If you've ever dreamed of going mobile - across the country on a business trip or just a few miles home at night - with the same computing experience you enjoy at the office, the designers in Compaq's Visioneering group are working on a solution for you: A wireless business notebook computer that doubles as a desktop PC.

Nicknamed the "tweener," this computer looks like a typical 15-inch display notebook. What sets it apart from other notebooks, though, is the design of its body. Built from a series of hinged panels, the tweener unfolds to create a desk-based unit consisting of a flat panel screen, a keyboard, and a mouse. The keyboard and mouse are detachable, connecting to the main system via Bluetooth wireless technology.

Recent statistics cited by the Small Business Administration suggest that over 85 percent of entrepreneurs whose offices are not in their homes consistently carry computer-based work home with them in the evenings and over weekends. Compaq is betting that the convenience and time savings associated with being able to resume work on a project at home without transferring files will be very attractive. And, for business owners who travel frequently, the tweener will give them the ability to take all of their files - in other words, their virtual offices - on the road at a moment's notice.

"The growing convergence of work, home, and travel computing definitely plays well against Compaq's philosophy that we all ought to be able to communicate anytime, anywhere, with access devices designed to make our lives easier," says ZDNet analyst Steph Theodopolous. "The advent of the tweener means you'll never again have to go through that awkward adjustment between your desktop at work, with its familiar keyboard, screen, and applications, and whatever system you use at home or on the road. And your days of loading the same software on multiple machines will be over."

The two-for-one nature of the tweener is one reason why Compaq has not yet priced the new product, although seven models are being customer-tested to gauge how much consumers would be willing to pay.

"Compaq's challenge is to make people see how much other equipment they won't have to buy if they purchase a tweener," says Theodopolous. "They won't need a desktop computer-and-monitor and a separate notebook, with all of its expensive add-ons."

Once the designs have been finalized and the pricing structure is set, production will begin, with shipping estimated to start as early as August of 2002. If you've been giving thought to purchasing a new desktop or notebook, it might just be worth the wait to see if Compaq's versatile twofer, the tweener, is for you.