WHEN a person does a lot to earn her keep, things can get pretty messy without the help of friends, family and technology. While I could tick off the first two, the technology bit was pretty elusive until I found the ThinkPad Helix which fitted into many parts of my work and play routine.
Managing various tasks at the same time is part of my daily activities and Lenovo's Helix is a multi-tasking apparatus that suits my needs.
The main attraction is the detachable screen which quickly transforms into a tablet that provides a range of uses which a laptop could not perform. The easy rip and flip design makes it hassle free to switch between tablet and laptop. The tough exterior matches my active lifestyle although it is a bit on the heavy side. The exterior coated with soft touch material works really well when I put my tablet on my keyboard, as it gives some resistance to prevent it from sliding off.
As a musician, I go to YouTube to see how other bands perform and see if I can pick up new keyboard tricks from other musicians around the world. The Helix, with its WiFi capability is a great tool for this, not to mention the Dolby Home Theater with stereo speakers and High Resolution display to enhance the audio visual experience. In my line of work, clear audio reproduction is essential in order to improve our performance in the studio or on stage.
The Helix comes with a webcam that helps me record my sessions with the band for review later, or for sharing with other musicians and people who like our music. With its flexible body, it is also very easy to place on the floor or a table to capture everyone in the studio for recording. The native apps such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace help me upload those files quickly on these social networking sites, while I also get to separate the audio files using AoA Audio Extractor software which I downloaded for uploading it onto SoundCloud.
Gone are the days when I need to use pieces of papers to jot the night's set list and dog-eared notebooks for lyrics. In tablet form, the Helix takes care of the two tasks and I no longer need to strain my eyes to look at the lyrics under the colourful but mostly inadequate stage lights. For more complicated songs, I read music sheets which fit nicely in the screen in vertical position.
I also teach music, so I use the Helix to schedule replacement classes, keep a tab on students assignments and monitor progress, since different modules are used for individual students. I browse the internet with my pop piano students for music sheets and listen to the songs that they wish to play in class with the Helix.
While I'm more familiar with the 88 keys on my Korg Triton, the keyboard on the Helix is just as easy to get used to. For my writing assignments in which I write reviews like this one, the Helix is a lifesaver as its well-spaced keys are comfortable to use. The only thing missing is the back-lit keys feature which would really help on those late night writing session.
Helix also fits my past-time perfectly. As a movie buff, I use the Helix to watch films, video clips and photos in my multimedia collection. With USB connection, it is easy to extract the files from USB or external hard disk drives. I also like the fact that the Helix comes with HDMI connection, which makes it easy to connect the laptop to a HDTV for viewing the files in its massive 1TB internal hard disk with everyone else at home.
Gaming too has become part of my daily entertainment dose and this is great with the convertible notebook. Lounging on the sofa or simply trying to kill time, I play casual social games on the tablet with the 11.6 inch touch screen. For more intense, action-packed role playing games, I simply dock the screen to the keyboard and in no time, I'm shooting enemies and putting strategy into action using the keyboard as the gaming controller.
The versatility of the Helix has made life much easier in organising my various roles as a performer, teacher and writer. I bundle a lot of my daily tasks on the Helix and I save on papers as I no longer need these for lyrics, music sheets or organiser, making my minuscule contribution for a greener earth.
Conclusion: The Helix sums up almost everything you need for daily use and the Windows 8 OS is an ideal match especially in tablet form.
ThinkPad Helix Manufacturer: Lenovo Price: RM6,500 Pros 1. Easy detachable screen with one touch. 2. Reversible screen that doubles as a tablet. Cons 1. No back-lit keyboard. 2. Pricey. Specification Dimensions: 296.1 x 187.3 x 20.4 mm (Laptop), 296.1 x 187.3 x 11.6 mm (Tablet) Weight: 1.7 kg (Laptop), 835 g (Tablet) Display: 11.6 inch Operating system: Windows 8 RAM: 4GB Battery: Up to 10 hours (Laptop) Up to 6 hours (Tablet) Our verdict: HHHHH Physical design: HHHHH Documentation: HHHHH User-friendliness: HHHHH Features: HHHHH Performance: HHHHH Value for money: HHHHH
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