is most certainly in. But the vendor also hopped on another growing trend: 4K.

Yes, the Y50 is Lenovo's first 4K gaming laptop – that's Ultra HD, or 3840 x 2160 – though it doesn't come standard (1920 x 1080 does, however). Lenovo didn't have all the details in time for my visit to its flashy CES 2014 installation. What I know so far is that the Y50 will pack up to an Intel Core i7-4702HQ CPU, the latest Nvidia GTX graphics chip and up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM. The Nvidia GPU is not standard, but at least the Y50's fresh and fit new design is.

This gaming laptop loses the room for dual graphics chips, an optical drive Lenovo's interchangeable Ultrabay, but it also lopped off some considerable poundage and inches. Where the Y510p weighed 5.95 pounds and measured 1.41 inches thick, the Y50 comes in at just 4.7 pounds (5.7 pounds with optional touchscreen) and 0.94 inches. I'd say it was worth it.

Four cheers for 4K gaming

While it doesn't come standard, Lenovo has beat many gaming laptop makers to the punch in announcing a 4K mobile rig. (Not to mention that it puts the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro's 2880 x 1800 pixels to shame.) The Y50 might need the best Nvidia GTX chip to run games at 4K resolution, but the sheer fact that it's even possible in such a thin laptop is nothing to sneeze at.

Marquee PC game releases like Battlefield 4 already support that many pixels, while the Xbox One and PS4 have yet to show off games in 4K. (Granted, even the cheapest 4K TVs require Daddy Warbucks-level cash reserves.) More UHD PC games are likely to come in 2014, so good on Lenovo for jumping ahead on that one.

That said, it's not clear whether a single GTX graphics chip could run games at 4K resolution and decent settings. (The most recent demos have shown Battlefield 4 in 4K running on four Nvidia GTX Titan GPUs.) For now, all we have is hope and the fact that Lenovo can say "first!" to its competitors in a comment thread somewhere.

Looks aren't everything, but…

Apple will say that hardware design is as important as what components you can cram inside a machine, and Lenovo seems to agree. For one, Lenovo has gave the Y50 the same iconic, crimson keyboard lighting as its Y510p. It's a bummer that this, too, does not come standard.

Another dig on Lenovo's trademark AccuType keyboard: It was extremely squishy this time around and showed too much flex. I'm told that the models on show during CES 2014 were prototypes, so hopefully this changes for the better in the final product. The matte plastic touchpad, however, was as smooth and snappy as ever.

Regardless, the Y50 will look good doing your bidding, with a slim, angular all-black silhouette. Lenovo claims that it achieved this thinness through better thermal engineering, but losing a few component options along the way undoubtedly helped. This rig will feel great, too, with a cross-hatch aluminum finish on its lid and a matte, metallic surface on the keyboard deck.

Early verdict

Lenovo made good use of every last inch of the Y50's frame, slapping a subwoofer on the bottom of the device to support its JBL speakers up top under stark red grilles. That comes through in the connectivity on offer as well, from USB 3.0, HDMI-out and a media card reader to Bluetooth 4.0, optional 802.11ac Wi-Fi and a 720p webcam.

The Y50 is said to last up to 4 hours all things considered, though I doubt you'll get that much playing games at 4K resolution. At any rate, the Lenovo Y50 is a sight for sore eyes – literally. However, the keyboard needs some work and some sacrifices were made to get under an inch of thinness. Not to mention that many of its key features don't come standard.

Regardless, I'm excited to see what this gaming laptop can do, especially in the UHD gaming department. The Lenovo Y50 and its 14-inch Y40 counterpart will be available this April or May starting at around $999 (about £607, AU$1,112).

Hands-on review: Withings Aura review

Withings Aura gives us the atmospheric vibe that it'll be the best sleep tracking device of 2014 because it's designed to monitor rest and, believe it or not, actively increase the amount of sleep you get throughout the night.

That's better than the handful of sleep tracking gadgets out there right now, from the accurate Jawbone Up bracelet to the less-competent-at-sleep Fitbit Force activity band. The Sleep Cycle alarm clock, a simple iOS app for iPhone, does all of this for a fraction of the price too. But none of these devices nor apps go beyond basic minute-by-minute metrics and scores.

Withings Aura takes sleep tracking to the next REM stage with a two-part system that we tested during our non-stop CES 2014 coverage. Off our feet and onto the demo bed, we found a soft sleep sensor tucked underneath the mattress and an odd-shaped, light emitting alarm clock at our bedside.

The white-cloth sensor was physically flat, but the sleep patterns it detected came to life thanks to real-time data on a dedicated app. It told us about our body movement, breathing cycles and heart rate, even though it was buried 3 inches beneath a mattress.

Light-emitting alarm clock

The more interesting component is what Withings calls the "bedside device," a light-emitting alarm clock that looks more like a ship's horn-shaped vent.

Glowing from this vent-like opening is multi-colored LED dimming lighting technology, which the company says is "scientifically-validated light." It glows a red or orange melatonin-inducing wavelength at night and transitions to a peaceful blue color to do the opposite by morning.

Soothing sounds also play a part in the bedside device's attempt to mimic the body's circadian rhythm. There are relaxing frequencies at night for falling asleep and stimulating tones upon waking up to start your day off right.

More than just an output of light and sound, Withings enabled the bedside device to record data too. But unlike the cloth sleep sensor, it's screening the sleep environment for noise pollution, room temperature and light levels. If there's something in your room that's disturbing your sleep, it'll be correlated with the restless data of the sleep sensor.

The price of a good night's sleep

The great thing about Withings Aura is that its bedside device promotes better sleep habits at the same time the sleep sensor underneath the mattress tracks them.

Of course, just as easily as it slips underneath your mattress, it may drain all of the money you have had stashed there due to its high price. The Withings Aura system will cost $299 (about £182, AU$330) when it launches in the spring. A second sensor for your loved one in the same bed can be purchased for $129 (about £79, AU$143).

Its official release date and price hasn't been finalized for the UK and Australia, but we were told the announcement is coming soon for the UK. Possibly in 40 winks.

Early verdict

Aura could be the one-two punch to cure insomnia we've been dreaming about, or as close as we'll get to that in a consumer-grade gadget.

It doesn't just track and grade sleep, it actively tries to increase the amount of rest you're getting at night with effective light and sound. Also, unlike its wrist-mounted competition, Aura isn't a wearable that is anchored to your body or has to be initiated with the press of a button. Just woke up and didn't remember to wear or press the sleep button on your Fitbit Force? Too Bad.

Withings' solution is always present underneath a mattress. You're not going to lose any sleep over setting up Aura - just over how much you're paying to get a good night's rest.