Eric, you specifically ASKED what you're missing on point #3 (hybrid laptops), so I don't feel bad at all about telling you that you've completely missed the boat AND the train.

THE BOAT: The laws of physics say you're not saving any power whatsoever with a "hybrid laptop". Any power you're using from the battery came from the wall in the first place. You should know that. So long as you're using the computer AT ALL, you're either draining the battery or replenishing it. NO SAVINGS. And with less than 100% efficiency whenever you transfer energy, the battery could be more wasteful than running directly off the mains. (To be honest, reading this slide reminded me of the secretary who asked the office supply store to fax her some blank paper, because her fax machine was empty. Fortunately, we don't all have to understand electricity to flip the switches.)

THE TRAIN: common sense tells you that if you routinely run off the battery when you have a perfectly good outlet, then you WON'T have a fully charged battery when you need to disconnect and run off to a meeting. So there you are, with a flat battery frantically running around looking for a power outlet because you needlessly ran down your batteries when it didn't "save" you so much as one spare electron.

Now, if you actually want to save some energy, wish for a wind-up generator to charge that battery and/or power the laptop directly. OLPC has a decent concept there, and there's no reason on Earth it can't be adapted to mainstream laptops. A power brick with a pedal would be my preferred form factor. Hell, put two pedals on it and market it as an "executive desk exerciser". Power your laptop by burning your spare tire.

OK, I'm ready to start peddling my way to a better laptop. I'm already a regular recreational bike rider. Best, Eric