The Dell Inspiron Duo is Coming Soon

The upcoming 10.1-inch multi-touch “netvertible” or “convertible” netbook from Dell, the Dell Inspiron Duo, is “coming soon” according to a video that Dell posted online a few days ago. You can catch the official video below, which features a nice speaker dock from JBL.

The video plays up the social media/networking aspect as well as multimedia usage. Utilizing the dock, it can be used as a movie player, music jukebox, digital picture frame, etc.

The “Duo” in the name refers to the convertible nature of the netbook – the screen can easily be flipped back and forth, allowing for either a conventional netbook or laptop form factor, or it can be flipped and laid down across the chiclet-style keyboard and function as a Tablet device, similar to a Tablet PC or iPad. It’s generated a lot of buzz. Many of the convertible netbooks have been very hit or miss, with many being under-powered. That’s not the case here – the Inspiron Duo is powered by a dual-core Intel Atom N550. That’s a major feather in Dell’s hat, but of course the actual form factor is what has generated the most buzz. The screen literally flips or rotates with the frame of the display. Other convertible netbooks and laptops, the whole display is full rotated 180 degrees and then laid flat. Rather than relying on a single hinge/pivot point, it has two, and the impact of that remains to be seen – whether it feels sturdier, etc.