Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid: A Tablet PC & Laptop in One

The annual Consumer Electronics Show always leaves me amazed. I have had the honor of attending the last three and am always surprised by the new innovations that shortly invade the electronic market. This year's show was just as amazing as the last couple. However, one device truly caught my attention and has me excited for when it hits the market. The following article will be my hands on review of Lenovo's IdeaPad U1 Hybrid computer. Get ready to meet the world's first fully compatible laptop and tablet PC in one.

A quick glimpse at the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid leaves you with the impression that all we have here is a sexy laptop computer. However, this new gadget might drastically change the laptop market. The U1 Hybrid has a sleek and shiny design that is sexily covered in a translucent ruby color. Basically, your eyes can not help but be instantly drawn to the product. Once the top is flipped open you see a sexy laptop computer running just like any other laptop computer. I stood their with the impression that I was looking at a laptop that was simply relying on being sleek and eye-catching. Let me tell you that I could of not been further from truth.

The amazing happened almost instantly. A handler for Lenovo undocked the laptops computer screen. He showed us that once the screen comes undocked, it switches from one operating system to another and becomes a handheld Qualcomm Snapdragon powered tablet! The U1 Hybrid computer operated with Microsoft's Windows 7 software while in laptop form. When the computer screen comes unattached and becomes a tablet device, it switches to the Skylight Linux-based operating software. This is truly unique because the company has managed to make a hybrid computer device that has the capability to link two different operating systems without any errors (from what we could see).

Another cool aspect of this new product is it's capability to operate both operating systems at the same exact time. For example, let us say that you fall in love with the tablet and do not want to keep hooking it up to to form the laptop. You can simply purchase another monitor and connect it to the docking station. This enables you the capability to run both devices at the same time. I found this be a cool bonus to owning such a product. Sometimes we find that we like one aspect more than another aspect when it comes to hybrid products. Lenavo shows us that they took this in consideration and understand that we always have changing tastes.

Perhaps one of the biggest issues I have with this product is that both of the devices end up being drastically different from each other. You quickly discover that the tablet has certain capabilities that the laptop does not and vice versa. The tablet will enable you to have 3G and Bluetooth capabilities. However, you will not be able to scroll through pictures and programs like you can with the Windows 7 software that comes equipped with the laptop. It would of been nice if the company took some more time to iron these slight issues out and make it show that both devices have some of the same basic general capabilities.

My opinion of the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid is that it will drastically change the computer landscape. Consumers are currently paying hundreds of dollars to purchase each device separately. It makes more sense to offer both of them as a bundled package to save the consumer more money. I like the fact that such a device has been created, but will hold off on purchasing one until the Levano irons out all of the kinks. I am kind of hesitant on how safe the docking station currently is and would not like to break it after a short time of owning it. However, I would like to state that it is an amazing product that will make a true impact in the computer market.