Lenovo Delivers Hybrid Laptop, Switches Between Linux and Windows

by Ostatic Staff - Jan. 05, 2012

While it's not the very first laptop to deliver Linux alongside Windows in a hybrid portable system, Lenovo's new dual CPU, dual-OS ThinkPad X1 Hybrid is perhaps the most fully realized attempt yet to give users Linux and Windows in a well-designed portable machine. Lenovo's laptop, which will be shown at the Consumer Electronic Show next week, can switch between Linux and Windows with one click, and runs Linux on a dual-core Qualcomm chip.

The laptop starts at $1,599 and Lenovo claims that it can offer users up to 10 hours of battery life if they use Linux and Windows in tandem. The system has the excellent keyboard that ThinkPads are known for, an HDMI port, a backlit keyboard, and a high-end audio setup. TIME has collected some of the other specs and details.

For a long time now, we've been singing the praises of dual-OS setups. Individuals and organizations are already running heterogenous computing environments where multiple operating systems work alongside each other through virtualization. This allows access to a much wider universe of applications, and applications are, in the end, what make a difference for users. I myself use Windows and Linux on a laptop.

Lenovo is not exactly a minor player in the laptop business. Its new Hybrid X1 laptop is a smart idea, and will introduce many Windows users to Linux when they otherwise wouldn't investigate it.

Photo Credit: Lenovo.