Samsung unveils hybrid Windows, Android tablet

South Korea's Samsung has unveiled a tablet it says can run both the Windows 8 and the Android operating systems. The launch of the Ativ Q with a 13.3-inch display was announced at a news conference in London, the BBC reported Thursday. The tablet's screen sits over a keyboard that can be folded out for typing or folded back to serve as a stand, making the unit a tablet/laptop hybrid. Samsung's announcement comes just two weeks after Asus unveiled a similar hybrid design that can run both the Microsoft and Google operating systems. The 2.8-pound Ativ Q comes with a stylus for handwritten notes or drawing that slots neatly into the base when not in use. When running Windows 8, a simple touch on a tile on the Windows desktop switches the Ativ Q into Android mode in just a couple of seconds. The market is likely to see more hybrid designs in the future, one analyst said. "It's a very cost-effective way for manufacturers to offer extra value to consumers at a time when it's very hard to differentiate benefits from one device to another," Chris Green, principal technology analyst at Davies Murphy Group, said. "You can tap into the industry-standard Windows productivity solutions -- from Office to third-party programs -- as well as all the mobile apps of Google's system. It's the logical next step."