HP Slatebook x2 Android Hybrid

Many manufacturers have tried to create a "productivity" solution for Android tablets. Samsung does a decent job with its stylus-focused Note line, but manufacturers that build hybrids — tablets that become laptops with a keyboard dock — often come up short.

Hewlett-Packard is betting that it's finally cracked the Android hybrid with its Slatebook x2. By having the 10.1-inch tablet connect to the keyboard directly with a dock connector instead of via wireless, it can create a mouse cursor on the screen. While wireless connections (which similar hybrids typically have) provide more versatility, they can't do the mouse, so users must frequently touch the screen — a jarring experience for anyone used to a normal laptop with a touchpad.

Not only do users need a mouse to be productive, they need power — and the Slatebook has it. HP says it will be the first Android "detachable" on the market to pack Nvidia's powerhouse Tegra 4 processor, first unveiled in January.

SEE ALSO: HP Debuts First Android-Based Device, the Slate 7 Tablet

The mouse cursor is one of the few software tweaks that HP includes. When the company announced it was going down the Android path, it said it would stay as close to "stock" software as possible. In the Slatebook, it appears to have kept that promise, including a basic version of Android 4.2.2 "Jelly Bean" with very few extras.

One of those extras is actually very useful, though: a file manager. It's not flashy or "sleek" — just a basic folder management system like you'd find on a Windows PC. For a productivity-focused machine, it's a welcome feature.

I had a little hands-on time with the Slatebook x2, and came away really liking it. The keyboard has some nice shortcut keys for your favorite apps and a Google Now key. Start typing from the home screen, and it brings up search for the device itself — just like Windows 8. What's more, the touchpad supports gestures such as pinch to zoom; it's all very well thought-out.

The screen is a bright 1,920 x 1,200 IPS display. The default background screen prominently displays your remaining battery life (giving you a time estimate) for both the tablet and base (the base charges the tablet, and it drains the base first). When you detach, the base life disappears — a nice touch.

The HP Slatebook x2 will be available this summer for $479.99 with 64 GB of storage.

How do you like the HP's Android "laptop?" Would you prefer it over a Chromebook or Windows 8 hybrid? Let us know in the comments.

Hands-on images by Pete Pachal, Mashable; product images courtesy of HP