Is bigger better? Computer manufacturers Lenovo hopes thinking big will pay off as they debut their mammoth IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC tablet/tabletop computer at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show [CES] in Las Vegas. Lenovo calls it their first “interpersonal PC,” a new type of device designed to provide users with both a personal and shared computing experience. It’s Price : $1699

Scheduled to go on sale in summer of 2013, the IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC is a multi-user, multi-touch, multi-mode AIO tablet/tabletop PC that has a 27” screen and weighs in at 17 pounds. Similar in function to Microsoft’s Surface, the Horizon can be used as a tablet or as a tabletop PC. The Horizon runs Windows 8, using an Intel Core i7 processor and comes with up to 1TB of HDD and an 8GB DDR3 module. It has a battery life of up to two hours.

SUPER-SIZED SCREEN

The Horizon’s most striking feature is its enormous 27″ backlit, full HD (1920×1080), 16:9 widescreen multi touch display screen. The touch screen interface automatically engages when the screen is laid flat. This system runs Lenovo’s Aura tabletop interface, which lets users operate the Horizon like any other tablet computer. The screen can also be moved to a “normal” angle so the Horizon can be used in much the same way as any other tabletop PC.

LET’S GET “PHYGITAL”

The IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC is designed for touch screen game-play among several players, its Windows 8 touch functionality letting multiple players use the screen at the same time. The action is part-physical, part-digital, or as Lenovo refers to it, “phygital”. The device supports a wide range of interactive physical gaming accessories; the Horizon comes with a set of accessories that include special e-dice, joysticks and strikers, providing users with a totally unique gaming experience.

The user experience is further enhanced by the Horizon’s NVIDIA GeForce graphics and Dolby Home Theatre® v4 audio.

“We’ve seen technology shifts across the four screens, from the desktop to the laptop, tablet and smart phone, and yet, while people have more computing power than ever before, there is still room for technologies like Horizon that bring people together. Horizon makes personal computing interpersonal computing with shared, collaborative experiences among several people,” said Peter Hortensius, president of Lenovo’s Product Group, in a recent press release. “Now many people can enjoy different photos, music and video on the same screen, and they can play games with our special accessories that blend physical and digital interaction. Horizon reflects our commitment to delivering the innovative products that define the PC Plus era.”

EXCLUSIVE APPS

Users have access to the Lenovo App Shop, a dedicated apps store powered by Intel AppUp, that offers over 5,000 multi-user entertainment apps. The Horizon also comes with an exclusive package of pre-loaded gaming and educational apps from popular vendors like Electronic Arts, FableVision, Open Labs, Ubisoft, FilmOn TV as well as hundreds of top games and apps from BlueStacks. Some of these exclusive Horizon apps include: a cool looking Monopoly game, Draw Race 2 HD, Stagelight (create your own music and songs), FilmOn TV (offering access to over 120 streaming TV channels), Paint, Color Corner app and a contest game called Best Guess.

Lenovo also demonstrated another large Table PC at this year’s CES, this one code-named “Gamma.” Still in the early concept stage, the “Gamma” features a 39” screen!