Best Buy now selling $749.99 HP Split x2 Windows 8 hybrid tablet, laptop

Summary: The new convertible notebook features a 13.3-inch detachable touchscreen and two batteries, but does not use an Intel Haswell processor.

Without much fanfare, HP has launched a new convertible Windows 8 laptop that's available exclusively at Best Buy (at least for now). The Split x2 features a detachable screen that lets you use it as a tablet when you're not making use of it as a traditional notebook.

The model available now (the Split 13-m010dx x2) is built around a 13.3-inch touchscreen with 1,366x768 resolution. It includes 4GB of RAM and 128GB of solid-state storage. You also get a pair of 3-cell batteries -- one in the base and another in the display/tablet. While the full device is 0.9 inches thick (and 4.9 pounds), the screen itself is 0.4 inches thick and 2.3 pounds when detached.

Curiously, the Split x2 comes with a third-generation Intel Core i3 processor (i3-3229Y), not one of the new Haswell CPUs. When HP announced the new Split famil y a couple of months ago, a Core i5 option was mentioned, though it's currently not available.

The Split x2 is priced at $749.99, more than similar HP convertible devices like the Envy x2 and the forthcoming SlateBook x2. Those, however, use smaller screens and less powerful processors -- and, in the case of the SlateBook, Android instead of Windows 8.

[Via Engadget]