Tablet/Laptop Hybrids Are A Great Idea, But Can The HP Envy x2 Live Up To The Promise?

I think the idea of combining a tablet with a removable keyboard to create tablet/laptop hybrid is a great idea - and the HP Envy X2 makes a brave attempt to combine the two form factors into a viable hybrid. But after using it for several weeks, the truth is that device can't quite measure up on either side of the equation. Suprisingly, though, the Envy X2 works better as a tablet than as a laptop.

I've always been a big fan of using multi-function devices instead of carrying multiple specialized devices for particular purposes. I was thrilled with my first smartphone, for example, because I could finally leave my music player and PalmPilot at home. So I was really excited when I first saw the Envy X2, and thrilled when HP sent one over to let me try it out for a while.

Great Form Factor, Solid Construction

The form factor and hardware construction made me feel even better. Both halves of the 3.1-pound unit come finished in natty brushed aluminum. The tablet portion, which also serves as the screen/lid when attached to the keyboard base, sports an 11.6” touchscreen (1366 x 768 resolution), as well as 2GB of RAM, a 64GB solid-state hard drive (in the $650 base version), an HD webcam on the front and an 8-megapixel camera on the back, plus dual-speaker "Beats Audio" sound. My only issue was the extreme widescreen aspect ratio, which made the unit awkward in some use cases.

Connectivity and ports include a propriatary charging connector (boo!), headphone jack, micro SD card slot and Near Field Communications (NFC) wireless connections.

Finally, A Real Keyboard

The separate base unit has an honest-to-God laptop-style keyboard: I had no problem touch-typing on it right from the start. That's critical to this type of device, and frankly better than any of the keyboard covers, add-ons and excuses offered for everything from the Apple iPad to the Microsoft Surface. The keyboard also sports its own USB and HDMI ports and a full-size SD card slot - as well as its own battery that gets used up first when the x2 is is fully assembled.

Best of all, the two parts snap together with a solid, easy to use hinge - and you don't have to worry about turning off the device to go from laptop mode to tablet mode, or vice versa.

The Envy x2 I tested runs on Windows 8, which I believe works best in these kinds of small, touchscreen devices. (HP has also released a $480 version running Android called the Slatebook x2.)

Trading Performance For Battery Life: = A Bad Idea

In a deliberate move to extend battery life, HP chose to power the Envy x2 with a Intel Atom Z2760 processor running at 1.8GHz. The company claims battery life of up to 10.75 hours for the tablet portion, and up to 19.25 hours for the combined unit (continuous video playback was rated at up to 7 hours for the tablet only, 12.25 hours for the combined unit). In my informal tests, I was never able to use the x2 enough in one day to empty the battery, which I guess is the point. But leaving the machine off for a couple days did seem to drain power.

But there's a steep trade-off here. The Atom processor is simply too wimpy to provide full-fledged laptop performance. I noticed lags and delays constantly just moving around the Windows 8 interface, using simple programs and watching videos. Think netbook, not notebook, and those things faded away for a reason. Using the x2 as a tablet was less bothersome, but still not up to the smoothness and responsiveness standards set by iPads and leading Android tablets.

More Netbook Than Notebook?

In the end, I could probably live with the tablet-side performance (hardly a ringing endorsement, I know), but there's no way I could give up a "real" laptop for the x2. And that, right there, turns the Envy x2 into an interesting experiment instead of a useful computing solution. If you still need a real laptop, you might as well get a real tablet.

One final note: Earlier this month, HP announced the $800 Split x2, with a 13.3-inch touchscreen and a much more powerful Intel Core processor. This version is not due out until August, but could solve the performance issues. On the other hand, the faster chip will challenge battery life. And with a 13.3-inch screen, that's going to be one heckuva big tablet!

All images by Madeleine Weiss for Readwrite, except Split x2, courtesy of HP.

