Wednesday, October 24, 2012

HP Spectre One

If touchscreens aren't really your style, you may want to look into the Spectre One. The 23.6-inch HD system utilizes a wireless trackpad to deliver the gesture and multitouch touch benefits without the fingerprints. On top of the usual all-in-one features such as USB 3.0, 802.11n Wi-Fi and the choice of a large hard disk drive or a faster solid-state drive, the Spectre One includes near-field communication (NFC) technology. It will be available in November, priced at $1299.

Toshiba Satellite U925t

Like many of the devices on this list, the Satellite U925t is hard to define. Similar to the Sony Duo 11, I would consider this a slider-hybrid. The 12.5-inch HD touchscreen slides back and reveals a spacious back-lit keyboard, transforming it from tablet to ultrabook. It comes packed with an Intel Core i5, 128GB SSD, SD reader, HDMI, USB 3.0 and a full version of Windows 8. All this at just over three pounds and under an inch thick. This one will set you back $1149.99.

Lenovo Lynx

Lenovo's got something for everyone, including a tablet with a keyboard dock. It's super thin (0.37-inch thick) and weighs a mere 1.41 pounds (not including the dock). The 1366-by-768 display measures in at 11.6-inches and uses a 1.8GHz Atom processor to run a full version of Windows 8. This may be the perfect travel buddy with 8 hours of battery life as a tablet, and an extra 8 hours with the keyboard dock. The Lynx will be available for $599, plus an additional $149 for the keyboard dock.

Acer Aspire U series

The Acer Aspire U series includes the 27-inch 7600U (right) and 23-inch 5600 (left) to seemingly fit any all-in-one need. The 7600U supports 64-point simultaneous touch and can be angled from 0 to 90 degrees to make a large flat surface, similar to Sony's Tap 20. The 5600U, Acer claims, is the thinnest all-in-one PC available, and can tilt from 30 to 85 degrees, allowing orientation in a portrait mode. The unit can also be mounted on a wall, allowing you to start your future-home makeover.

Dell Latitude 10

It may not win any beauty contests, but the Latitude 10 should find its way into at least a few IT workers' hearts. This 10-incher has a 1366-by-768 touchscreen and a long-lasting swappable battery for those long periods away from a charger. It will also support Dell Data Protection and Encryption, and some models will have a smart card option for extra security. Though losing it won't risk your data, leaving it on the bus is still frowned upon.

HP Envy x2

This detachable 11.6-inch tablet feels more like a conventional clamshell laptop when attached to its dock, using magnetic and physical latches to keep a firm, secure grip. However, detach it and enjoy a tablet with 1366-by-768 resolution and built-in accelerometer and gyroscope. This is HP's first dabbling in the tablet market since the failure of the TouchPad, but it looks like the company is coming out swinging.

Lenovo Yoga 13

Here's another aptly named device from Lenovo. This is the larger of the two Yoga models, sporting a 13.3-inch, 1600-by-900 multitouch display and weighing in at 3.4 pounds. It initially opens as a conventional clamshell laptop, but at the point where you feel like you've pushed far enough back to break it, keep going. The entire screen folds all the way back to become a tablet device. There are a few positions in between laptop and tablet that act as convenient stands and this things can literally do the downward dog position.