HP Envy Note 8: Mini Tablet Meets Full Keyboard

The HP Envy Note 8 (starting at $329) tablet may look peculiar standing upright in its 10-inch keyboard (an extra $100), but this combo could pinch hit for a laptop. When you're done with the 8-inch slate, it slides into the back of the keyboard with a snug fit that makes it safe to toss in your bag.

We went hands-on with the Note 8 at a preview event, and the accessories are definitely the key selling points.

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The Note 8 comes with an HP Active Pen, a pressure-sensitive stylus with a 2 millimeter tip that brings up a radial wheel menu when tapped onto the display. While it gives users easy access to a list of options for the notes they're about to take, the text for options like HP Instant Note, Paste, Copy, Select All and Camera seemed a bit small when we tried it out.

HP's Notes Hub app comes pre-loaded on the Envy 8, and gives users a visual timeline of the notes they've made. That app logs the entries you've made in both Microsoft's OneNote and HP's own Instant Note app, which allows users to start writing a note anywhere while using the app.

Not only is the keyboard full size, but its keys have the 1.5 mm of travel that we look for in all notebooks. The tablet is 7.7mm thin and weighs 0.8 pounds and comes with a 5MP Autofocus rear camera and a 2MP front-facing shooter.

The tablet itself features a full HD Gorilla Glass 3 display (1920 x 1080 pixels), an Intel Atom X5 processor, a 5-MP back camera and 2-MP front camera. This device is LTE-ready for Verizon's network.

Priced at $429 with its keyboard, the Envy 8 could be the ideal tablet for road warriors and corridor warriors who want to take notes in meetings and stay connected on the go. Stay tuned for our full review.