Some tablet manufacturers are wising up to what people really want. They are making “hybrid” tablets instead of a straight tablet design.
What most people’s fingers need to feel is keys, at least while typing. Tablet makers like Asus, Lenovo and Motorola are following this line of thinking with their versions of hybrid tablets, or in the case of Motorola, a smartphone. Not only do they have a touch screen, but also come with manual keyboards that are attachable. This is good for those who in a hurry and especially for those who are in an enterprise setting.
The first tablet is named correctly. It is the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. It is designed from the start for dual usage. As some people say, Asus is exploring the “space of design possibilities”. This hybrid is a good example, putting back what was taken from the netbook design. It is rocketing in popularity and is priced lower than an iPad. It is running android and gets updated regularly. June brought Honeycomb version 3.1 to the Transformer and last month brought Honeycomb version 3.2. The screen is the same size as many netbooks, 10.1 inches, and has good clarity. It is running a dual core processor, which Asus also happened to be the first company to release a dual core netbook as well.
The second tablet hybrid is crafted by Lenovo. It is called the “Thinkpad”. It is featured with another trendy device, a stylus. The stylus can be used for graphical duty as well as for handwriting notes. The bad news is that the stylus is an accessory, and costs $30 dollars more. Like the Asus, this tablet has a detachable keyboard but the keys are crafted better than the Asus model. The Thinkpad is approved for use with Netflix, but an account must be purchased separately. The screen size is the same as the Transformer and is equipped with IPS ( In-Plane Switching ), which allows the screen to be viewed at an angle without losing clarity. It also comes with a dual core processor for plenty of speed.
Motorola brings up the rear with a smartphone tablet hybrid. They called it the “Atrix”. This is a smartphone that thinks it is a tablet, if you include the extra keyboard and screen. An extra battery is included in the keyboard section so as not to empty out the battery in the Atrix smartphone. The two are connected on the backside of the opened laptop using a micro USB and micro HDMI plugs. The combination is completely under the control of yet another dual core processor. Motorola created the setup to be disconnected and connected without fearing a loss of work. Everything that is currently on the screen at the time of separation is maintained until the two parts are connected again. The keyboard screen is not a touch screen, like those above. The sales have not been too brisk at the beginning, since Motorola chose the carrier option for sales channels. The Atrix hybrid combination can be had for $500 dollars, the same as an iPad. The smartphone by itself is around $150 dollars.
