Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook?

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sharke
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2014/03/01 12:46:26 (permalink)

Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook?

I'm thinking about getting a small ultrabook for business use so that I can separate all that crap from my DAW. It's been a long time since I've bought a laptop of any kind and as I expected, I'm drowning in possibilities and indecision (20+ tabs open in Chrome with various reviews and stores and what-have-you).
 
I'm currently looking at Samsung and Lenovo ultrabooks which look very nice indeed, especially the ones that seem to double as tablets. I'm also attracted by the super-HD screen resolutions (3200x1800 on the Samsung for instance) which make everything so crisp and vivid. I'm reminded of how much easier it is to read even small text on my iPhone's retina display and I would love that crispness on a computer screen. However, I'm a little worried about scaling, which some people seem to complain about. I've heard people say that some apps don't scale so well (eg Photoshop) and that you could end up with tiny unreadable fonts and minuscule icons that are virtually unclickable. I'm particularly worried about Quickbooks and Outlook, which I use a lot. It seems that a lot of major Mac apps are now supporting retina displays, but what about Windows, in which super-HD displays aren't as common? Will my only option be to reduce the screen resolution when I'm using apps that don't scale well? Seems like a hassle but maybe I'll get used to it....

James
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    craigb
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/03/01 13:29:16 (permalink)

    This looks pretty high-res.
    (Or did you mean something else?)

     
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    bapu
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/03/01 14:15:40 (permalink)
    craigb

    This looks pretty high-res.
    (Or did you mean something else?)


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    rontarrant
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/03/01 14:29:59 (permalink)
    sharke
    I'm currently looking at Samsung and Lenovo ultrabooks

    We just bought a Lenovo S400 Touch and we both like these things about it:
    - the Accutype Keyboard; the keys aren't as flat as they usually are on a notebook, making it easier to 'feel' where you are
    - it's actually fast enough to play WOW or, I suppose, run a 4-track DAW
    - it's very thin and light
     
    I'm not sure it's as high res as you're talking about, though.
     
    I also saw, during my travels to the various notebook dealers around town, one that had flip-down feet to make it sit at an angle (like a standard keyboard) which I thought was a great feature. It wasn't on the S400 Touch, though.
     
    EDIT: Just a short update...
     
    We originally bought the S400, but found the screen just too bloody small. So we returned it and got the S510p. Much better screen-size-wise and even a little faster.
    post edited by rontarrant - 2014/03/07 13:30:16

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    sharke
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/03/02 01:05:00 (permalink)
    craigb

    This looks pretty high-res.
    (Or did you mean something else?)




    Are those the new USB4 ports on the left?

    James
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    sharke
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/03/02 01:08:27 (permalink)
    rontarrant
    sharke
    I'm currently looking at Samsung and Lenovo ultrabooks

    We just bought a Lenovo S400 Touch and we both like these things about it:
    - the Accutype Keyboard; the keys aren't as flat as they usually are on a notebook, making it easier to 'feel' where you are
    - it's actually fast enough to play WOW or, I suppose, run a 4-track DAW
    - it's very thin and light
     
    I'm not sure it's as high res as you're talking about, though.
     
    I also saw, during my travels to the various notebook dealers around town, one that had flip-down feet to make it sit at an angle (like a standard keyboard) which I thought was a great feature. It wasn't on the S400 Touch, though.
     




    I took a look at that, it looks like great value for money and Lenovo has always been an excellent brand in my eyes. The only thing that I'm not keen on is the lack of an SSD, this is really what's drawing me to the ultrabooks. I really like the look of the Lenovo Yoga, it's turns into a tablet (of sorts) and seems to get fairly decent reviews. The trouble with reading reviews though is that for every good one, you'll find one that rips it to shreds. I'm a sucker for bad reviews on Amazon, they're the first ones I look at 

    James
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    paulo
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/03/02 08:32:47 (permalink)
    spam killer

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    sharke
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/03/02 19:53:59 (permalink)
    Well, I went ahead and bought a Lenovo Yoga 2. It seems like a really nice piece of kit so far. Very well built, elegant, fast and delightful to use. The touch screen flips all the way back so you can either use it as a tablet, or stand it on the desk in a sort of tent shape. This is fantastic for when you want to read a document or watch a movie. Finally, I can watch a tutorial video or have a manual open whilst keeping Sonar on both of my monitors. The resolution is super huge (larger dpi then the Macbook Retina screen) and everything looks pin sharp. This is my first time with Windows 8 and I'm beginning to understand why it was made for touchscreens...I don't mind it at all so far. 
     


    James
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    Moshkiae
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/03/03 08:27:00 (permalink)
    bapu
    I can't read between the lines.
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    Beagle
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/03/03 15:26:27 (permalink)
    I bought my wife a Surface Pro 2.  I don't know if it's considered "hi-res" or not, but she REALLY likes it!

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    sharke
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/03/03 17:01:14 (permalink)
    Surface was my second choice. I thought I'd hate them but I was playing with one in Best Buy the other day and was surprised by how cool they are.

    James
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    craigb
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/03/03 23:52:39 (permalink)
    I hear the Lunar Surface is out of this world.

     
    Time for all of you to head over to Beyond My DAW!
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    kevinwhitect
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/11/08 16:32:53 (permalink)
    Ha ... I bought the Samsung Ultrabook series 9, and I'm dealing with the scale issue now. Wish I'd found this thread first! :)

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    sharke
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/11/08 16:38:40 (permalink)
    After a good few months with my Lenovo I have to say I still love it and the odd scale issue doesn't bother me at all. I should imagine that as time goes by, these issues will become rarer. High definition is the way forward.

    James
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    johnkeel
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    Re: Is anyone using a super hi-res notebook? 2014/11/10 06:00:58 (permalink)
    With windows 8.1 any resolution above 1080p with up to 15" screens will probably make you want to scale (zoom). Windows 8.1 is actually good at this, not as good as OSX but still good, modern operating will tend to use vector GUIs so that the user can scale without loosing quality:
    http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2013/07/15/windows-8-1-dpi-scaling-enhancements/
     
    The problem is that some apps dont scale that good, and you will end up with some bad looking apps. But expect all software makers to offer solutions for this, stuff like this:
    http://feedback.photoshop...ly/topics/sui_feedback

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