The Inspiron Duo convertible from Dell lets you switch from typing on a laptop to swiping on a multi-touch tablet in seconds. The Flash-capable Duo runs Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit) on an Intel® Atom® Dual Core Processor N550 (1.5GHz, 512K L2 Cache) with 2GB RAM. It has a 10.1″ widescreen (1366 x 768) multi-touch screen, 1.3 megapixel webcam, 320GB 7200rpm SATA hard drive, 802.11n WiFi, 29WHr Lithium-Ion 4-cell battery, and more. The Dell Inspiron Duo sells for $549.99. Preliminary shipping date is December 17.
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Yeah, it’s still a “laptop”. Still runs windows. Still susceptible to viruses. Still takes over a minute to fully boot up. Still thicker than all-get-out. Still weighs a ton. Still runs for no more than 4 hours on a charge probably.
The iPad is light, thin, able, is instantly on when you press the home button, and runs for 10 hours on a charge.
This looks like a nice laptop, and we might even call it a hybrid, but Apple changed the game with the iPad. This is not a tablet by the new definition. The new definition will hold.
Again, not saying that this is a bad device. I would even consider it for my next laptop purchase. It’s just not a tablet by any stretch of what I think of as a tablet these days. I don’t even think twice about taking my iPad wherever I go; I always second-guess my decision to lug a laptop with me.
It has a touch sensetive layer on the front screen which can be the primary means to operate it. Therefore it can be considered a tablet.
The iPad does alot of things well, but it’s also extremly limited compared to a hybrid or a laptop, and should be no means be considered the new standard.
The convertable looks pretty slick. I just wish they brought it out before I bought my netbook and eReader. I may of been able to sate both my needs with this.
You might want to rethink your remorse….
From Engadget:
“It makes us sad, but the Inspiron Duo is far from being that perfect tablet / netbook hybrid we’ve been waiting for. As a netbook, it has a number of redeeming qualities, including a stellar keyboard and solid build, but it’s heavy and its battery lasts half as long as some $299 netbooks out there. And then there’s the Duo as a tablet, where it not only lacks a decent LCD, but the software and its sluggish performance make it incredibly frustrating to use. Don’t get us wrong, the Inspiron Duo’s form factor and swiveling screen are still incredibly intriguing, and for $550 we expect some will pick it up for that novelty alone, but the Duo ends up being pulled in too many directions and suffers from its own unique mobile identity crisis. Ultimately it feels like Dell should have continued to tease the Duo at a distance while refining the concept in its labs — but then again, we suppose there’s always generation two.”
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/30/dell-inspiron-duo-review/