The Acer Aspire Switch 12 – a Core M-based 2-in-1 laptop – is coming, and it starts at just $649.  Promotional and hands-on videos are starting to appear in YouTube.

There’s one device I didn’t manage to get a good hands-on with at IDF and IFA last year and that’s the Acer Aspire Switch 12. I wish I had because I’m intrigued having read one of the first reviews, watched a number of videos and having just drafted a piece on hot-desking with the Surface Pro 3.  The Switch 12 weighs 1.4KG in total which is above our 1.3KG limit here but as the keyboard is removable there’s an operating weight of well under 1300 grams. Still, you’re unlikely to be carrying this without the keyboard so it sits on the borderline.

Acer Aspire Switch 12 is available.

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Things are hotting-up in the 8.9-inch Windows detachable sector with Toshiba announcing something that’s going to go head-to-head with the ASUS Transformer Book T90 Chi. The Toshiba Satellite Click Mini beats the T90 Chi on some specifications, but not on others.

Toshiba Satellite Click Mini

At 1KG (2.2 pounds) exactly the Toshiba Satellite Click 2 with its docking keyboard isn’t as light as the T90 Chi but there’s a reason for that. The keyboard isn’t just a Bluetooth keyboard but a true docking keyboard with USB port, charging port and battery. Video playback battery life is quoted at 8hrs for the tablet and 16 hours with the dock. This looks like the perfect seat-back companion for international flights. Expect a little less on web browsing but 12+ hours should be possible if the Click Mini falls in line with what we’ve seen on this platform from other products.

A Toshiba Click Mini video playlist is embedded below. Full specifications, images, videos and more in our database.

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Impressive. The Transformer Book Chi 2-in-1 was shown briefly at the Computex show today and although Asus didn’t say it outright, the ‘next generation’ Core processor, slick design and lack of detail in the specifications availability and pricing leads us to conclude that it’s going to be a product built around the 5th-Generation core. It means we’ll probably see this on stage a few more times before we get to see it for sale.

The incredibly thin 7.3mm tablet design is just 14.3mm thick when snapped together with the keyboard. The weight should be just as groundbreaking. The design suggests that it’s fanless too.

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Lenovo have just launched a Miix 2 11 based on 4th-Gen Core with up to 256GB of SSD storage and optional 3G.

Like the Lenovo Miix 2 10 it’s a 3-mode detachable and it’s obviously going to compete in the Surface Pro 2 space although you’ll have to wait for April. The starting price of $699 looks good although you should probably expect a Y-series Core i3 for that price, like the $699 Yoga 11S.   

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