ET Review: Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon

SPECIFICATIONS

3rd gen Core i7, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD (5400rpm), 27-inch full HD touchscreen (10-point touch), Window 8, HD webcam, 2hr battery, WiFi, Bluetooth, 2 USB 3.0 ports, card reader, HDMI in



Pros: Slim design, innovative multi-angle stand, wall mountable, HDMI input, built in battery

Cons: Limited ports (only 2 USB, card reader, HDMI and audio ports), not the latest fourth gen processor
NEW DELHI: Everyone’s definition of a home PC is changing. For some, it’s completely redundant — a lot of affluent households have multiple laptops and tablets anyway.

However, thanks to the price, Lenovo’s IdeaCentre Horizon is squarely aimed at affluent households. So what can the Horizon do that a laptop, smartphone, tablet or conventional home PC can’t? For starters, it can double up as a monitor.

At its heart, the IdeaCentre Horizon is an all-in-one PC — but a high-end one that’s designed to be used by multiple people at the same time. It has a neat, flat back design, large (27-inch) 1080p touchscreen (10-point touch), capacitive buttons and powerful hardware inside.

Around the back, you’ll see a sturdy and innovative adjustable stand. Its spring loaded to exactly hold the weight of the unit so that you can prop it up at any angle on a table. It can also be hung on a wall or placed completely flat on a surface.

There is lots of pre-loaded software/games. Aura, a custom interface/program launcher is built in. From Aura, you can launch games, view multimedia, listen to music or browse for more apps. Also included are accessories like a wireless keyboard-mouse and gaming peripherals that you can use to interact with the many pre-loaded games.

The best parts about the Horizon are the responsive touchscreen, excellent performance and high quality speakers. However, it’s too expensive and has hardly any ports. For instance, it has only two USB ports of which one is taken up by the keyboard dongle.

Bottom line? The Horizon is surprisingly versatile as a shared home PC. It can be used by a small family for casual gaming, movies web and so on.

If something like this can encourage more family time on activities that you already do, it’s worth its weight in gold. At the same time, do consider that for the same price, you can buy a touchscreen allin-one, touchscreen laptop, high-end Android smartphone and iPad. Or even the latest 27-inch iMac.

ALSO SEE: Apple iMac 27-inch

Rs 1,39,900

2560 x 1440 pixels 27-inch IPS display, 4th Gen Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD (7200rpm), Nvidia GT755M graphics, 4 x USB 3.0, dual Thunderbolt, card slot