Dell Laptop Tries to Be a Tablet

Dell enters the PC laptop/tablet hybrid game with the XPS 12. As Walt Mossberg tells us, it is a very clever take on the concept, but its cost, battery life, and bulkiness reaffirms how tricky the blending of two devices can be. (Photo: Dell)

Welcome to another in our series of reviews on efforts by Windows PC makers to make laptops that are also tablets, with very little success. This time, the attempt comes from Dell and is especially creative, and even kind of cool. But as with many other convertible laptops, it still results in a computer that's a perfectly fine laptop, but a thick, heavy tablet.

Dell's convertible laptop is a perfectly fine laptop, but a thick, heavy tablet. Walt Mossberg joins digits. Photo: Dell.

Dell has been in the news lately mainly due to a proposed corporate restructuring, but that topic won't be addressed here. The company still makes PCs for consumers. So I have been testing its flagship convertible, the XPS 12, a Windows 8 ultrabook that starts at a pricey $1,200, and has a vivid, bright 12.5-inch touch screen.

Dell To turn the XPS from a laptop to a tablet, push the bottom of the screen from the back and spin it around to the opposite direction.

Dell Then, close the lid so the screen is facing up.

What makes the XPS 12 notable is the method Dell has chosen to enable it to morph from a clamshell laptop to a tablet. While other companies have resorted to slider mechanisms, or hinges that require bending or twisting the whole lid, Dell has created a flip screen. The screen pivots within the frame of the lid to either face toward the keyboard, or away from it.

When the XPS 12 is in the classic laptop position, you just push in at the bottom of the screen from the rear and it spins around so the screen faces in the opposite direction. You then close the lid and the touch screen is facing up, ready to be used as if it were a tablet. To return to laptop mode, you open the lid and reverse the screen-flipping process. When you flip the screen from one position to the other, it snaps back into the aluminum frame of the lid firmly and reassuringly.

I found this method easy and reliable, and commendably innovative from a company that hasn't historically been hailed for industrial design. I found it a bit quicker and less of a hassle than some of the other mode-shifting techniques I've tested.

However, as with all of its competitors I've tested that don't completely separate the screen and the keyboard, the XPS 12 doesn't make for a very usable tablet, both for hardware and software reasons. The hardware weighs 3.35 pounds, more than double the weight of the heaviest iPad. At its thickest point, it's twice as thick as an iPad. It's also much larger.

The XPS 12 was uncomfortable to use as a tablet, in my hands or lap, for long periods. Like its convertible rivals, it is, at best, a standard laptop that can be occasionally used in tablet mode, preferably on a desk or table.

And then there's the software. Although it's now six months old, Microsoft's Windows 8, in my view, hasn't made much progress in improving its tabletlike aspect, the Start Screen. Its core Start Screen apps, like email and calendar, while improved, are still crude. The latest insult: You can no longer directly sync Google calendar data to the new Windows 8 calendar app. And its store still lacks key apps common on Apple and Android tablets, such as an official version of Facebook, or the popular news app, Flipboard.

As a traditional laptop, the XPS 12 does better, but still has drawbacks, especially when it comes to battery life.

Its strongest point is the screen, which is especially bright, crisp and very responsive to the touch. It has a sturdy body, partly made of carbon fiber. It was able to run everything I threw at it, handily and speedily. This included not only Microsoft programs, like the latest version of Microsoft Office, but traditional desktop programs from competitors, such as Adobe Reader, Google's Chrome and Apple's iTunes.

On the Start Screen, it ran tablet-type, full-screen apps like Twitter, Kindle, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Dell has cut way back on the amount of craplets—unwanted software or trials and come-ons—it preloads on this machine.

However, partly because of the flip mechanism and the hidden components needed to make it work, the XPS 12 is heavier and thicker than the largest MacBook Air, which starts at the same price and has a bigger screen, at 13.3 inches.

