CONVERTIBLE computers have soared in popularity since being pioneered by Lenovo a few years ago and now the Beijing-based tech company is satisfying the mobile generation once again with the release of the Yoga 730-131KB 2-in-1.

It’s powered by the latest 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor and is positively skinny at just 14.1mm thin. Weighing in just 1.19 kg – 13-per-cent lighter than previous models – and boasting 11.5 hours of battery life, the Yoga 730 is the most mobile computer to date.

It looks good too with its polished and durable anodised aluminium casing in Iron Grey.

The Yoga 730 runs on Windows 10 Pro edition and its performance packs a powerful punch thanks to the processor, which runs at 1.80GHz, the fast 8 gigabytes DDR4 2,400 MHz working memory or RAM and the 512 GB PCIe SSD storage.

It uses Intel UHD Graphics 620, which shares the RAM, and boasts a 13.3-inch Full HD IPS Anti-Glare multi-touch display with 1920×1080 pixel resolution. The screen is bright too with 300 nits.

The display is great for viewing photos and watching HD video clips. During the test, I found the Yoga 730 played HD video clips smoothly and I enjoyed watching movies streamed from iflix.com.

The immersive sounds are good too, thanks to Dolby Atmos, which creates a three-dimensional audio space when you listen through headphones. It also comes with JBL speakers.

The laptop handled business applications fast and smoothly. I had no problem using Microsoft Office and browsing websites during the test.

The Yoga series is renowned for its convertible design. Like other models in the series, the Yoga 730 can be folded back on its keyboard for use as a tablet computer.

When in tablet mode, the Yoga 730 can be used with an optional Lenovo Active Pen 2, which is sold separately for Bt1,990.

The Active Pen 2 provides the natural feel of a pen-on-paper experience and comes with 4,096 levels of pen sensitivity. The stylus connects to the Yoga 730 using Bluetooth connection.

The Yoga 730 comes with a fingerprint reader that allows you to log in and make secure payments through PayPal fast via the Windows Hello function.

The laptop can be connected to fast wireless network using Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2×2) adapter. I tested it on my Linksys EA8500 Wi-Fi router and can confirm that the Yoga 730 is quick when it comes to Internet browsing.

The Yoga 730 comes with both Amazon Alexa and Microsoft Cortana voice-enabled AI assistants.

You can use Cortana on your Yoga 730 during the day to schedule meetings, get reminders, search and send emails and manage to-do lists with just your voice.

Do be aware though that some Alexa features are not available in Thailand though I had no trouble using it to dim the lights and turn up the music.

Far-field microphones make it easy for Alexa and Cortana to listen and respond even from across the room. You can now do thousands of things with just your voice as Alexa and Cortana continue to get smarter, adding more apps and skills to help you save time at work and at home.

The Yoga 730 comes with dual Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports on the left side. The ports offer swift and versatile connection to high-res display, high-performance data devices, and more.

The USB-C ports can also be used to recharge the battery at speeds. Apart from having 11.5 hours of battery life, the Yoga 730 supports Rapid Charge technology, which give you two hours of use from just 15 minutes of charging.

The laptop also provides a full-size USB 3.0 port on the right side and a 3.5mm audio jack on the left.

The Yoga 730 also comes with 720 HD webcam with dual array microphone for sharp and clear video calling.

Lenovo Yoga 730-131KB 2-in-1 has a suggested retail price of Bt45,900.

>> Processor: 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8550U Processor 1.80GHz

>> Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

>> Display: 13.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS Anti-Glare |Multi-touch

>> Graphics: Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620

>> Memory: 8 GB DDR4 2400 MHz (Onboard)

>> Storage: 512 GB PCIe SSD

>> Battery: Up to 11.5 hours

>> Audio: JBL speakers; Dolby Atmos with headphones

>> Camera: 720p HD with dual array microphone

>> Ports/Slots: 2 x Type-C Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, Audio jack

>> Connectivity: 802.11 AC |(2 x 2) + Bluetooth 4.1

>> Weight: 1.19 kg)

>> Dimensions (H x W x D): 306.8 x 216.3 x 14.1 (mm)

BAN PLAINERN was for more than three decades the residence of a great master of Siamese art, Prince Narisara Nuvadtivongs, the 62nd son of King Mongkut (Rama IV).

The wonderful old residential compound on a tranquil lane off the road now called Rama IV later belonged to MC Karnika Chitrabongs, youngest daughter of Prince Naris, until her death in 2015.

Another generation of the Chitrabongs family took over and ordered extensive renovations that began in March and will continue into next spring. The aim is to make the compound a hub for artists and anyone else who has a passion for classical Thai art.

The Western-style brick house contains a veritable treasure trove of Prince Naris’ art collections and personal items. 

