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Tablet PCs are still struggling to find their place in the market, but Acer has kept faith in the concept and has updated its TravelMate C100, one of the original batch of Tablet PCs. Its new C111TCi uses Intel's Centrino technology and offers more features than its predecessor.
On first glance, the C111TCi review system looks like an ordinary ultraportable, but open the lid, press the two buttons on the base of the 10.4in. screen and the display not only rotates 180 degrees, but also folds flat onto the keyboard, converting the unit into a true Tablet PC.
The original C100 was powered by an 800MHz low-voltage version of Intel's Pentium III Processor-M. This has been replaced in the C111TCi by a 1GHz Pentium-M, which drops to 600MHz when running under battery power. It uses 512MB of DDR266 memory, although if you can find 1GB SODIMMs, this can be increased to a maximum of 2GB via two SODIMM slots.
Because of the small format of the C111TCi, the only onboard storage is provided by a 40GB hard drive. All other devices, such as optical drives, are external. Options include a USB floppy drive, FireWire DVD/CD-RW combo - both supplied with the review system - and a USB CDROM drive. There's also a Type II PC Card slot.
There are no shortages of ways to connect the C111TCi to the outside world. As well as Wi-Fi as part of the Centrino technology, you also get integrated 10/100Base-T Ethernet, a V.90 modem and the review sample had the optional integrated Bluetooth wireless networking fitted.
The most important aspect of a Tablet PC is obviously the screen and this is the one big disappointment with the C111TCi. The trouble lies not with the stylus input, which is smooth and easy (and could be made even better if a larger stylus was provided), but the screen itself. It's very difficult to use in bright conditions and the viewing angle is almost non-existent - you have to sit straight on to see it properly.
With space at a premium, the keyboard is very small and some keys, such as the Shift and Enter buttons, are too small to use easily, as are the touchpad and mouse buttons. However, despite their small size, they are very responsive. Acer has also provided five easy-launch buttons: Internet; email, which has an LED to notify you when there is new mail in your inbox; wireless on/off; and two user-programmable buttons.
Apart from Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, the bundled software package is quite impressive. You get Acer's Notebook and Launch Manager, Norton AntiVirus, Microsoft Reader, CyberLink PowerDVD, NTI CD-Maker and trial versions of TabletPlanner, Sketchbook Pro and Zinio Reader. The battery life was a little disappointing when tested with BatteryMark4.0.1, having a life of only two hours and 15 minutes. And we weren't able to get MobileMark 2002 to run.
If you're looking for a Tablet PC, then the C111TCi is one of the best currently available. However, if you're just looking for a very small notebook, there are plenty of better-performing ultraportables around.
Contact: Acer, (0870) 900 2237
www.acer.co.uk
Specifications:
- Dimension (DxWxH) 21.6 x 25.7 x 29.7
- Weight 1.45kg
- CPU 1GHz Intel Pentium M
- Memory 512MB of PC2100DDR
- Maximum memory 1GB (through two DIMM slots)
- Graphics Integrated using up to a maximum of 64MB of system memory
- Hard drive 40GB Hitachi Travelstar 40GN-40 Ultra ATA/100
- Optical drive External CD-RW/DVD combo
- Display 10.4in. TFT XGA 1,024 x 768 pixels
- I/O ports 10/100Base-T, RJ11 modem, two x USB 2.0, VGA, FireWire, InfraRed, TypeII PC Card, microphone, headphone.
- Warranty Two years, collect and return
See also:
All Notebooks & Tablets PCs
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