CES 2010: Lenovo launch the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid, a notebook with a detachable screen

lenovo hybrid-notebookHalf ‘tablet’ half laptop, Lenovo‘s new IdeaPad U1 Hybrid is a clamshell that you can take the screen off. Yes that’s right, the screen is detachable and by itself it functions as a touch-screen tablet, giving the user two computers in one.

Each half has its own processor, operating system and battery that work together as a clamshell laptop or separately when the screen is functioning as a multitouch slate tablet.

Lenovo describe the technology as game-changing: “The IdeaPad U1 hybrid notebook is a game-changing technology in the PC industry that lets user switch their PC experience within a single device to match their dynamic lifestyle,” said Liu Jun, senior vice president, Idea Product Group, Lenovo.

They claim it fuses the functionality of a notebook with the slate tablet’s rich multitouch entertainment and mobile Internet experience.

The device has a 11.6 inch HD LED screen and runs Windows 7 off a powerful ARM processor chip. It’s available in scarlet and weighs 1.8 pounds with the keyboard and 1.6 as a tablet.

The laptop base acts as a kind of dock for the tablet – which is meant for mobile use and has a 5hr battery life. Lenovo assures that the transition between the two is seamless.

Cool or what.

The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 hybrid notebook will be available in the US in summer 2010 with an estimated retail price of $999. The product will be available in the UK later in the year.

See all stories from CES 2010 here

Anna Leach