Dell XPS Duo 12

Among the long list of laptop brands we never expected to hear from again, one could safely count the Dell Duo. The original version of this ambitious laptop/tablet hybrid showed up late in 2010 but disappeared soon thereafter. Like Dell's own Adamo line, it was a clever, inventive piece of hardware that was, if anything, a bit too ahead of its time. At IFA this week, Dell briefly teased a new version, called the Dell XPS Duo 12.

The new Dell XPS Duo 12 is both a clamshell laptop and a tablet -- a combination we usually refer to as a hybrid or convertible laptop. Most hybrids detach from their keyboards, while convertibles swivel their screens around via a single hinge at the base of the lid, folding down over the keyboard.

The difference is that the purported Latitude 10 would be an Atom-powered Windows 8 laptop, while the XPS 10 Tablet would be a Windows RT device -- one of only a handful we've seen to date (Dell mentions both devices here). The version we saw was a nonfunctioning demo unit, but the screen and keyboard dock fit together and operated as a traditional clamshell laptop when connected.

Like the original Duo, this mo

del works a little differently. The screen is hinged in the center of the far left and right sides, allowing it to swivel vertically, encased in a thin outer frame. Flip the screen 180 degrees, and it ends up pointing out from the back of the lid, allowing you to close the clamshell and leave the screen exposed, but keep the keyboard and the touch pad covered.

In my review of the original 2010 Duo (which was part of Dell's entry-level Inspiron family), I said, "Despite the inventive construction and decent software design, the Duo is far from perfect. This is essentially a Netbook...It feels slow at times, especially in tablet mode, perhaps exacerbated by the overhead added by the touch hardware."

With touch support built right into Windows 8, I'm hopeful that the new Duo (now part of the high-end XPS family) will be zippier. From our very brief hands-on experience it was certainly thinner, with a backlit keyboard and a big buttonless clickpad. The overall look and feel was very ultrabook-like, although it's not clear if this system will be an officially labeled Intel ultrabook.

Also unclear, the XPS Duo 12's release date or price, although it's expected by the end of 2012.