Hybrid Windows 8 Tablet-Laptop Transformers

Another big trend at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin was Windows 8 tablets that can also transform into a device quite similar to a laptop. Perhaps manufacturers are figuring if they can't beat the iPad, might as well shimmy into a niche somewhere between laptops and tablets. That's what Samsung did with its 11.6-inch Ativ Smart PC, whose laptop-like keyboard can be easily removed with a simple push of a button.
[via ExtremeTech]

Sony rolled out its hybrid transformer Duo 11, whose keyboard isn't detachable. It's about twice as thick as an iPad at 17.85mm, but that puts it close to the MacBook Air.
[via Gizmodo]

Here's Asus's horse in this race, an 11.6-inch tablet with an optional docking station to make it feel like a laptop. It's running on an Intel Atom processor for Windows 8, which might be faster than it seems, because the chip will be the new dual-core "Clover Trail" Atom processor.
Said to pack the power of a midrange laptop, this baby is just 8.7mm thin.
[via TechRadar]

HP introduced its Envy x2, which looks like a detachable version of that Envy 14 Spectre laptop I tested (and liked) back in March. Like many of the hybrids it also has an 11.6-inch screen, runs Windows 8 and will be available by the end of the year.
There's no pricing details on any of these hybrid tablets, with manufacturers playing coy at this point, merely wanting to introduce the products at a major trade show, and leaving the pricing decisions for later. I'm eagerly anticipating their decisions, because pricing will be a crucial factor for the success of these hybrid tablets, which I think must roll out at rock-bottom prices to compete with the iPad.
[via ZD Net]

We wouldn't want the iPad to feel left out, so here's $129 ZAGGkeys Pro Plus, a new iPad keyboard from Zagg that turns Apple's tablet into a hybrid, too. This one's a lot like the Zagg keyboard I reviewed last year -- and liked a lot -- but it goes one step better: Its keyboard is backlit, with eight different colors at your disposal.
But won't that backlit keyboard use lots of battery power? Zagg told Gizmag that the keyboard will hold a charge for "a few weeks," even if you leave it on all day. By contrast, the non-backlit $99 ZAGGkeys Pro can run for 4 to 6 months on a charge.
Just like its predecessor, the keyboard also functions as a case, snapping into place using magnetic closures, and there's a well-placed slot that props up your iPad when you want to start typing.
The ZAGGkeys Pro and ZAGGkeys Pro Plus will be available later in September.
Via Zagg and Gizmag