When the tablet was first launched in 2010, people were still confused whether it was a smaller version of a laptop or a bigger version of a smartphone. It was seen as a schizophrenic cross between the two- it didnt come with the extensive features of a laptop but it offered something a laptop never could- portability, convenience and the sleek minimalistic design (thanks to the iPad). These are just some of the features which made tablets a major success in the gadget world.

However, the choice between a laptop and a tablet still continues be a confusing one. There is no denying the fact that they belong to different niches- a tablet is ideal for you if you need to use basic functions while you are travelling or at best, it is an additional accessory to a laptop. But if you are looking to do hard core work which involves a lot of typing input among other things, a laptop is obviously the better choice. So, you can’t really buy a tablet and expect it to serve as a replacement for a laptop or vice versa.

In the past one year or so, several manufacturers have tried to bridge this divide by producing what are known as laptop-cum-tablets. Lenovo recently released the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid which comes with a removable touchscreen. This touchscreen can double up as a tablet which uses Lenovo’s own version of Android or can function as the screen when you wish to use the gadget as a laptop.

This set-up can potentially solve many problems- One major drawback of the tablet is the lack of a keyboard. People usually find it very hard to type with a virtual keyboard. With the laptop cum tablet, that problem can be solved easily. Whenever you need to type, you can use the device as a laptop. At the same time, it gives you the processing speed and performance of laptop, not a tablet. As the IdeaPad is in its nascent stages, Lenovo is still trying to iron out all problem sectors before the final product is rolled out in the global market.

In another attempt to make the choice between a tablet and a laptop easier, Lenovo also announced the production of the Lenovo Yoga PC. As the name suggests, flexibility is the stand out feature of this laptop-cum-tablet. It is only 17mm thick and weighs 3.1 lbs., so it delivers pretty decently on the portability aspect.

The unique hinge mechanism allows the keyboard to flip over completely so that the Yoga can be used as a tablet as well. The device will be powered by the yet to be released Windows 8 operating system. Another feature to look out for is the Intel Chief River Processor, an 8GB RAM and a promised battery life of eight hours.

Quite evidently, it is an ambitious attempt by Lenovo to combine the best of both the laptop and the tablet into one single device. The specifications promise the performance of a solid laptop while the unique hinge feature means that it can be used as a convenient tablet.

The big question now is- will Lenovo Yoga deliver on its promises or will it be just another fancy experiment gone wrong? We will just have to wait till the end of this year when the Lenovo Yoga officially hits the global markets.