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5 Great Android Apps for Amazing Video Conferencing

Video conferencing makes our lives easier. Connecting with people from school and business has also been made possible because of video conferencing. In line with this, Android also allows its devices to do just that. In no particular order, here are 5 Great Android apps for Amazing Video conferencing:

1. Qik Video Connect

The Android Qik's interface is different with that of its iOs counterpart. The Android version has four blocks on its screen each representing a certain function with its description. Its functions include Video Chat, Record and Share, Video Mail and Video Gallery. Although the Android version differs with the iOs version in its appearance, both have the same functionality.

Aside from its Video Chat function, another thing which you may find interesting is the Video mail. It's just like the Voice Mail but this time, it uses video. An advantage of the Video Mail is that the quality of the video is better than that of the live video chat since it is pre-recorded. The bad news is that you may not be able to use this service for free after June 1 since they will be charging an annual fee for this service.

With Qik, you can also upload your videos to the web and share them via email and SMS. Although Qik has good features, it may not have the best video chat experience. Right now, however, Qik is one of the best options among Video Conferencing Android apps.

2. Tango

The good thing about Tango is that it allows it users to have a cross-platform video chat. That means you can have a video chat with a friend using an iOs even if you're on Android-very cool indeed! Although Fring has this capability, Tango scores more points when it comes to video quality and ease of use. With Tango, one can also make calls over 3G and 4G networks as well.

Finding your friends using Tango is also made convenient by this app. Tango can search through your Android or iPhone Address book for friends who are on Tango and adds them into the app's contact list. Also, setup of this app is quite easy.

3. Fring

Fring is user-friendly. Its interface is neat and not cluttered. Even a first-time user wouldn't have a problem getting to know the app. Video Quality is good although not as good as FaceTime (iPhone). Its audio still has more room for improvement. The good thing, though, is that it can be downloaded from the Android website for free.

4. Knocking Live Video

Knocking Live Video lets its user share live video from his phone to another one's. This Video-sharing app used to be available only in the iPhone. Now, it's in Android-good news for Android enthusiasts! This is a cross-platform app which means that an Android user can share live videos to a family or friend who's using the iPhone. It's one of the most popular social network apps today and you can download this app for free.

5. Skype

Skype is undeniably one of the best in VoIP apps around. Unfortunately, Android Skype doesn't have video conferencing with the exception of 4G phones. A lot are hopeful though that this service would extend to non-4G phones in the near future.

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Great Ways To Use The Internet To Connect To Others

These days you can't really have a social life if you don't have the internet. It used to be that just teens would use the world wide web to communicate but now everyone is jumping on board with this latest and greatest way of keeping in touch with friends and family and if you don't have the highest speed internet possible then you may find that your social life is not all that it should be.

Sure dial up service is okay for accessing the smaller websites but if you are looking to chat online and download pictures but you will probably find that this type of service won't allow you to accomplish all these different aspects of the internet. With websites like Facebook for instance you can keep in touch with family members and friends who live far away and you can keep them updated as to what is happening with you and your family.

Here you can post pictures of the kids and show off that new car or home or whatever else is going on in your world. You can even use sites like this to find lost loves, old friends, or to play games with family and friends.

Most people find that their broadband internet connection not only allows them to improve their social life using social networking sites but also allows them to game online with their friends and keep up with the latest in the dating world as well. Online dating has become a very popular way for individuals to meet others who are like minded even when their lives are busy and hectic. This cuts down on the trips to bars and nightclubs in hopes of meeting someone wonderful.

There are many ways to use the web to keep up socially with those around the world but using dial up just won't cut it. If you really want to make the most of your connections then you should definitely invest in a high speed internet service that will allow you to make the most of your time on the internet. And if you live in a remote area, don't allow them to tell you that dial up is your only option. Contact some local companies and you can probably find one that will allow you to use a wireless internet access card to get high speed access in the area where you live, even if it is an area that doesn't have a fully wired network.

