Lenovo's 27-inch table PC is fun, versatile

• Works as conventional all-in-one Windows 8 PC
• As a tablet PC it sports a new interface called Aura

NEW YORK — It's your standard all-in-one consumer-oriented desktop computer: the guts of the system are concealed behind a 27-inch touch-screen. Microsoft's tile-based Windows 8 operating system inhabits that screen.

Except it is anything but standard. Lay it flat, and something funny happens. Windows 8 disappears, and a new touch overlay called Aura takes over.

You have entered Lenovo's world of tabletop computing, a social environment for playing games, sharing photos and listening to music. I'm testing the company's new IdeaCentre Horizon, a dual-purpose system that was one of the coolest things I saw at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

I was pumped to try it then, and now that it's finally becoming available to consumers, I was equally eager to try it at home. While I'm not ready to predict that table computing will catch on in a major way, Lenovo's machine promises to keep you engaged and (literally) in touch with friends and family.

As a table PC, it is fun: Two or more people can simultaneously interact, competing in virtual air hockey, Monopoly or trying their luck spinning a roulette wheel. The Lenovo supports what the industry refers to as "10-point multitouch," so a bunch of you can get your paws on it at once.

But it is also an all-in-one that functions like any other Windows 8 desktop PC.

Whatever you think of Microsoft's latest operating system — enough people have complained loudly that the company is already preparing an update, code-named Windows Blue — there have been some innovative, if not always compelling, hardware designs meant to take advantage of Windows 8's flexibility. We've seen laptop designs that fold or twist or have components that can be detached altogether to transform into a keyboard-less touch-screen tablet.

A different transformation takes place on the IdeaCentre Horizon. It's not a laptop and won't ever be a tablet. You're not removing parts or twisting or folding anything, you're merely changing the way that you position the computer. In desktop mode, it can be propped up at various angles via a stand on the back. Lay it horizontally, and Windows 8 retreats in the background while Aura commands center stage. (You do still have the option to run Windows 8 while the machine is flat or run Aura when the computer is propped up.)

That's when you and your friends are encouraged to gather round this touch-friendly interface, essentially, a rotating circular widget with icons for games, education, music, video, photos, apps and a Lenovo App Store. As part of Aura, you can be watching a video in one corner of the display at the same time that your pal is admiring pictures in another area. There's ample room on the screen for a bunch of things to be happening at once.

When you tap an icon to select photos, say, all the pictures spill out into a filmstrip. You can tap or drag a picture onto the surface using familiar pinch and zoom gestures to manipulate the images. You can rotate pictures or have them almost fill the screen. When you're done, you can cast them off to the edge of the screen using a five-finger push gesture. You can repeat the gesture to make them disappear altogether.

Aura is at its best in game-play mode, though it wasn't always obvious how to shut down certain programs or silence annoying music.

Another frustration: I pressed an auto rotate button on the bezel so that some full-screen applications were upside down from my perspective. But pressing the auto rotate button a second time didn't reorient the display. I could only make things right side up again by opening the Windows 8 desktop, then pressing the auto rotate button.

Still, I had a good time playing air hockey against my daughter, with each of us using a physical striker to shoot a virtual puck. The striker is one of the real physical pieces that you can use in some games, activities that Lenovo refers to as "phygital." For example, I used rechargeable "e-dice," when playing Monopoly. The e-dice communicates with a dongle connected to a USB. You can also use a joystick accessory with certain games.

Among other apps preloaded on my system is DrawRace 2 from Ubisoft, and Texas Hold 'Em. You can also fetch Android apps from the BlueStacks app player. My daughter was partial to a Lenovo Fishing Joy game.

Lenovo's machine conjures up memories of the original Microsoft Surface, not the tablet computer that Microsoft now sells, but rather a 30-inch, interactive tabletop computer pushed by Bill Gates that recognized and responded to objects and human touch. Now rebranded Microsoft PixelSense, you can still spot such machines in stores, hotels and other commercial establishments, but they never quite made it to your den or living room.

Where exactly in your house Lenovo's IdeaCentre might reside remains anyone's guess. In standard computer mode, it might belong in the home office. But that may not be the ideal location when you want to play and go social.

At nearly 18 pounds, the machine is light enough to lug to another room. It even has a lithium-polymer battery that's useful if connecting to a power outlet is an obstacle. But you're looking at only two hours of juice, at best.

My test $1,849 configuration (which ships in a couple of weeks but can be ordered online now at lenovo.com) has an Intel Core i7 processor, GeForce video graphics, webcam, 8 gigabytes of memory and a 1-terabyte hard drive with a (1920 x 1080) high-definition screen. On board are two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI connector, a memory card slot, and pretty good-sounding stereo speakers backed by Dolby Home Theater sound. Similarly configured versions will drop to $1,599 when it hits retail, with a Core i5 model fetching $1,499.

Lenovo will also sell an adjustable multimode table on wheels as an accessory this summer to accommodate the Horizon system. It's expected to cost about $149.

Bill Gates had a grand vision for table computing when he was still a full-time Microsoft executive. Lenovo has latched onto the idea with IdeaCentre and made an all-in-one PC all the more appealing.

Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow @edbaig on Twitter.

The bottom line

Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon table PC

www.lenovo.com

$1,849 (for test configuration)

Pro. Can be transformed from all-in-one PC to more social table computer that's good for games, pictures and more.

Con. Not always intuitive to use.