Battery life is a big downside on this Dell. In my tough laptop test, where I turn off power-savings software, crank up the screen to 100%, leave the Wi-Fi on to collect email, and play a continuous loop of music, the XPS 12 lasted just 3 hours and 31 minutes. That's awful compared with the 6 hours and 13 minutes I got on the 13-inch MacBook Air in the same test.

In more normal use, with power-saving on, I suspect you could get 4 to 5 hours on the XPS 12, but that's still nothing to write home about.

And there's one more issue with this Dell: available storage. Of the 128 gigabytes on the solid state drive, only 102 were available to me out of the box. Dell explains this is because of things like the space claimed by Windows 8, and an Intel system that guarantees fast starting and resuming.

One consideration for consumers buying any Dell product is the company's proclaimed strategy to cater mainly to business customers. But Dell executives insisted they remain committed to the consumer market.

Dell deserves credit for a clever flip screen design in the XPS 12. But it's very hard to make a computer that's both a great laptop and a great tablet, even if the operating system contains elements of both.

—Find all of Walt Mossberg's columns at the All Things Digital website, walt.allthingsd.com. Email mossberg@wsj.com. A version of this article appeared April 3, 2013, on page D1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Dell Laptop Does Flips To Try to Be A Thick Tablet.

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Bulky Tablet That's Laptop Lite

Unlike the original Microsoft Surface, the new Surface Pro allows you to run the Windows 8 desktop and pro apps. But, as Walt Mossberg tells us, one should consider its downsides before trying it as a replacement for a laptop. (Photo: Microsoft)

Microsoft is introducing its second-ever personal computer. As with the first, it's a multi-touch 10.6-inch tablet that has some of the attributes of a laptop, such as a USB port and snap-on keyboards. But unlike the first, this new tablet is capable of running full-featured Windows 8, though at a price—in dollars, bulk and battery life.

Microsoft's Surface Pro tablet has some of the attributes of a laptop and is capable of running full-featured Windows 8, though at a price-in dollars and weight, Walt Mossberg reports on digits. Photo: Microsoft.

Both machines are called Surface and at first glance, they look similar. But there are big differences. The original Surface, launched in October, uses a limited version of Windows 8 called RT and runs on the type of processor common in rival tablets and smartphones. As a result, while it can fully handle Windows 8's new Start Screen tabletlike interface and apps, it can only run four standard Windows desktop programs—Microsoft's Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. You can't install other desktop software.

The new Surface, called Surface Windows 8 Pro, is powered by an Intel processor typically found on laptops and uses the high-end Pro version of Windows 8. So it can run a vast array of standard Windows 7 desktop software. That means you could theoretically use the new tablet as a full replacement for a Windows laptop—if you used one of Microsoft's thin keyboard covers.

Microsoft The Surface Pro looks like the Surface RT, but it has a much higher screen resolution. The Pro also comes with a pen that makes navigating on the desktop much easier and allows for jotting notes or annotating documents.

Microsoft views the Pro as a new kind of PC, a sort of hybrid of a tablet and a laptop that spares users the hassle of carrying two devices. It goes on sale Saturday.

The Surface Pro starts at $899—$400 more than the base model of the biggest, newest iPad or the base Surface RT. To be fair, this entry-level Surface Pro has 64 gigabytes of storage, four times what the base iPad offers. But an iPad with the same 64 GB is $699. A higher-end Surface Pro model with twice the storage costs $999, but an iPad with the same amount of storage is $200 less.

Not only that, but the keyboard covers cost extra—$130 for the one with movable keys, which brings the price to over $1,000.

As with the original Surface, the Pro is solidly built, with the same innovative metal kickstand that keeps it upright on a desk or table. It ran all the software I threw at it—both the new type and the old desktop type—speedily and well. I was able to install and run the full Windows 7 desktop versions of such popular programs as Microsoft Outlook, Google Chrome, Apple iTunes, Adobe Reader and Twitter's TweetDeck.

