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I suppose the main thing keeping me from being interested in this thing is that every 2-in-1 convertible I've tried in the past was heavy and cumbersome to

I suppose the main thing keeping me from being interested in this thing is that every 2-in-1 convertible I've tried in the past was *heavy* and *cumbersome* to use as an actual tablet. I wonder how this holds up, but I'm not sure it's possible to fix the main issue: the keyboard makes it real awkward to hold. It's like a whole product class that looks amazing in marketing shots and is kindof a pain to use in any of the non-laptop modes in practice. Am I just holding it wrong?

starkparker 1y ago
My favorite 2nd device is an old Dell Inspiron 11 2-in-1. By all accounts it's a terribly specced device, but it still runs modern Fedora + KDE well, the touchscreen works well, and the display quality isn't awful. Many of the knocks against it (small size, cheap plastic case, small battery) work in its favor by keeping it light enough to use as a tablet. The battery, RAM, and SSD are all serviceable. I see them on eBay frequently for as little as $20-40 each in lots or $50-70 standalone. The 10" Lenovo Duet Chromebook tablets are a close second but don't age as well and can't be realistically repaired or upgraded.
lawn 1y ago
It's annoying how reviewers focus on the performance specs while mostly ignoring the big differentiator of the 2-in-1 feature.
nfriedly 1y ago
No, I don't think you're doing it wrong. I think the microsoft surfacebook design, where it could be used like a normal laptop with the keyboard attached, or like a tablet with the screen detached was the only design that could really do both well, and it had its own issues. The regular surface devices (and ipads and android tablets) that are tablet-devices first with flimsy detachable keyboards are fine if you have a table to set them on, but difficult to use on your lap, and often have a mediocre typing experience. And, on the flip side, you get devices like this where the keyboard stays attached and folds around behind the screen. It can be good for certain use cases, but it's clearly meant to be a laptop first, and it's "tablet mode" is inevitably going to be more cumbersome than a "real" tablet. I doubt there's any perfect solution, TBH.

I suppose the main thing keeping me from being interested in this thing is that every 2-in-1 convertible I've tried in the past was *heavy* and *cumbersome* to

starkparker 1y ago

My favorite 2nd device is an old Dell Inspiron 11 2-in-1. By all accounts it's a terribly specced device, but it still runs modern Fedora + KDE well, the touchscreen works well, and the display quality isn't awful. Many of the knocks against it (small size, cheap plastic case, small battery) work in its favor by keeping it light enough to use as a tablet. The battery, RAM, and SSD are all serviceable. I see them on eBay frequently for as little as $20-40 each in lots or $50-70 standalone. The 10" Lenovo Duet Chromebook tablets are a close second but don't age as well and can't be realistically repaired or upgraded.

lawn 1y ago

It's annoying how reviewers focus on the performance specs while mostly ignoring the big differentiator of the 2-in-1 feature.

nfriedly 1y ago

No, I don't think you're doing it wrong. I think the microsoft surfacebook design, where it could be used like a normal laptop with the keyboard attached, or like a tablet with the screen detached was the only design that could really do both well, and it had its own issues. The regular surface devices (and ipads and android tablets) that are tablet-devices first with flimsy detachable keyboards are fine if you have a table to set them on, but difficult to use on your lap, and often have a mediocre typing experience. And, on the flip side, you get devices like this where the keyboard stays attached and folds around behind the screen. It can be good for certain use cases, but it's clearly meant to be a laptop first, and it's "tablet mode" is inevitably going to be more cumbersome than a "real" tablet. I doubt there's any perfect solution, TBH.