X-bit labs

Acer TravelMate C111Tci Tablet PC Review (page 2)

Category: Mobile

by Galina Sudareva

[ 04/30/2004 | 12:11 PM ]

Software

The preinstalled software bundle needs a closer inspection. The operation system you see here is Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (English-language version), specifically tailored by Microsoft for tablet notebooks. It helps to use handwrite-input programs efficiently.

The Input Panel application serves for typing, transferring and recognizing text. It also simulates a virtual keyboard, necessary for the stylus.

The Windows Journal and the Sticky Notes (this program is a handy and efficient alternative to popular paper sticky notes) both support handwrite input, but only in English (a nice practice if your knowledge of the language needs improving).

The system can be restored from the hard disk drive for which purpose there’s a hidden partition with files. If you feel like using this restore function, press the F2 key for entering the BIOS and enable the “Boot from Hard Disk Recovery” option from the “Advanced” page. That’s all – you don’t have to seek for drivers or attach an external drive.

Design and Ergonomics

The elegant case of the Acer C111TCi certainly pleases the eye. It is dark-blue with light-blue metallic insertions – overall that’s a great-looking machine.

The top panel of the notebook can rotate along two axes (vertical and horizontal) and work in two modes: like a screen of a regular notebook or like one of a tablet PC. The display can only be rotated by 180° clockwise – rotating it otherwise you can damage it as the direction arrows on the LCD shaft indicate. The lid is fastened with two locks (the display remains locked fast when you use the device as a tablet).

There are five buttons at the display’s framing, which become accessible in the “tablet mode”: Enter (you push it for confirming your choices), Page Down and Page Up (for scrolling one page up/down, respectively), Fn (this is a functional key that you use with other keys for launching various applications) and a Windows security key (analogous to the Ctrl + Alt + Del combination). This designer solution seems to be most appropriate for the “tablet” aspect of the Acer TravelMate C111TCi. The system status indicators are placed along the screen frame, too, and the power, WLAN activity and Standby indicators have their duplicates on the external side of the lid.

The 10.4” screen supports 16-bit color and resolutions up to 1024x768. It is rather dark, even at the maximum settings. You set the screen parameters up using the functional keys. Visibility is poor at the lowest settings, although you can read something in full dark with comfort for your eyes.

You get two styluses with the Acer TravelMate C111TCi – one is full-size and another is portable (smaller). Both are non-contact, i.e. you don’t have to touch the screen surface. The back side of the electromagnetic “pen” can be used as an eraser (in programs that support this feature). The pen’s button serves for dragging and double-clicking. Yes, this “pen” is very functional:

The top panel has quick-launch buttons for starting applications you use often (you assign applications to two buttons by yourself; other buttons choose the WLAN connection interface, launch your e-mail client and Internet browser).