Intel shows off Keeley Lake concept, says it’s just a bedtime story (video)

It’s a busy Computex for Intel, as the company already stated that many tablets and mini laptops running on their Cedar Trail processor will be released during the event. Still, Intel found the time and space to introduce a new concept, named Keeley Lake, which is a 12 inch convertible notebook. It’s a very, very slim notebook with a hinge underneath the screen that lets you twist the display and fold it over the keyboard, and you suddenly have a pretty huge tablet.

The device’s profile is very thin, Intel showing off the capacity of their new Cedar Trail architecture. Usually, convertible notebooks are kind of bulky and heavy, especially when you use it as a tablet, considering you also have to sustain the base of the notebook, with all those heavy internals. It seems to be different with this concept, as the base is in the same territory as the Samsung 9 Series, while the display is also one of the slimmest we’ve seen in a while.

Sure, maybe Intel is pulling our leg here, as we don’t quite know what’s in there and it might as well be just a piece of plastic (considering that the unit was never turned on). In terms of looks, the convertible doesn’t turn any heads; the hinge is almost vulgar in comparison with nicely finished convertibles from Asus or HP and the actual conversion physics seems a little squeaky. But the relevant part here is the Cedar Trail platform, that can deliver great HD performance and is optimized for mobile OS, like Android.

This would be an interesting dual boot device, with Android for fun and customization and (hopefully) Windows 8 for keeping it together at work- not to mention it supports Wireless Display for streaming HD content. The dual core version of the Cedar Trail line is also able to decode flawless 1080p video, as well as dealing with other demanding tasks, while the entire architecture is much more energy savvy. Also, the platform requires less physical space and can be designed without any fans or coolers (we actually didn’t see a fan on the Keeley Lake during that video).

What we did see is a USB port and a HDMI port, both positioned in the back, above where normally you have the battery, while the sides seemed portless.  The sad news is that Intel presented it just as a wacky idea they had and no company is attached right now to actually develop the 12 inch convertible. Hopefully someone will sign a deal with Intel during Computex. Stay tuned for a short video.