Get a Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 with keyboard for $179
Originally $370, this highly regarded system comes refurbished from Lenovo and includes a full one-year warranty.
Is it a tablet with a keyboard or a laptop with a removable screen?
Semantics, my friends, semantics. For a limited time, and while supplies last, Lenovo has the refurbished Yoga Tablet 2 10 with keyboard for $179 shipped. It fits the definition of a hybrid PC, and it sold new for $369.99 when it debuted just a few months ago. (It currently runs $349.99.)
Because there are a lot of Yoga products in Lenovo's lineup, let me cut to the chase on this one: It's a Windows 8.1-powered system running on an Intel Atom processor. And in case the "10" in the name didn't give it away, it features a 10.1-inch touchscreen display -- an impressive one at that, an IPS panel running at 1,920x1,080 pixels. That resolution is overkill at this size, but overkill of the best kind.
Other key specs include 2GB of RAM, 32GB of solid-state storage (expandable via microSD cards), front and rear cameras and a battery that's good for up to 18(!) hours of runtime between charges, according to Lenovo.
CNET's review of the Yoga Tablet 2 doesn't include any lab testing of the battery, but writer Nate Ralph noted this: "My use consisted of lots of video streaming and Web browsing, and I easily made it through two days before plugging the tablet in."
The other notable feature here is the Bluetooth keyboard, which clips to the bottom of the screen via magnets (weak ones, alas, according to Nate). My thinking: If you're working at a desk, why bother physically connecting the two at all? Just prop the screen up via its built-in kickstand and position the keyboard wherever it's most comfortable, as shown in the photo here.
Overall, Nate found the Yoga "a great tablet," and that was based on a $370 price tag. Typically when I find a Windows tablet at $179, it's a Surface running Windows RT (barf) -- keyboard not included. Oh, and never mind the fact that it's a refurb: Lenovo gives you the same one-year warranty that new Yogas get. Woot!
Bonus deal: Game time! Just in time for the weekend, the Humble Relic Bundle offers up a wealth of real-time strategy goodness. The games include Company of Heroes, Warhammer 40,000 and all manner of sequels and expansion packs to go with them. Pay as little as $1 to get four games, $6 and change for eight games or $15 for the whole enchilada -- which, incidentally, would cost you a whopping $235 if purchased separately. Some great charities benefit, too.