Samsung ATIV Smart PC: Laptop, tablet and then some

Whether the Samsung ATIV Smart PC is a laptop, a tablet — or perhaps both — was something I was about to discover.

In the box it comes with a nearly full-size keyboard, but the keyboard is included as a detachable accessory. The tablet, just 9.9-mm thin, is only three ounces heavier than the other brands available.

I was at first a bit confused as to how to attach the ATIV Smart PC tablet to the keyboard. But after a few tries and the need to remove the little locks on the bottom of the tablet, I got the tablet connected to the keyboard.

I know many tablet users who would welcome a detachable keyboard as it makes it a little easier to type long e-mails, write letters or even type up an article with greater ease.

So is this new Samsung baby a harbinger of things to come?

For starters, once the tablet is docked to its keyboard, the device can be carried around as a standard clamshell laptop. It also runs the full version of Windows 8.

The hardware mix more closely resembles a tablet than a laptop. The system is equipped with 2GB of DDR2 memory and 64GB flash storage. The 11.6-inch screen is 1,366 by 768 pixels. The screen is large for a tablet.

All major controls are located on the tablet itself. The power button, volume controls, a power jack, one USB 2.0 port and a microSD card slot are built into the tablet. This makes the SmartPC pretty self-contained. The keyboard dock has two additional USB 2.0 ports and a power connector. The power connector is needed, since the tablet’s power connector disappears into the dock latch.

The Samsung ATIV was pretty quick in getting the Internet connections made. I surfed the web, did some downloading of photos, tweeted some stuff and checked my e-mail.

I was a happy camper after I downloaded my e-mail and connected to the keyboard because it made typing up responses a little more like the experience I am used to.

Yes, I did watch a video, which was downloaded for me. Watching it on the tablet was really fun, although I did find the speakers weren’t as powerful as I would have liked. But once I connected my headset, everything was fine.

The Smart PC comes with 32-bit version of Windows 8 installed. As a tablet OS, Windows 8 works well on the Samsung. The touchscreen is responsive and quick, and multi-touch gestures work smoothly. When docked to the keyboard, the small trackpad supports edge detection, so I was able to swipe from the edge using the trackpad.

The keys on the keyboard are nearly full size, Chicklet-style, and offer good tactile function. It’s much easier to type on the keyboard (rather than the touchscreen), and I found myself making fewer typing errors.

The Samsung ATIV Smart PC is, basically, a PC without a keyboard attached to it — the full experience of this device is what I like to think of as somewhere between a mobile tablet and a full Ultrabook-type situation.

The Samsung ATIV Smart PC has a touchscreen experience that is really amazingly responsive. And when connected to the keyboard, it makes “doing work” a whole lot easier.

The best of both worlds? You decide.