Acer has always been a reputable and reliable brand that has created a range of quality products. its latest innovation, the Acer Aspire 1825PTZ convertible laptop, is a tablet PC that is at the forefront of its class.

When you unbox the 1825PTZ, you are welcomed by Acer’s classic and suave glossy sapphire-blue chassis, which is accompanied by a stylish protective black sleeve. Once you lift the tablet PC from its styrofoam cradle, you will probably be surprised at its light weight (approximately 1.7kg,) despite its  dimensions.

Opening the lid, we were greeted by Acer’s raised and full-sized FineTip keyboard, which occupies the majority of the laptop’s workspace. This is inarguably the 1825PTZ’s most positive characteristic, and will be the force drawing consumers in.  On the other hand, the multigesture touchpad is perhaps its weakest physical trait, as this reviewer found it to be awkward with an almost impossibly small area of real estate to navigate with.  However, you will most likely use the excellent touchscreen to navigate anyway, but let us tackle that later.

On the upper left-hand corner above the keyboard is a physical button for quick system backup, and above that, on the display’s bezel, is a multifunction “P” button (Ctrl Alt Del, Print Screen, and one customizable slot), which will eventually come in handy if you decide to purchase the 1825PTZ.  On the right side are the multicard reader, mic/earphone jacks, 2USB ports, Ethernet port, and the elusive sliding power button, which was initially difficult to locate.  On the left-hand side you will find the HDMI and VGA ports, the power adapter connector, and an additional USB port.  While there is no optical drive, the 1825PTZ certainly comes armed with enough options.

Upon turning on the convertible laptop, Windows 7 Home Premium boots up with the help of an Intel Pentium SU4100 processor at 1.3GHz, accompanied by 2GB DD3 RAM, which boasts a lot of power for such a small piece of hardware. the 11.6-inch LED display with a resolution of 1366×768 is clear, bright and vivid, yet is quite reflective. using the 1825PTZ in a well-illuminated area might pose some difficulties, and positioning your laptop in relation to the light source might present a small hurdle, but this is not a major issue to be concerned with.

With reflections aside, the touchscreen itself is quite responsive, although the lack of a bundled stylus leaves much to be desired.  However, using your finger to navigate through Windows 7 is quite a breeze, considering the small size of the 1825PTZ. To cater to your touchscreen lust, this laptop comes installed with Acer’s Touch Portal—which is an entertainment hub featuring games, a notepad and other applications.

The plastic hinge which allows the 1825’s display to swivel 180 degrees clockwise feels sturdy enough so as not to make you worry when transforming the laptop into a tablet. Once the screen has been rotated and folded neatly above the keyboard, the 1825PTZ looks elegant and chic, and functions quite well in this mode. the only hurdle will be the 1825PTZ’s weight, which will probably cut your tablet experience shorter than you might like.

The ability of the display to swivel will definitely be useful for presentations, but if entertainment is what concerns you, the 1825PTZ is equipped with an Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics card, so rest assured that images and video are crisp and clear.  You won’t have any problem playing back HD movies, but you will run into some disappointments when it comes to gaming.

In short, the Acer Aspire 1825PTZ is ideal for business professionals who want a small, mobile and convertible laptop.  With an amazing battery life of up to 8 hours, this touchscreen notebook/tablet is a gadget that should definitely find its way into your inventory of mobile technology.