The Pro has a much higher screen resolution than the RT. It comes with a handy pen, not included or usable on the RT, that makes navigating on the desktop interface much easier and allows for jotting notes or annotating documents. And it has corporate-friendly security features not found on the RT.

But the Pro has some significant downsides, especially as a tablet.

Microsoft The Pro is thicker and heavier than the RT, which makes it clumsier to use as a tablet and on your lap as a laptop with the snap-on keyboard.

I like the original Surface and see it as a tablet with the extra benefit of some Microsoft Office programs. However, I am less enamored with the Surface Pro. It's too hefty and costly and power-hungry to best the leading tablet, Apple's full-size iPad. It is also too difficult to use in your lap. It's something of a tweener—a compromised tablet and a compromised laptop.

The Pro weighs 2 pounds, which is light for a laptop but anvil-like for a tablet. That is almost 40% heavier than the weightiest iPad and over 40% thicker. I found this bulk made the Surface Pro even clumsier than the RT is to use on my lap with the keyboard cover, even with the kickstand, which works far better on a desk than on one's knees.

In my tough battery tests, where I set the screen to 75% brightness, turn off power-saving features, leave the Wi-Fi on and play locally stored videos until the machine dies, the Surface Pro did pathetically. It lasted just under four hours between charges—less than half the stamina of the iPad on the same test and three hours less than the Surface RT. In normal use, you might stretch that to five or 5½ hours, still poor for a tablet.

Also, as on the RT model, the Windows 8 system files take up a huge chunk of available storage. Of the 64 GB of solid-state storage on the entry-level $899 model, only 30 GB of that is free for the user, according to Microsoft. On the $999 model, 90 GB of the 128 GB total is available for the user. Microsoft notes you can add more storage via a flash memory slot.

And unlike the RT, the Pro doesn't come out of the box with Microsoft Office. That costs extra, just as on most laptops. Unlike the iPad and some Android tablets, neither Surface can be ordered with built-in cellular connectivity, though the Pro can accept extra-cost plug-in cellular modems and, like competing tablets, it can be wirelessly tethered to a cellphone or stand-alone cellular modem.

When used on a desk, table, or airplane seat tray, with the kickstand holding the screen upright and the keyboard cover with movable keys, the Pro is a serviceable laptop, especially since, unlike on an iPad or Android tablet, you can use full-fledged PC programs.

But just as the Pro is compromised as a tablet, it's compromised as a laptop. You get fewer ports and less storage than on many laptops and a keyboard that can't compare with those on many laptops.

Some users may not mind the price or bulk of the Surface Pro if it frees them from carrying a tablet for some uses and a laptop for others. But like many products that try to be two things at once, the new Surface Windows 8 Pro does neither as well as those designed for one function.

—Find all of Walt Mossberg's columns and videos at the All Things Digital website, walt.allthingsd.com. Email him at mossberg@wsj.com. A version of this article appeared February 6, 2013, on page D1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Surface Pro: Hefty Tablet Is a Laptop Lightweight.

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A PC and Tablet 'Brick' in One

Consumer technology is all about adding functionality to something but the Asus Transformer AiO, which bills itself as a tablet and a PC, misses the mark completely. WSJ's Katherine Boehret explains why.

Just because two things work well on their own doesn't mean they'll be great together. Think spaghetti and ice cream or Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. In the tech world, companies regularly try to combine two or more products into one device. Sometimes they succeed and sometimes they fail.

This week, I reviewed an example of the latter. I tested Asus's Transformer AiO, a $1,300 PC available April 12 that offers dual functionality in both its software and its hardware. It's an all-in-one desktop computer with a wireless keyboard and mouse that runs Windows 8 and, with the press of a button, switches to running Google's Android operating system, Jelly Bean 4.1.

As the Transformer's name suggests, it also transforms into another device: Pull up on the PC screen to separate it from its stand and it becomes a tablet you can move around the house. It has a handle and a kickstand for propping up on flat surfaces. Like the desktop version, the tablet runs two systems: Windows 8 Remote and Jelly Bean 4.1.

