Hasta La Gadget!

Lenovo’s U1 Hybrid could signal the future of the iPad and tablet industry, if any accessory manufacturers want to jump on board.

Lenovo’s U1 is something truly novel: a Linux-based tablet that can be docked back into a notebook form factor, adding a keyboard, a second processor, a Windows operating system, and additional battery life to the mix. But what if all a user wanted was a keyboard?

Let me explain. I haven’t been lucky enough to play with the iPad yet, so I can’t comment on the usability of its keyboard. But the disadvantage of any touchscreen device, in my mind, has been the lack of a quality keyboard, that can be used as effectively as a physical keyboard over long periods of time. And this, I believe, is a concern: by adding iWork to the iPad software ecosystem, Apple has signaled that it hopes customers will perform some light content creation. Patrick Moorhead of AMD, who used the iPad for a week as a business tool, noted that his wrists became cramped after a few hours of work.

From a physical standpoint, here’s what differentiates a notebook from a tablet: A hinge. And a keyboard.