Dell Duo - the next generation of laptops
by Wendy Brighton | April 21, 2011
 Thanks to Apple and to the well know iPad, the tablet concept has grown into a popular gadget and a trendy necessity. Most of the major high-tech companies have released in the past year on the market at least one tablet which tries to compete with the fruity tablet. So, if Apple has iPad, Motorola has "XOOM" (which runs on Android), Samsung has the "Galaxy Tab" (which also runs on Android), while Toshiba and Microsoft will soon release their very own tablet PCs.
More than a touchscreen, tablets have become powerful enough to replace bulky laptops and to offer us a complete experience: work, play, see movies, read, etc. Weighting less than an average laptop, tablets have become rapidly one of the most popular gadgets thanks to their smooth and minimalist design and user friendly features.
During the 2010 Intel Developer Forum, Dell has gathered worldwide attention when it introduced Inspiron duo, also known as "Dell Duo", the first netbook that's also a tablet. Inspiron can be used as a normal netbook, but once you flip the screen it becomes autimatically a touchscreen tablet. With a versatile design and 10.1 inch display, Dell Duo is ready to compete against both netbooks and tablets.
Inspiron duo comes with Windows 7 Home Premium installed and with a mobile version of Windows 7 in tablet mode, has an Intel Atom N550 dual core processor and has integrated a 1.3MP Webcam and digital mic. The UI (user interface) - dual Stage offers an easy access to the desired content: Music Stage, Book Stage, Photo Stage, and Video Stage. The standard version benefits of 320GB hard drive and 2GB of RAM which can be considered sufficient for the average user.
Although it may seem thicker due to the fact that's made out of two parts, Duo has 285 x 195 x 29 mm in dimensions and weights only 1.53 kg. It comes in three glossy colors: blue, red and black, and can be bought for $549.
Regarded as a hybrid, Inspiron succeeds to offer users the best part out of both worlds: a full incorporated keyboard and a touchscreen. However, this tablet/netbook has also some minuses: the 30W battery lasts only 3.5 hours and can't be replaced by users; there isn't available a memory card reader (it has only 2 USB ports); no Ethernet connector; no on-board optical drive.
With an intuitive flip mechanism and good looking design, Inspiron duo can be a good choice for the ones that want to upgrade to a tablet, but don't want to part with their laptop.
multitouch10.1 HD LED-backlit; resolution 1366 x 768
Processor: Intel Atom N550 dual core 1.5 GHz
Memory: 2 GB
Hard drive: 320 GB
Camera: 1.3 MP webcam
Intel NM10 Express
: Windows 7 Home Premium
Built-in microphone.
: Built-in stereo speaker.
wireless LAN - 802.11b/g/n; bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Memory card reader - SD/SDHC/MMC
2 USB 2.0; headphone output, microphone input, VGA and LAN
lithium-ion (lasts up to 4 hours of battery life)
Support for e-books in full color (+ pics) and for Flash Video
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