Hybrid laptop-tablets are designed to offer the best of both laptops and tablets. You can use the devices in a slate tablet mode when all you want to do is tap the touchscreen...or access a physical keyboard for traditional laptop use. There are two to choose from: Those with built-in keyboards that swivel, slide, or fold into place or tablets with removable keyboard docks.

Upcoming hybrids will leverage the touch-optimized Metro interface in . They'll cost more than a slate tablet without physical keyboards (e.g., the iPad) but, in return, you get more versatile mobile computing devices running a full desktop operating system.

Here are the first of these innovative touchscreen laptop-tablet hybrids:

Acer , the Iconia W510 and Iconia W700. The Ionia W700 comes with a cradle for multiple viewing angles, but it's the 10-inch Iconia W510 that features a productivity-enhancing detachable keyboard dock, which extends the battery life of the tablet PC to up to 18 hours. The W5110 can be rotated 295 degrees into "presentation mode" for streamlined PowerPoint presentations and video viewing.