Laptop-tablet hybrids seen to be future of computing
04 Feb 2014
With the introduction of Windows 8 a new type of device, the laptop-tablet hybrid became a focus of much interest. These ''convertibles'' could be described loosely as tablets having a keyboard dock.
However, unlike an iPad, these hybrids run full-fledged Windows much like on any notebook PC.
According to some commentators, the idea was just what was needed and one that would drive the future of computing. A single operating system for one's computer, which could double up for a proper desktop OS when used with a keyboard / trackpad combo or a touch-friendly mobile OS when used as a standalone tablet.
Technology journalist Mihir Patkar wrote in The Indian Express that in the recent past, he had tested hybrids running Android, Windows 8, and dual-booting between Windows and Android. He added, that the HP Pavilion 11 x2 was the latest on the block and while it was a "cool device", he thought the current crop of these hybrids fell short of the mark.
He added Windows 8 was not yet ready for a touchscreen interface, so the ''tablet'' functionality of a hybrid was limited and Android was not yet ready to be as robust a desktop operating system as Windows, so the ''notebook'' functionality of the hybrid was limited.
According to the Business Standard over the last two years, hybrids had fundamentally transformed the way users interacted with their computing devices. With consumers increasingly consuming and creating content on the move, hybrid PCs - also referred to as convertibles or two-in-ones - were fast gaining consumer acceptance.
Toshiba for instance, recently launched a 'five-in-one' shape-shifting hybrid PC with a laptop mode that included the traditional clamshell design and a convertible tablet mode. It comprises three parts, the screen, the keyboard and the kickstand, detachable stand capable of being arranged into different usage models.
Two two key elements would help fully understand the hybrid PC, the device (hardware and software) and the content possibilities. One, hybrid PCs are not dependent on the Chrome-based OS, unlike some laptops and Chromebooks.
And, two, they operate fully in an app-driven environment and worked mostly on the Windows 8 platform, like Lenovo, Microsoft Surface, Acer and Dell did. Devices of the kind allowed for a 'tile' structure on the home screen, where the entire arrangement of apps was created according to user needs.
