New York — Lenovo used Pepcom’s Digital Focus event here Thursday to showcase the soon-to-launch next iteration of its Horizon table PC concept.
The Lenovo Horizon 2, which ships this summer at a $1,499 suggested retail, is an all-in-one (AIO) Windows 8-based PC and 27-inch display. Like the previous Horizon 1, the screen can be laid flat for interactive, touchscreen input; an updated Aura 2.0 interface allows for multi-user touchscreen input, which is particularly useful for various gaming and entertainment experiences.
In Table Mode, multiple users can interact at the same time by touching the screen surface to play games and collaborate on drawings, document editing, etc.
The whole PC can also be placed in an upright position at various angles using a hinged stand. From there, a connected optional keyboard will support input of more traditional office work.
The Horizon 2 is the latest in Lenovo’s growing family of multimode devices that can transform into other form factors.
The concept is Lenovo’s answer to the market’s growing need for PCs that are flexible enough for both work and play — incorporating all of the aspects of both the tablet and desktop worlds.
The Horizon 2 measures 0.8 inches thick, weighs 15.4 pounds, and can access media from other PCs and mobile devices directly onto the Horizon 2’s display via Wi-Fi/NFC technology.
Photos can be shared directly to Facebook, and friends can place their phones on the Horizon 2 to extract photos, edit them and transfer the new file to another phone.
The table PC comes preloaded with 60 multi-user, multitouch apps and games, including offerings from Ubisoft and Crayola.
Onscreen gaming action is enhanced with three exclusive physical accessories: Joystick, Striker and E-dice.
The unit includes an integrated battery with up to four hours of battery reserve.
Audio is supported by a JBL sound system with Dolby Home Theater v4 for immersive surround sound over built-in stereo speakers.
The unit’s webcam can be used as an input device to flip pages, rewind/forward music, change volume, and gesture other commands with the flick of the hand.
The Horizon will ship with a fourth-generation core Intel i7 processor, includes a 16:9 10-point touchscreen with 2,560 by 1,440 resolution.
Graphics are driven by up to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 840A with 2GB.
It is equipped with 8GB of DDR3 RAM and offers the option of 500GB of HDD storage or a hybrid solid-state hard drive with up to 500GB and 8GB of SSD cache.
