Dell caught some headlines recently with its Inspiron Duo, a hybrid tablet that flips open to become a netbook. That in itself is nothing new, as manufacturers have been selling convertible notebook/tablet devices for a while. But rather than mounting the entire display with a horizontally rotating hinge, the Duo's screen flips vertically inside the bezel to switch between tablet or netbook modes. A teaser video released earlier this month left us with a vague "coming soon" promise, but if CNet's sources are on the spot then the Windows 7-powered could launch as soon as next week.
The Inspiron Duo features a dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor, Windows 7 Home Premium, 10-inch touch screen display and presumably includes various applications designed specifically for multi-touch input. The hybrid device is reportedly as much about productivity as media consumption so you won't have to compromise one in favor of the other. No mention of pricing was made but it looks like we'll find out about that soon enough.