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Wimax Can Be a Great Home Internet Solution Too

People usually associate cellular internet connectivity with mobile phone usage and for good reason. Cell phones seem to be getting a lot of attention because of how advanced they've become, but you still can't discount the fact that desktop computers are more powerful. Because of their increased screen real estate and vastly superior processing abilities, they are capable of doing much more than cell phones. You might even want to consider hooking up your computer to a cellular solution like Wimax. If you do, you'll discover that your cellular connection can more than keep up.

Most people are cable or DSL subscribers at the moment and they may be wondering why they'd need to make the switch. The fact is that as far as speed and reliability are concerned, they probably don't need to. Both of those wired connections are fast enough to handle anything that internet has to offer. The problem is that their wallets may not be too happy about those connections. Cable and DSL providers usually make people sign up for home entertainment as well as telephone service before giving access to good prices on internet. Most people don't want or need those services and would thus be better off with Wimax. Once you switch, you can cancel those unnecessary subscriptions and start saving money on your monthly bills.

Another reason why people might be fed up with their current connections has to do with issues of shared usage. This concern applies mainly to cable subscribers and it has to do with the fact that the connection is usually shared with your entire neighborhood. In other words, though your advertised bandwidth may be high, the speeds that you'll actually be able to enjoy could be much different. Thankfully, Wimax isn't affected all that much by this phenomenon. For the most part, you're going to be guaranteed a certain amount of bandwidth, much like how DSL works.

Since cellular technology is wireless, people may have their doubts about it. They may think that it can't possibly be as fast as a wired solution. The fact of the matter is though that such technology has come a long way in the last few years. If you were to sign up for Wimax today, you can expect to get transfer rates as high as 6 megabits per second and maybe even higher. If you use the internet in one place like at home for example, you can expect to get the best possible speeds available. With those kinds of download rates, you'll be able to stream high definition movies, download large files, upload media to sites like YouTube or Facebook, and much more. The future looks even brighter too, as specifications allow for growth that would see transfer rates double and even triple.

Your subscription can also include the kind of equipment that you need too. You could be supplied with a modem that has built-in Wifi, so that you can share that high speed connection with all nearby compatible devices. With that kind of hardware, your Wimax connection could be the perfect home internet solution for you.

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What Makes A Great Chat Room?

The internet is akin to the Wild West whereby the best chat rooms mingle with less than favorable ones. An individual with good intentions often gets him- or herself into a spot by hooking up with the latter in a bid to make new friends and be accepted by the group. To avoid reliving a scenario of mixing with the wrong crowd in school, an informed user of the internet can easily watch out for telltale signs and steer clear of trouble.

The top chat rooms post their guidelines for use well as perform the role as class monitors to observe chatting activities on their websites. In the event a user encounters an undesirable party at the other side of the screen, it is best to inform the site's moderators and seek their assistance. Often times, well organized sites equip their users with features to block or ignore undesirable remarks thus relieving the moderators of having to mediate in every situation of words rubbing the wrong way.

Many of the best chat rooms are offered free of charge with no obligation for prior registration before use. In the event some require participants to sign up as members before utilizing their services, it is essential to understand what the information is collected for. Most times, it is purposed to establish a point of view on the users' demographics as these sites hope to package and gear their services towards the correct crowd. Top chat rooms targeting the various age groups certainly want to create the correct settings and convey relevance to their users. As such, basic information should be requested as part of the registration process and nothing more.

Since trust is a relatively fragile component when exposed to the internet, it is best to hold back personal information. Although it may seem harmless to post an email address as part of one's personal profile, details such as these may cause detriment to oneself if accessed by unauthorized parties. As such, releasing less is better judgment for one's disposition.

As parents and guardians are not able to monitor every step and site visited by those under their charge, it is best to establish confines to ensure the young do not wander away from safe ground. Although best chat rooms for children provide supervision to ensure only healthy elements traverse the wires, parents can join their children's chats to monitor from the sidelines via discrete eavesdropping. Parents also keep tabs on online friends professing to be of supposed similar ages.

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