Acer Aspire Timeline 1825PT

The recent launch of Apple's iPad has inspired other PC makers to integrate touch-sensitive displays in their products, one example being the Aspire 1825PT.

It looks like a normal laptop, similar in specification to its excellent predecessor, the 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 lifted up, swivelled around and then laid down over the keyboard, converting the computer into what used to be known as a ‘tablet’.

There are some important differences between this tablet PC and the iPad, though. The 1825PT is a traditional laptop with touch capabilities, and comes with Windows 7, while the iPad runs iOS, an operating system designed for mobile devices. iOS is restricted to running applications downloaded from Apple's App Store, while Windows runs here as it does on any other computer.

For example, in tablet mode items on screen are selected with a finger tap rather than a mouse click, and text can be entered using an on-screen keyboard. Unlike the more expensive Fujitsu T4410, the 1825PT doesn’t come with a stylus for handwriting recognition.

The display was fairly responsive, however, and was able to recognise two finger presses simultaneously, so for instance you can zoom out of images or maps by making a pinching motion on the screen.

It also comes with Acer Touchportal, a touch-friendly program for loading music, pictures and video, although this was slow and ugly. It also includes the Microsoft Touch Pack, which includes Collage, a program that lets users move pictures around a virtual tabletop as if they were real photographs, and Globe, a mapping program that scrolls through maps using finger movements for control.

There are also some casual games included. Some applications in the Microsoft Office collection (not included) work well with a touchscreen display, such as the excellent note-taking software Onenote, but generally, few applications are significantly enhanced when used on a tablet PC.

There are three USB ports, HDMI and VGA sockets for connecting screens, microphone and headphone connections and it can connect to wired and wireless networks as well as Bluetooth devices.

The 1825PT will appeal to those who want a touch-sensitive computer that can use standard Windows software. Like the 1810TZ, it has a good battery life, although the processor isn't as powerful as the one on a full-sized laptop.

It's quite expensive, almost £300 more than its non-touch sibling, and the glossy screen attracts fingerprints. It's also heavy and bulky, made worse by the battery protruding from the bottom.

If you are after a touchscreen PC, this is a good one, but unless that’s exactly what you are after, better-value computers are available.