The annual open house will return next April 28 and 29, a great chance to admire the buildings, art and artefacts. MR Kalaya Tingsabadh, Prince Naris’ granddaughter, this week hosted a press tour showing the work in progress.

It was also an opportunity to discuss the family’s problems with a development project planned next door.

“Prince Naris lived here until his last day in 1947,” Kalaya explained. “After Unesco honoured him as a Person of International Importance in 1963, the family set up the Naris Foundation to support talented art students, and the following year we renovated the house for a Prince Naris birthday celebration, a fundraiser for the foundation.”

The open house will again feature performances of traditional Thai music and dance and a feast of royal cuisine, along with a wai khru ceremony at which art students will honour their teachers and art masters of the past.

“Last year we promoted the event on the social media and got about 2,000 visitors,” Kalaya said. “The turnout was so phenomenal that we decided to turn the house into an art hub.”

The neighbourhood dispute that’s arisen involves plans to build a high-rise condominium less than 24 metres from the compound. The Chitrabongs family has a petition at Change.org that’s so far collected 9,500 signatures.

“The project is too close to this historical site,” says ML Chittawadi Chitrabongs, Prince Naris’ great-granddaughter, an architect who’s in charge of renovating the estate.

Prince Naris and family moved in 1915 from Tha Phra Palace in Rattanakosin to Ban Plainern.

“We’re afraid the construction might put these 100-year-old buildings in danger. The condo is intended to have more than 400 residents. I don’t even want to imagine what might happen if anyone tosses a cigarette butt off their balcony!”

The history of Ban Plainern can be traced in three stages, the latest beginning in 2015.

Prince Naris, suffering health problems and weary of the chaotic development then rattling Rattanakosin Island in old Bangkok, built Tamnak Thai (Thai House) – known as Ban Plainern – in Khlong Toei in 1914. Two existing houses were transported to the site, the older of which once belonged to Phraya Ratchamontri. The other previously stood behind Wat Kalayanamitr Varamahavihara.

Merged into one residence, the building was elongated to help the breezes flow through. The living room was also the dining area and there was a brightly sunlit art studio. It had a corridor rather than an outdoor deck, and roof louvers set in place in such a way that wooden roof tiles were entwined with nails.

The conjoined structure was home to Prince Naris, his third wife MR To Ngon-rot and their six children.

Chittawadi said renovation so far has seen cement pillars replacing the original wood to strengthen the foundation and all the eaves removed to minimise humidity. “We’ve also improved the electrical and water-drainage systems,” she said.

MR To, seeking more convenience around the home, designed a two-storey Western-style brick house for Prince Naris and two of the daughters, with its own living room, dining room and bedrooms.

“Prince Naris’ bedroom was at one corner on the second floor,” Chittawadi pointed out. “Today it feels like a Prince Naris time capsule – it holds his funeral ashes, hair, fingernails, some of his sketches and all the items he used in daily life.”

The Prince conceived a mural for the ceiling of Phra Thinang Borom Phiman at the Grand Palace, depicting the Sun riding a carriage. 

During the second phase from 1947 to 2015, the property was divided into five parts and the Thai and brick houses were sealed off for conservation.

Newly added was Ruen Khun Ya, a residence designed by MC Yachai Chitrabongs that is famously remembered as the place Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn comes every week for lessons in Thai classical music.

Next to the brick house, MC Karnika Chitrabongs erected a building painted mint green where traditional dancing was taught and performed. Like a rehearsal hall for ballet, it has tall windows that overlook the garden and a pavilion where khon masked dance was taught.

“It was used as an art school where children learned classical dancing, khon and lakhon nai – the performance art of the royal court,” Kalaya said. “But the operation was terminated after His Majesty King Bhumibol passed away in 2016.”

The green house is for now a temporary gallery exhibiting Prince Naris’ art and collectibles, including his original sketches for the crematorium of King Rama VI.

The Prince’s sketch for the crematorium of King Rama VI 

You can also see a sketch of a talipot fan used at the coronation of King Rama VII, a valuable khon mask of Tossakan with a low-relief floral motif even on the back, and several personal items, among them a leather wallet, walking sticks and a daily appointment book.

“We’re making a list of the art and antiques in his bedroom,” said ML Trichak Chitrabongs. “We just discovered a mannequin that the Italian artist Corrado Feroci [later Silpa Bhirasri] made in Prince Naris’ likeness, as well as 298 art books that Prince Naris must have read.

“There’s also his sketchbook of ideas for his remarkable murals, like the Sun riding a horse-drawn carriage, which is depicted in the Grand Palace, and Lord Buddha descending from Heaven, which you can see at Wat Rachathiwat Ratchaworawihan.”

HISTORY NEVER GETS OLD

>> Ban Plainern is at 1164 Rama IV Road in Khlong Toei.

>> Learn more on the Naris Foundation page on Facebook.

