LenovoThinkpadHelix
Latest
Lenovo's ThinkPad Helix returns with a thinner design and longer battery life
Lenovo's ThinkPad Helix Windows convertible was always a promising device. Here was a tablet that could fit into its keyboard dock with the screen facing forward or backward. It had a full HD display and an active digitizer for pressure-sensitive pen input. Best of all, it used proper laptop-grade processors, ensuring you'd get performance more in line with an Ultrabook than a standalone tablet. Sure, its weird cooling flap and pointy dock-guides made it cumbersome to use, but in spirit, at least, we were on board. We hoped Lenovo would try again with a refreshed design. At last, the company has done just that -- more than a year after the original first went on sale. The new Helix arrives later this fall with a thinner, fanless design, not to mention slightly longer battery life.
Lenovo ThinkPad Helix official: 11.6-inch reversible screen, arrives next month for $1,499+
The Lenovo ThinkPad Helix has been a known entity for some time, first showing up on the company's Israeli website and more recently stopping by the FCC with AT&T LTE in tow. The device is no longer an enigma, as Lenovo is pulling back the curtain on the 11.6-inch convertible Ultrabook, which will go on sale in late February for $1,499 and up. Like the famously flippable ThinkPad Yoga, the Helix can be used in several different positions. Tablet and Ultrabook modes are a given, but users can also flip the tablet 180 degrees and snap it back in to the base, essentially providing a stand for using the device as a slate. In addition to supporting touch input, the Helix offers a bundled pen (complete with a slot for storing) for tapping away at the 1080p Gorilla Glass display. Speaking of the panel, it boasts IPS technology -- and Lenovo says it's "the brightest screen in the ThinkPad brand portfolio." Along with the just-introduced ThinkPad Edge E431 and E531, the Helix sports a new trackpad that forgoes the secondary buttons meant to be used with the TrackPoint. Instead, these buttons are built into the clickpad, though the pointing stick is still on board. We imagine this change will upset many ThinkPad devotees, but given that we haven't seen a final production unit, we're not ready to pass judgement on the update. The highest-end configuration will run a Core i7 processor, and Lenovo says you can expect up to 10 hours of battery life. Other specs include a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 2-MP front-facing shooter, NFC for tapping to share and -- as expected -- LTE connectivity. The tablet weighs 1.8 pounds on its own, and the whole Ultrabook comes in at under four. Take a closer look at this convertible in our hands-on video past the break. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Lenovo ThinkPad Helix swings through the FCC with AT&T-native LTE
There have been doubts that Lenovo's ThinkPad Helix would ever arrive in the US, with even the past FCC appearance of a WiFi-only version offering no guarantees. An American launch now seems considerably more likely in the wake of a follow-up FCC approval. The dockable, 11.6-inch Windows 8 tablet has popped up carrying LTE both on an AT&T-specific 700MHz band and AT&T-friendly AWS (1,700MHz and 2,100MHz) bands -- with such explicit network support, we'll be surprised if it doesn't reach US shores. Little else is available in the filing that we don't already know, although it's clear that there's no real cellular access for Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon. We'd just like to know if and when Lenovo is ready to make the ThinkPad Helix official for this side of the world and give the upcoming IdeaTab Lynx some company.