Though this concept sounds smart, it's laughable in practice. The screen measures a whopping 18.4 inches diagonally and weighs an arm-straining 5.3 pounds. Apple's iPad screen measures 9.7 inches and weighs 1.4 pounds; Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 has a 7-inch screen and weighs 0.8 of a pound. At home, carrying this around and using it on my lap elicited fits of laughter from my husband. When I flipped the tablet into vertical mode, it looked like I was reading from a giant, stone tablet. And in Android mode, the tablet's battery only lasted five hours.

So where does this Asus Transformer AiO fit in? In tablet mode, I propped it up on my kitchen island to watch a YouTube video while cooking, and though the giant screen took up a lot of space, its display looked sharp and didn't force me to lean down to the screen as much as I do with my iPad. Some people may prefer making Skype video calls on the front-facing camera of this movable screen rather than using a stationary computer. Families might even gather around this tablet to play a digital coffee-table game. As an all-in-one desktop PC, this Asus works fine.

But as a desktop and a tablet, the dual software systems made me scratch my head. I found myself forgetting about Windows 8 while I used Android and vice versa. I'm willing to bet that most people will stick to one operating system rather than frequently switching back and forth.

Asus (2) In either tablet or PC Station mode, above right, the Asus Transformer AiO runs Windows 8 and Jelly Bean 4.1. Left, Pull up on the PC screen to separate the screen from its stand and it becomes a heavy tablet you can move around the house.

In my harsh tablet battery test, where I play a constant loop of video with the screen set to 75 % brightness and Wi-Fi on to retrieve email in the background, I got almost exactly five hours, which is Asus's official battery life estimate.

The Android and Windows operating systems each have their own independent storage, so if you save something on one system, it won't be saved on the other. Asus calls the Transformer's desktop stand the "PC Station." The model I tested runs on Intel's midrange Core i5 processor and offers a one-terabyte hard drive. The tablet runs on Nvidia's Tegra 3 quad-core processor and comes with 32 gigabytes of storage. I didn't notice any significant lag in either one of these modes.

The PC Station is loaded with five USB ports, four that use the newer USB 3.0 technology and one that uses USB 2.0, but this USB 2.0 port is designed for a small Bluetooth dongle that corresponds with the included Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. I liked typing on the keyboard's Chiclet-style keys, and the flat mouse gives clever haptic feedback where a mouse wheel appeared on older models. The PC Station also has speakers, a slot for three types of memory cards and a DVD drive.

The Asus Transformer tablet also has speakers, though I found these weren't nearly as strong as those built into the PC Station. It, too, has a memory card reader for MicroSD cards, just in case you wanted to offload some photos and didn't have the tablet in its PC Station stand. It also has a mini USB 2.0 port. The tablet's front-facing camera worked fine in Android mode; in Windows mode the camera failed, but Asus said this would be fixed before the Transformer is out next month.

I was relieved this 5.3-pound, 18" x 12" tablet didn't have a rear-facing camera. I'd get a bicep workout just from holding this thing up to take a photo, and I can imagine the strange looks I would get from passersby.

The Asus Transformer tablet can't be discreetly tucked away on the lower shelf of a coffee table; it's massive. After using it for a little while one night, and then letting it just sit on my lap, I had to move it to the floor five minutes later because it weighed so much.

If you move the tablet too far away from the PC Station and you're running the Windows operating system, it will automatically switch to Android tablet mode. An Asus spokesman said this shouldn't be a problem within 30 to 65 feet of the PC Station on most setups.

Asus tried to kill two birds with one stone when it created the Transformer AiO, but wound up building a giant brick. Your best bet is to stick to a traditional PC that does one thing well.

—Email katie.boehret@wsj.com A version of this article appeared March 20, 2013, on page D3 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: A PC and Tablet 'Brick' for the Price of One.

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