XIAOMI Mi 8 Pro adds two key features to Xiaomi Mi 8 flagship smartphone – in-display fingerprint unlock and transparent back.

Like the Mi 8 I reviewed, Mi 8 Pro is a powerful smartphone with a good-quality dual rear camera system in a sleek design.

The Mi 8 Pro, like the flagship Mi 8, is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 AIE octa-core flagship processor with speeds up to 2.8GHz. It has good game performance thanks to a Qualcomm Adreno 630 GPU with speeds up to 710MHz.

The Mi 8 Pro has 8 gigabytes of working memory or RAM and 128GB of UFS storage. It runs on Google’s Android 8.1.0 operating system.

I used AnTuTu Benchmark v7.1.1 to measure its performance and found that it got a high score of 284,365 points.

The Mi 8 Pro also has fast Internet connection speed. I tested it on TrueMove H’s LTE network and I found that applications were downloaded very fast and my snapshots were backed up to my Google Photos’s cloud storage in no time.

I used Ookla Speedtest app to measure the connection speed and I found that Mi 8 Pro got a download speed of 50.6Mbps and upload speed of 29.3Mbps. The location and time where and when the speed was measured could also affect the results due to the density of users of the mobile network at the moment.

The Mi 8 Pro comes with 6.21-inch AMOLED display with similar specifications to that of Mi 8 except the added in-display fingerprint reader.

The Mi 8 Pro’s display has 2248×1080-pixel resolution and it is bright with 430 nits of brightness. The display has a high contrast ratio of 60,000:1.

The display is very good for viewing photos and for enjoying HD movies, such as those played by TrueID TV and iFlix.

A fun thing that is added to the Mi 8 Pro is the futuristic pressure-sensitive in-display fingerprint unlock.

The Mi 8 Pro has a pressure-sensitive fingerprint sensor embedded on the display about two inches from the bottom where you can conveniently press your thumb to unlock the phone. The Mi 8 has a fingerprint reader at its back.

Unlike other in-display fingerprint technologies that waste energy by constantly pinging the screen to see if a finger is present, the dedicated pressure sensor only activates the unlocking process once you place your finger on the screen, which is faster and more power-efficient.

Mi 8 Pro comes in Transparent Titanium back that makes the phone look sleek. The transparent back cover allows you to see what lies beneath. You can see the battery, CPU and some chipsets under the transparent back cover.

Like the Mi 8, the Mi 8 Pro comes with an ultra-light-sensitive AI dual camera for the rear camera. The Mi 8 Pro uses the same Mi 8 camera system that got over 100 points from DxOMark, a popular camera-testing website.

The dual rear cameras have a 12MP wide-angle lens with f/1.8 aperture and four-axis optical stabiliser and a 12MP telephoto lens and portrait lens with f/2.4 aperture.

During the test, I found the rear camera captured beautiful photos of night scenes. Lights were captured beautifully with vivid colours and sharpness.

Its AI can detect 25 categories of objects and up to 206 different scenes. It worked effectively during my test.

The portrait mode also captured beautiful portraits with blurred backgrounds.

The front camera has 20MP resolution and comes with a “3D Beautiful” function for improving your look by adjusting some key elements of your face.

The Mi 8 Pro has a 3,000mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 4+. I could survive a day with one charge.

Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro has as suggested retail price of Bt19,900.

>> Networks: GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, LTE

>> OS: Android 8.1.0

>> Processor: Snapdragon 845 AIE flagship processor, up to 2.8GHz

>> GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 630 GPU, up to 710MHz

>> Memory: 8GB DDR4 RAM

>> Storage: 128GB UFS flash storage

>> Display: 6.21-inch AMOLED display with 2248×1080 pixels

>> Cameras: Rear: 12MP wide-angle lens, 4-axis optical stabiliser, f/1.8; 12MP telephoto lens, portrait lens, f/2.4; Front: 20 MP

>> Connectivity: WiFi 2×2 802.11ac, USB Type-C

>> Navigation: Simultaneously receives L1 /L5 frequency GPS signals

>> Sensors: Proximity sensor, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Electronic compass, Vibration motor, Barometer, Hall sensor, Ambient light sensor

>> Battery: 3,000 mAh with Quich Charge 4+

n Dimensions: 154.9×74.8×7.6mm

n Weight: 177g

The 10-minute show of pyrotechnics set to stirring music will begin just as the clock strikes midnight and the landmark Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre will display the numerals “2019” and New Year blessings in various languages on its facade.

The celebration of light and music culminates as the “Celestial Kaleidoscope” dazzles Hong Kong with brilliant flashes of colour and morphing patterns, ending with 45 different patterns of fireworks in one minute. It’s the work of an Italian specialist, all choreographed in synchrony with the festive soundtrack, highlighted by traditional Chinese music.

