Convertibles with Windows 8: Beyond the classic laptop format

A little over a year ago a laptop was a laptop and a tablet was a tablet. Two categories that seemed well defined. In between were the tablet PCs, equipment mainly oriented to the professional and academic market. Despite timid experiments, the distinction between these product categories seemed evident. But then Windows 8 came along and something changed.

It is true that there were already previous attempts, but with the arrival of Windows 8 it seems as if in the design departments of the main computer manufacturers a door to creativity that seemed closed for some time was definitely opened decades.With the new Microsoft operating system, along with tablets and hybrids, a race began in search of a new format or style of laptop: convertibles Teams that intend to combine tablet and laptop in the same piece of hardware and that have a mechanism that allows them to adopt one format or another.

The transformation mechanism used is the main field of innovation of the companies. From sliding systems, to hinges with greater freedom of movement, through double screens and other more risky bets; The main manufacturers offer different options for those who want to carry a laptop and tablet in the same computer. In the following lines we will briefly see the main options available in the market.

The slider option

The first group of convertibles is made up of those computers whose transformation between tablet and laptop is based on sliding (slide) the keyboard under the screen The joints between the two parts of the device follow guides that allow the screen to be moved to hide the entire keyboard in tablet mode or to place it in a vertical position leaving the keyboard visible in portable mode.

The two main representatives of this type of convertible are the work of Sony and Toshiba Available since the release of Windows 8, the Vaio Duo 11 and the Satellite U920t integrate Intel Core processors inside and up to 8 GB of RAM. The first has an 11.6-inch screen and weighs 1.3 kg. The second brings the screen to 12.5 inches, increasing the weight to 1.5 kg. Both teams have a price of more than 1,000 euros.

Despite how useful a slider-type mechanism may seem, size and weight are possibly its main drawbacks when it comes to performing as tablets, while in portable mode they do not reach the comfort of classic equipment .In addition, for the writer, both teams transmit a certain prototype image, with the guides visible to the naked eye and somewhat rough lines.

Evolving from classical shapes

Lenovo is one of the companies that is betting the strongest on Windows 8 and the possibilities it offers for new portable formats. Among its range of devices are two convertibles that try to remain faithful to the classic shapes but with a certain evolution that allows them to act as tablets. We're talking about the IdeaPad Yoga and the ThinkPad Twist.

As expected, under the ThinkPad brand we find a convertible that is aimed at the professional market. Actually, the ThinkPad Twist does not stop reproducing the classic formula of PC tablets: laptop with a screen that rotates on a central axis.And the truth is that if that style worked in the professional and academic field, perhaps there is no need to change it. Intel Core i5 or i7 processors and up to 8 GB of RAM give life to a computer with a 12.5-inch screen and a price of just over 1,000 euros, whose performance as a tablet is somewhat outdated.

More interesting for consumers is the proposal for the 11 and 13-inch IdeaPad Yoga. Without reinventing the wheel, Lenovo has carried out what is surely the simplest idea of ​​a convertible: screen flips up to 360 degrees The mechanism works with two hinges with enough Travel enough for the screen to leave the keyboard at the back in tablet mode. That keyboard position is surely its biggest flaw, together with the weight and thickness that the rest also suffer from. With Windows 8 in its 13-inch version and Windows RT in the 11 version, the price is still a bit of a deterrent, remaining at 1.300 and 800 euros respectively.

Revolutionizing with riskier bets

Step out further than usual, other manufacturers have tried to find their own kind of convertible in more risky ways. This is the case of Dell which, instead of renewing the hinges section, has opted for a frame for its screen that allows it to be rotated to act as a tablet The XPS 12, despite having Intel Core processors and a 12.5-inch screen, has a mechanism that, at least for me, conveys a toy look that is hard to beat.

In Asus they must have thought that there was no need to renew the hinge system or invent a new mechanism that allows us to go from a laptop mode to a tablet mode, we added a second screen on the back of a laptop and you're done.This is how we have the Taichi 21. The 1,899 euros allow us to enjoy an i7 processor and 4GB of RAM, with a 13.3-inch main screen and a secondary 11.6-inch touchscreen, on a computer that still has a certain hulk appearance .

But for hulk the latest model introduced by Acer. Last week the Taiwanese decided to join the party with the Aspire R7. His idea of ​​convertible works thanks to a mechanism with its own name: Ezel; which not only allows two working modes but up to 4 different positions. In the process they have exchanged positions of the trackpad and keyboard in a movement that leaves doubts about the viability as a laptop of a team that, in addition, has little of a tablet with its large size and 15.6-inch screen.

The search for the laptop of the future continues

Despite the variety, the truth is that none of the manufacturers has found the convertible format that attracts consumers and generates imitations everywhere among its competitors.The hybrid options of physically separated tablet and keyboard seem the best option when it comes to preserving the best of classic laptops along with the benefits of the current tablet format.

But the thing is, Windows 8 has brought a new wave of innovation to a class of devices whose format seemed stagnant for decades. Each new laptop could be completely different from anything seen before, and in that the convertibles will continue to have a lot to say.

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