14 DAY TRIAL // Some may come to think they've seen everything that the notebook and tablet markets have to offer, but designers have a knack of breaking such fragile illusions, by presenting such concepts as the Bento.
Hybrid devices aren't a novelty on today's IT market, but they definitely don't take the concept as far as Rene Woo-Ram Lee did.
What the designer presented is the concept for a laptop whose only permanent parts are the 15.4-inch 16:10 OLED display and the case.
The rest of the so-called parts lie in shallow depressions and can be configured to run as one or even individually.
The first thing that jumps into view (once one is past the shape and the striking red color) is the 11-inch tablet.
Said slate has an aspect ratio of 21:9 and also uses the OLED display technology. It probably contains the processor, the memory and everything else except the Bento Book's screen, since the laptop itself is really just the case and the display.
Another shallow depression holds a 4-inch phone, essentially allowing all mobile operations (voice calls etc.) to be done from the notebook form factor.
Both the tablet and the phone can be easily removed from their thin compartments and be used individually as well.
Furthermore, a 1 TB solid state drive can be added to the mix. While the tablet probably has its own storage space, this will ensure that capacity is never in short supply.
All of these components somehow fit inside a frame whose thickness is of a mere 15 mm. They are kept running by a solar-powered lithium-ion battery.
There is no way of knowing what OS or what price the Bento will sport, provided it even gets past the concept stage.
If it manages not to fade into obscurity like so many other concepts did over the years, some actual information may appear by the end of the year.