Hybrid Ultrabooks, a New way to Access Media and Content

Ultrabooks are just as portable as Netbooks however far more powerful, offering up in cases near desktop performance in a design thinner than conventional laptops. Now, however, they have entered the 21st touch-screen century aiming to take full advantage of Windows 8 through hybrid design.

At this years IFA event in Berlin Samsung, Dell and Sony released a new range of Ultrabooks dubbed to be hybrids. These forms of laptop computer have raised a pretty large storm within the technology industry and the PC market, as these types of ultra-portable aim to merge the full functionality of a good old Ultrabook with all of the fun and media usage of a tablet. With all three machines aiming for a release date on the official date of Microsoft’s Windows 8 launch or shortly after, all of these devices will be out in time for the festive season.

All three manufacturers mentioned above (Samsung, Dell, Sony) released their own take on what hybrid Ultrabooks should be, and at this blog post on the best hybrid Ultrabook (my post on Ultrabook-News), I take a look at all three offerings to find out which is best. All three of them including the ATIV Smart PC, Sony Duo 11 and Dell XPS 12 have their own upsides and merits, however it is the Dell hybrid which is the most intriguing with thanks to incorporating a rather unique swivel display, supported by two hinges which allow you to rotate it for use as a tablet computer.

Imaged above, you can see exactly what I mean when I say the design of the Dell is rather unique. When done using the Dell XPS 12 as a traditional good old trackpad orientated laptop, you simply flip the display courtesy of two swivel hinges positioned at the centre of the left and right-hand sides. The display then rotates on these points within the frame until it points out of the back. You can then close the lid and use it as a tablet. In practice, this  method to convert the Ultrabook in to a tablet is a breeze, and a rather awesome experience too.

The thinness of the Dell hybrid offering is pretty admirable too, despite it rocking a 12.5″ full HD 1080p display covered in super tough gorilla glass.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s ATIV Smart PC Pro will be familiar in design to a lot of people. The display simply detaches from the keyboard, begging the question as to whether this is a tablet with keyboard dock or Ultrabook with tablet capabilities, however Samsung is marketing this as an Ultrabook hybrid, so we’ll go with the second one. Anybody familiar with the concept of an iPad with keyboard dock or Asus EEE Pad will like the design of the Samsung ATIV Smart PC and although this design has been done before, it is a tried and tested method of increasing the functionality of a device. As with all Samsung Ultrabooks as of late (Series 5, Series 9) we expect the keyboard on this hybrid to be excellent to use.

Naturally it is Windows 8 which is one of the main features of these hybrids, even though they may feature innovative bezels. Windows 8 will be Microsoft’s latest release of Windows marking the first time the company has released a PC operating system specifically designed for both touch and mouse input. The beauty of it is is that even if you do not have a touch screen computer (although Windows 8 is best served if you do), you can still use it the same as you would Windows 7.

Be sure to check out my full post linked above to read up on the features of the hybrids that Samsung, Dell and Sony have in store for us during 2012. I’m pretty sure you will be impressed at their offerings.

About Jakk: Jakk Ogden is a professional self-employed blogger and the founder / owner of Technology Blogged. 22, with a love for good writing, you'll find me playing 'Drag Racing' on my HTC One X and rocking a pair of Grado headphones. If you love technology, be sure to subscribe to my feed for unique editorials. Find me on Google+. View author profile.