Let’s admit it: tablets are the hottest gadget right now. Laptops have been relegated from “fun” to just “work”. However laptops remain a very important computing tool and manufacturers continue to respond to trends and people’s needs.

HP thought of trying to catch tablet users and laptop users in one go by offering the Elitebook 2760p Tablet PC. It looks like a nice, normal laptop but the screen can be twisted and placed like a tablet, so that the user can write and tick with a pen like a tablet.

The model under review had a 12.1 inch display, an Intel core i5 processor, 4 GB of RAM, a 7200-rpm 320 GB hard disk, Microsoft Windows 7, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and the usual bells and whistles of a professional notebook. The touchscreen is 1280x800 LED backlit with touch capabilities. The look and feel of the clamshell is nice and the battery life was good. We liked the laptop format of the laptop and it offers solid hardware for the demanding professional on the go.

However the issue with trying to be two different things at the same time is that there is real possibility that you succeed in being neither. However, this HP laptop/tablet is a very good laptop but less capable as a tablet.

How? First of all Windows 7 was not meant to be an operating system for tablets. This model with this operating system lacks the multitouch features such as the fingers swipe of the Apple iPad and Android-based tablets. In fact it took us some time to realise it was futile to use these gestures. However the pen provided is very effective and we were really impressed by the accuracy of the handwriting recognition software.

Another drawback of converting a laptop into a tablet is that a laptop weighs more than a tablet and after a few minutes it takes its toll on the hands and arms. It’s easy to put the tablet format on a desktop but the whole point of a tablet is the ability to take it around.

At the end of the day you always have a tablet which is more powerful than the current tablets in terms of hardware but at a cost. The alternative would be carrying around a laptop and a tablet separately.

If you are happy with the compromise you have to make in having a tablet PC, then this laptop is a workhorse worth taking around.

www.hp.com

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