Lenovo unveiled its IdeaPad Yoga recently at CES, showing off a notebook with a 360 degree hinge designed to be used in a variety of ways in addition to the conventional laptop style.

The Ultrabook, which will run on Windows 8, can be opened and folded back on itself to be used as a tablet or e-reader with touchscreen capabilities. It can also be propped up like a tent for a better video watching experience, for example, or used as a traditional laptop.

Convertible tablets aren't a new idea, but on the Yoga, the hinges are designed to be sturdier than the swivels used in the past. When it's flipped and used as a tablet, the keyboard deactivates, so it can be placed on a flat surface or used on the go without worrying about hitting a key. The palm rest has a leathery surface so it can rest firmly and easily while being used as a tablet, and the whole device has a rubbery coating for durability.

The device is .67 inches thick, weighs 3.1 pounds and has a 13.3 inch screen, with a battery life of up to 8 hours. It will come with as much as 256 GB of SSD and 8GB of RAM. It's expected to start around US$1,199 sometime in the second half of 2012.

Lenovo didn't return our request for more comment about the product.