Acer 1825PT video review

The recent launch of Apple's iPad tablet computer has inspired other PC makers to integrate touch-sensitive displays in their products, such as the Aspire 1825PT. It looks like a normal laptop, similar in specification to the excellent Aspire Timeline 1810TZ, with 4GB of memory, an Intel dual-core processor and a 320GB hard disk.

The difference is that the display can be swivelled around and then laid down over the keyboard, converting it into a tablet.

There are some important differences between this tablet PC and the Apple iPad. The 1825PT is a traditional tablet PC, and it comes with Windows 7, while the iPad runs iOS, which is the new name for the operating system that runs on the iPhone.

iOS is restricted to running applications downloaded from Apple's App Store, while Windows runs as it does on any computer, with the addition that you can interact with applications by touching the screen.

Items can be selected with a finger tap rather than a mouse click, and text can be entered via an on-screen keyboard, although it doesn't come with a stylus for handwriting recognition.

The display is fairly responsive, and can recognise two finger presses simulatenously, so you can zoom in on images or maps by pinching.

It comes with Acer Touchportal, a touch-friendly program that can ve loaded by flicking an icon in the corner, and is used for loading music, pictures and videos. However, we found it slow, ugly and not particularly useful.

There's also the Microsoft Touch Pack, which includes Collage, a program that lets you move pictures around a virtual tabletop as if they were real photographs, and Globe, a mapping application that lets you scroll through maps with finger movements. There are also some casual games included.

Some applications in the Office 2007 suite work well with a touch-screen display, such as Onenote, but generally, there are few applications that are significantly enhanced when used on a tablet PC.

As with most other tablet PCs, it's heavy and bulky, which is made worse by the battery protruding from the bottom. Even the iPad isn't light,
but the 1825PT is even heavier, and much thicker, so it really makes your arms ache when holding it for long periods.

The glossy screen attracts fingerprints and it's quite expensive, almost £300 more than the 1810TZ, its non-touch sensitive sibling.

However, despite the current attention lavished on the iPad, some people still need a touch-sensitive computer that runs Windows, and the 1825PT is a good choice. It has a good battery life, and although the processor isn't as powerful as a full-sized laptop, a large tablet PC such as this definitely has its uses.