In today’s mobile news roundup: Lenovo unveils Helix hybrid; Vizio unveils Android tablets; Seagate introduces wireless storage; and iPhone cover that features backside touch panel.

Lenovo unveils Helix hybrid

Fresh from their business separation announcement, Lenovo unveiled a number of devices at International CES 2013.  One of the devices that stood out is the Helix tablet-laptop hybrid that claims to be something you’ve never seen before.  According to The Verge, the tablets gets more powerful when you dock it to the keyboard, as it features a special cooling system in the hinge that allows the machine to overclock the Intel processor that makes it perform even better.

See all CES coverage here!

The Helix hybrid features an 11.6-inch Windows 8 touch screen with a bright 400-nit screen at full 1080p resolution, Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, 256GB of solid state storage inside, built-in 4G LTE connectivity, a healthy array of ports, an active Wacom stylus pen in an actual slot, NFC support, and a Kensington lock slot built into the tablet’s locking mechanism to ensure that the tablet and the keyboard dock are properly secured when connected.  Lenovo boasts that the Helix comes with 10 hours of battery life – five hours from the tablet’s internal cells and five more from the keyboard.

With more on Lenovo’s innovation is SiliconAngle contributing editor, John Cassaretto, who appeared on this morning’s NewsDesk program with Kristin Feledy:

Vizio unveils Android tablets

Also at CES, Vizio unveiled two Android tablets.  The first is a 10-inch tablet powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 4 processor, which means it’s faster than the latest version of Apple’s iPad and will be running Android 4.2 (a.k.a. Jelly Bean).  It also features 32GB of storage, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi, front and rear cameras, and a standard set or ports connectivity.  The second is a 7-inch tablet that features a Tegra 3 processor, a 1280 x 800 IPS display, 16GB of storage, a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera, and stock Android Jelly Bean.

Seagate introduces wireless storage

As more people use their mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to capture special moments in their lives like taking a photo or a video, the need for a storage device grows.  Though a lot of people are turning to the cloud to keep their data, not everyone is fond of the idea of paying monthly or yearly storage fees.  And admit it or not, 5GB of free storage gets used up rather quickly.  To address this problem, Seagate is offering the next best thing to cloud storage:  the Seagate Wireless Plus, a new storage device that lets you wirelessly stream content from up to eight connected smartphones and tablets.

The device gives users one terabyte of storage, which is enough to store 500 HD movies and stuff stored in the device can be accessed by smartphones or tablets using the accompanying Seagate Media App.  The device has an internal battery that lasts up to 10 hours in a single charge so you can be sure that all your data is available to you anytime, provided you bring the Wireless Plus with you, even without an internet connection.

iPhone cover that features backside touch panel

If you have a PS Vita and you’re quite fond of its backside touch feature, or you want something that functions like it, then Canopy’s new product might interest you.  Sensus is Canopy’s latest iPhone case that offers backside touch controls, enhancing the functions that come with the iPhone’s standard touch screen.  A lot of mobile gamers are pretty pissed with the fact that sometimes their iPhone’s screen is just too small for multiple touch controls.  So with a backside touch panel, you’re able to control your avatar with your fingertips on the backside of the phone, using the screen for other commands.

Canopy also has a camera app whose functions are mapped to the touch sensitive strips on the sides of the phone, so taking a photo or activating the flash is as simple as tapping the side of your iPhone.  Canopy hopes that in the future, more app developers will integrate their apps with Canopy’s technology, stating that major game publishers have shown interest with what they are offering.  The Sensus is slated for Summer 2013 with a pricetag of somewhere between $59 to $99, and will be availabel for the iPhone 4, 4S and 5.