A Norwegian hardware developer is using YouTube to showcase a dual-mode laptop that combines an Intel processor and an ARM processor to lower power consumption and increase battery life.

You can run the PC in two modes, opting for ARM and Ubuntu for low power and long battery life, and Intel /Windows 7 mode for high performance. You can toggle between the two using the alt+tab command on the keyboard.

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Enabling the "seamless" switch over between the two CPUs is an integrated southbridge solution on the motherboard, designed and patented by Omar Nathaniel Ely of CUPP Computing.

CUPP Computing says its hybrid PC gives users the flexibility to "use the PC the way that best suits their habits".

The company expects to go into production in Q2, 2011 - it will be interesting to see at what price point.

CUPP is touting the green angle heavily: "If used on a wide scale this would have a dramatic impact on global power consumption."

That is a big if.

Laptop users on the move always want longer battery life, but how much performance and user experience are they willing to sacrifice to achieve this?