A portable, electronic device configured to transform between a smartphone usage mode and a keyboard-based usage mode. The device includes (i) a base section and (ii) a top section that includes a touchscreen display that sits over the base section when the device is in the smartphone mode. A sliding carriage system enables the top section to both (i) slide back over the base section, moving parallel to a top surface of the base section, and then fully expose the keyboard, and (ii) then pivot so that the display is at a conventional reading angle to the keyboard.