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You'd be smart to wait and see how the market develops, but Asus has used the freedom of the still-forming all-in-one/tablet hybrid category to create a compelling Windows 8/Android device in the Transformer AIO.

The Asus Transformer AIO is an all-in-one Windows 8 PC where the screen is also an 18-inch Android tablet. You can switch back and forth between Windows and Android, so you can complete your work (or play) in Windows on a tabletop device that's lighter than competitive portable all-in-ones.

The Asus Transformer AiO is a truly creative attempt at increasing the versatility and usability of a home computing device.

The ASUS Transformer AiO is one of the more interesting PC products to be released this year, incorporating both a desktop PC and an 18.4in Android tablet, which doubles as the PC's monitor. You can use the big screen as a regular Android tablet, or stream your Windows 8 desktop to it.

In addition to running two OS', the AiO has dual form factors: you can use it as a traditional all-in-one if you like, or you can detach the screen from the base and use it as a wireless display (slash, an absurdly large 18-inch tablet),

The tablet experience is surprisingly reasonable, although cradling an 18.4" tablet can be an issue over the long haul. Thankfully ASUS equipped the display/tablet with an elegant kickstand. With the display detached, you can also use the Core i5/i7 base to drive a separate external display.

We haven't used it for an extended period of time, so there's a chance that this could drastically affect performance after a while, but it was just fine when we saw it. Toggling between Android and Windows 8 was smooth, too, just taking the press of a button on the side.

The Transformer AiO initially runs Windows 8, but a button push will cause the behemoth to boot into Android. You won’t be carrying your 18.4-inch tablet very far, however: the screen acts as a wireless monitor when it’s taken away from the docking base.

The 18.4-inch tablet — which boasts a Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor — isn't exactly light in the hands. It's big, and heavy too: 5.28 pounds. This isn't the type of device you'd throw into your bag and go, but it does offer flexibility of setting up shop in another room.

It’s ... far less impressive than some other AiO’s, but its ability to boot into Android might have some appeal and this is clearly a product for those who have many different needs that don’t fit into any current device on the market.

The Transformer AiO is certainly an odd duck when it comes to hybrid computers, but with both Windows 8 and Jelly Bean running smoothly it could potentially replace a whole host of other devices in the home.

This seems a recipe for bug-heaven, as neither Android nor Windows 8 will like having its core spec suddenly shifted from Tegra 3 to an Intel chip ... but in our hands-on we saw no catastrophic crashes when removing from the dock or switching operating systems.

You won’t be carrying this 18.4-inch tablet very far, however: the screen acts as a wireless monitor when it’s taken away from the docking base. This leads us to believe everything is powered by the hardware inside of the dock.