Convertibles for work and play [New Straits Time (Malaysia)]

(New Straits Time (Malaysia) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) HYBRID portables are here. Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system designed for both touch screen and traditional PCs is seeing to the roll-out of the convertibles with great intensity. This new breed of hybrid devices offer the balance between the productivity of traditional notebooks and the functions of a tablet in one lightweight package.

Some slide, a few flip or fold and others do the twist to become a notebook or a tablet. The design of the convertibles may vary from one manufacturer to another but generally, these portable new age PCs combine the features of a full-fledged laptop and a tablet to bring both convenience and performance.

These devices are thin, lightweight, have keyboards and Windows 8 touch interface for controls and are the only computer you will need on days when you have to juggle presentations, communicate via email and social networks as well as download music/movies while on the move.

HP ENVY x2 This model has a detachable screen that becomes a full tablet when separated from the keyboard via a magnetic latch. It features a hinge with magnets that smoothly guide the tablet into place.

The HP ENVY x2 weighs 1.4kg and when separated, the tablet portion weighs just 680gm. For better viewing experience indoors and outdoors, it has a 11.6-inch diagonal HD touch display with ultrawide viewing angles. An optional stylus is also available for added creativity and accuracy.

Dell XPS 12 The XPS 12 ultrabook transforms to a tablet with a flip-and-fold motion. Its flip hinge design, according to Dell, has been tested to 20,000 cycles which is equivalent to doing 10 flips per day, seven days a week for 5.5 years.

The XPS 12 has a 12.5-inch Full HD display offering 170-degree viewing angle experience.

Weighing 1.54 kg, the XPS 12 is available with 128GB solid state drive (SSD) and a Intel Core i5 processor and 256GB SSD with i7 processor.

Lenovo ThinkPad Twist Lenovo's first convertible was the IdeaPad Yoga model which turns into a tablet when the screen is flipped back by a full 360 degrees. With the introduction of Windows 8, the company made available the ThinkPad Twist which has a display that swivels on a centre hinge and folds down to a tablet PC.

The 12.5-inch display provides HD viewing with five-finger multi- touch support. The convertible supports up to 8GB of RAM and comes with a choice of a 128GB SSD or 320/500 GB HDD. It weighs at 1.58kg.

Asus Taichi 21 Asus does it differently with its dual screen combination. There's one 13.3-inch screen inside for regular notebook mode and a 11.6-inch touchscreen on the outside for tablet mode.

You can work on one mode at a time or have both switched on to display different content. It also works on mirror mode to show the same content on both sides. The touchscreen with 10-point multitouch also works with a stylus.

The Taichi, weighing 1.25kg, is available with the Intel Core i5 with 128GB SSD and the Core i7 version with a 256GB SSD.

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