Laptop Thoughts: Dell Inspiron Duo is a Delight

"The Dell Inspiron Duo, the company’s first convertible netbook won’t ship until mid-December, but we had a chance to spend some quality time with a preproduction unit today. After a few hours of fooling with the 10.1-inch, $550 slate’s unique swivel screen and Dell’s custom UI layer for Windows 7, we’re encouraged and eager to see what the final build holds."

I find it amusing that with all the rage that slate tablets are, there is plenty of talk about docks for them which include keyboards. Docks, which in some ways, defeat the purpose and benefits of what slates offer over their convertible brethren. Deep within the recesses of my mind, a memory whispers that the flip style screen has been done long before in the form of the Vadem Clio, and it would not surprise me that even older designs have existed. What is nice is to see that Dell has added an extra interface for use with the Duo when in slate mode. I do not know if it is enough to cover up the underpinnings that is Windows 7, but it shows that manufacturers are recognizing that touch and keyboard/mouse interfaces are separate entities. Now if they would only offer slightly more graphical horsepower, this thing would be a surefire hit.