From 11pm, spectators can also make wish on the pyrotechnic shooting stars launched from the rooftops of highrise buildings around the harbour.

Find out more at http://www.DiscoverHongkong.com/countdown.

I hit a small snag at the recent Bangkok Bank CycleFest. The race marshal on a motorcycle was friendly enough, but he looked askance at my super-streamlined Freeda touring bicycle with slender tyres. “Is that suitable for the offroad challenge?” he asked, knowing as well as I did that it wasn’t.

The encounter took place where the asphalt road veered off onto a dirt-and-gravel track heading into a dragonfly-intensive meadow on the fringes of the Siam Country Club in rural Chon Buri.

The CycleFest rolled past the Siam Country Club’s rustic Old Course.

But Andy Schleck, the event’s international ambassador, had advised me to take any physical discomforts along the track as “small failures, not overwhelming obstacles”. And, anyway, there were booths along the course where bottles of water and Gatorade were being cheerfully distributed.

On third thought, the gearbox on the bike I’d hired the day seemed incapable of actually shifting gears, and this was a bike that at any rate was ostensibly designed for optimised speeds on flat surfaces. Without access to higher gears, the rough ground left me spinning in circles.

Nevertheless, after assuring the kindly marshal that everything would be fine, I turned in the direction of the dirt path and simply disappeared.

The Bank CycleFest is fun exercise for cyclists of all abilities and ages. It covers professional-quality closed circuits of 12 to 62 kilometres, including the CycleFest Open, CycleFest Master, Pattaya Sprint and multirider Team Time Trial.

The VIP Ride drew plenty of enthusiasts.

The offroad challenge was added this year, as was the 12km Charity Fun Ride, which raised Bt720,000 from entrance fees for the Pattaya-based Father Ray Foundation for orphaned, abused and disadvantaged children and for students with disabilities.

Near the start line, Festival Village had everything the participants could possibly need, even mattresses cooled by big fans. Celebrity ambassadors Nut Devahastin Na Ayudhya and Aroonnapa “Varnvarn” Panichjaroon circulated among the crowd.

Schleck, a Luxembourg native who won the 2010 Tour de France, posed with fans for selfies and assured everyone that he too started out cycling just for leisure – until his drive to improve turned a hobby into a life goal.

Patience and self-control are also keys to succeeding, he said, and it was advice I was determined to put to the test over the weekend.

Far off road, though, it quickly became clear that I’d be spending more time communing with nature than cruising to any sort of championship. Bikes capable of being ratcheted into higher gears zoomed past me on the asphalt and those with thicker tyres thundering by on the bumpier sections. I couldn’t even keep pace with the butterflies.

Enjoying some downtime at Festival Village.

Still, the offroad race proved to be a hit with participants for its varied terrain, including a water feature. This entailed a sudden plunge into a muddy pond, complete with a pair of photographers on the opposite bank lying in wait for splash shots.

Realising there was no way to avoid sullying either my dignity or my trainers, I gingerly walked my Freeda through the mucky puddle, emerging just as two contenders sliced past on their final stretch of the 40km trail.

I then started making relatively decent progress on a section of the course that was not too stony and which provided another opportunity for appreciating good exercise, fresh air and the beauty of the great outdoors.

After a bit of fishtailing that necessitated more walking through a suddenly desertlike segment, I came across a mirage. Evidently the dome of Thammasat University, instantly recognisable, had been moved to Chon Buri. I was beginning to tire, but surely I hadn’t cycled all the way back to Bangkok!

A quick check of the convenient app that keeps racers on track and their basecamp supporters informed of their whereabouts told me that I was cutting through Thammasat’s Chon Buri campus, which has a replica of the dome. And I was nearing the finish line.

Despite completing only one of the two 20km circuits due to needing a tuneup, I was greeted at the finish just like everyone else – presented with an official medal hanging from a ribbon.

I vowed to return next year and conquer that offroad challenge, this time riding a mountain bike.

The third annual Bangkok Bank CycleFest is being planned for late 2019. For the 2018 results and information about next year, visit https://BangkokBankCycleFest.com/en.

The festival, staged by Index Creative Village, aims to launch the new concept of Run, Eat, Fun in One Go in Vietnam.

It follows the first series held in Bangkok and Bali.

Kilorun Hanoi will have two categories – the kilometre and the kilogram. Runners can register for the first from 5 to 8.30am at Ly Thai To Park.

The route will pass iconic attractions such as the Ly Thai To Statue, Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi Old Quarter, Opera House and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in three distances – 10.7, 6.7 and 2.3km.

Registration for the KG category is from 2pm to 6.30pm. Runners can walk or run while tasting or eating the gorgeous food served at different landmarks on the 2.3km route.

More information is available at Kilorun.com and Kilorun on Facebook.