Once open, it is possible to spin this netbooks screen within its housing. Then, when it is closed again, with the screen facing upwards, users are left with a 10 inch touchscreen tablet computer.
This review will aim to find out whether or not this novel feature is integrated well, and whether or not it brings with it any limitations.
Laptop With Tablet Screen
The Inspiron Duo is equipped with a dual core Atom N550 processor, as seen on many small netbooks. In addition, there is 2gb of memory, and a 320gb hard drive. This allows for comfortable performance at best, and leaves it a little sluggish at worst. Certainly the extra software required to allow the laptop to be used as a tablet results in a slight worsening of performance when compared to netbooks running the same processor but without the extra feature.
The screen itself is 10.1 inches across with a resolution of 1366x768. This allows it to display high definition footage. While the display is quite crisp and bright, it too fails to wow and only sits in the acceptable category. This is a particular shame when you consider that the Duos main selling feature is the screen itself.
The laptop includes a 1.3 mega pixel web camera which is housed on the bezel for video chats. It does seem a shame though that when the computer is in tablet mode, the webcam is hidden within the housing.
Once in tablet mode, the screen can be used as a touch screen. On this model it is a capacitive touch screen meaning responsiveness is good. The glossy screen finish will result in fingerprints however, which may become tiresome once the device is back in netbook mode. Windows 7 is tricky to use with a touch screen as it isn't really designed for such use. As a result, Dell have included a secondary layer of software called Stage, which provides large, easy to touch icons allowing for control over music, videos, photos, books, internet and games. Unfortunately, the Stage software runs rather slowly, and I feel many will manage without using it.
Another unfortunate criticism that we must level at the Dell Inspiron Duo is with regards to battery life. At approximately three hours, it is well beaten by most of the competition, with some netbooks offering up to nine hours on one charge.
In summary, the Dell Inspiron Duo offers the first glimpse into a possible future for tablet devices. It is fair to say that such a form factor, with some kind of retractable or hidden permanent keyboard, may catch on and prove popular. Unfortunately, prospective users may be forced to wait until the second generation of the device before purchasing to allow for some of the rough edges to be smoothed. It is also important that the user experience improves to become a little more slick and rewarding, rather than slow and frustrating.
Having said that, many will appreciate the novelty of this device, and it does have good features such as the tactile keyboard and of course, the rotating screen. Also, while it may be slightly underpowered for many users, those who are mainly just using the web will still have enough power there to keep them happy.
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