Laptop-tablet hybrids are the future of computing, but not the present…

Mihir Patkar | Mumbai | Updated: Feb 04 2014, 09:59 IST

These hybrids run full-fledged Windows just like you would on any notebook PC

SummaryHybrid PCs now have large tablets and thick keyboard bases.

Windows 8 brought with it a focus on a new type of device: the laptop-tablet hybrid. These �convertibles� could loosely be described as tablets with a keyboard dock. Unlike an iPad though, these hybrids run full-fledged Windows just like you would on any notebook PC.

The concept itself is quite cool and one that I believe will be the future of computing. A single operating system for your computer, which can switch back and forth between being a proper desktop OS when used with a keyboard/trackpad combo and a touch-friendly mobile OS when used as a standalone tablet.

In the recent past, I�ve tested hybrids running Android, Windows 8, as well as dual-booting between Windows and Android. The HP Pavilion 11 x2 is the latest on the block and while it�s a cool device, I can�t help but feel that the current crop of these hybrids falls short of the mark.

As I have previously noted, Windows 8 isn�t yet ready for a touchscreen interface, so the �tablet� functionality of a hybrid is limited. Android isn�t yet ready to be as robust a desktop operating system as Windows, so the �notebook� functionality of the hybrid is limited. And dual-booting between Windows and Android is the proverbial Jack of all trades, master of none. The problem isn�t just software though.

To make a great hybrid, it should work perfectly as a tablet and as a notebook. However, hybrid PCs at the moment usually have chunky and large tablets (over 11 inches screen size, minimum) and thick keyboard bases. So the �notebook� unit feels heavy, while the tablet is a bit thicker than one would like. The combination isn�t bad, but it�s nowhere near as good as having a great tablet or a great notebook. Plus, Intel�s mobile processors for these tablets have not yet struck the right balance between good battery life and good performance�you only get one of the two. It�s a middling compromise.

Usually there is nothing wrong with a compromise, but here, there is one factor: price. At the moment, decent hybrid computers don�t come for less than Rs 40,000. For that price,