First few hours with Samsung Ativ Smart PC

The Windows 8 hybrids are finally here, and the first one we got our hands on was the Samsung Ativ Smart PC. Call it a Smart PC, but it is without doubt a tablet at heart, and a very good one at that.

It looks like a very compact laptop, with a flap that overlaps behind the display near the dock. You can just tear out the tablet from the keyboard, and that is as easy as it can be. But putting the laptop back in the dock is not that easy and it takes a while for the tablet to lock. You have to wait for the faint beep that says your mission has been successful.

Having used Windows 8 on an old non-touch Ultrabook over a couple of months, I can't even express the feeling of freedom that swamps you when you get to use the same on a device with touch too.

The Smart PC is an amazing touch device, just the way Windows 8 devices are meant to be.  And then you have Samsung's very own S-Pen that adds a whole new dimension to the tablet. I wouldn't want to type anything on it with the S-Pen and Windows 8 handwriting recognition acting together to give accuracy rates that are almost close to cent per cent. The S-Pen really lifts this device to a new level.

The Smart PC comes with a lot of ports and most of them are located on the tablet side. So there are three covered USB ports, two of which are one the keyboard side. The power button and volume controls, the S-Pen and a micro-SD slot are also on the sides of the tablet.

But to charge the device you will have to dock the tablet as the power port is on the keyboard. So while you would be tempted to use the tablet alone, you will need to the carry keyboard along in case you run out of power.

The keyboard is full size and very responsive, though you have to ensure that the device is properly docked to use the keys. The trackpad is good too, but we doubt if you will ever need to use it on a touch device.

Another notable thing is the power adapter which is now much smaller. It is what you would get with a tablet and not a laptop. Yes, this is a tablet at heart.