After presenting the ‘bending over backwards’ Yoga last year, Lenovo is at it again, introducing the business focused “rip and flip” ThinkPad Helix and the smaller IdeaPad Yoga 11S at the Consumer Electronics Show 2013, ending today in Las Vegas.

 

The Helix is part of Lenovo’s ThinkPad range of business notebooks, with this ultrabook providing some scintillating specs. Pumped to the max, it offers a third-gen Intel Core i7 processor with vPro security capabilities, up to 10 hours of battery life (according to Lenovo) and a 256 GB SSD drive.

 

Impressive, but more innovative is the "rip and flip" trick this pony can pull. The 11.6” full HD IPS screen can disconnect from the keyboard, allowing the Helix to be used as a tablet. You also have an option to dock the screen back to front in “Stand mode” which makes it easier to watch movies or do business presentation on it.

 

As a tablet, the Helix comes in at just under a kilo and with its docking keyboard, it crosses the 1.7 kg mark. Optional LTE connectivity is also on offer, plus Near Field Communication (NFC) integration – one of the first ultrabooks to include this. Furthermore the screen is made from Corning Gorilla Glass, with a very impressive brightness of 400 nit. Lenovo includes a digitizer pen for taking notes on this Windows 8 device.

 

The 13” IdeaPad Yoga is already available on South African shelves, and impressed us with its 360° fold-back onto itself functionality. This enables the Yoga to do a double job as both an ultrabook and a tablet.

 

The new 11S Yoga brings screen size down to an even more manageable 11.6”, while the IPS touchscreen panel offers a resolution of 1366 x 768 in 16:9 widescreen format. It weighs in the region of 1.4 kg, with Lenovo stating that it comes equipped with a new low power lineup from Intel with up to 3^rd generation Intel Core i5 processors. Functionality such as Motion Control, which allows users to use hand gestures and the webcam to, for example, advance photos or videos, is also onboard.

 

Lenovo has established itself as a brand not afraid to take chances on design. As now the world’s largest PC seller, capturing the crown held by HP since 2006, we can’t help but feel excited about what this Chinese company is planning next.

 

No local prices are available yet, but South Africans should see it on the shelves come early winter.