Acer TravelMate C102TI

At 3.2 pounds and 10.2 by 8.6 by 1.3 inches, the TravelMate C102TI is a middleweight; in terms of size, it sits dead center in the tablet lineup. Inside, you'll find a midrange configuration that includes an 800MHz Pentium III-M processor, 256MB of RAM, and a 30GB hard drive--a setup that may struggle to keep up with Toshiba's Portégé 3505, which uses a much faster 1.3GHz Pentium III-M processor.

Twist and fold
As is the case with all convertible tablets, the TravelMate C102TI's screen is the feature that catches your eye. The 10.4-inch display not only hinges like a traditional notebook's, it can also rotate 180 degrees or fold over, screen side up, to create a passable, though thick, tablet. Unfortunately, this screen is a little more complicated than the Portégé 3505's. Pop open the lid, push in two spring-loaded latches at the sides of the screen's base, then swivel it; when the screen is in place, press the buttons again to lock. (The Toshiba Portégé 3505's more elegant arrangement doesn't have two side latches.)

While we're impressed by the TravelMate C102TI's design, it may be a little too ambitious. The latch that holds the display in place during tablet operation refused to fully close in our usability tests, and the two locking latches at the base of the screen take some getting used to. We're also frustrated that, when in tablet mode, the system's screen ends up covering part of the speakers and muffling the sound.

Like the other tablets we've seen, the TravelMate C102TI lets you change the screen's orientation from portrait to landscape, but this tablet makes you press the Function button as well as an arrow key, instead of a single control. But Acer includes its unique curved keyboard, which may make up for those inconveniences. Despite its skimpy keys, it's comfortable enough to use--just don't look at it after you've had a few beers. Hide Review