Price: $1,500
This diminutive 20in Sony is a wild card
entry into our Super test. Is it a desktop? Is it a giant tablet? Is it,
perhaps, both? That’s what Sony is going for with the Tap 20. It’s a PC with a
20in screen and a fold-away stand, allowing it to either be a standard desktop
or a knee strainingly bulky slate.
This
diminutive 20in Sony is a wild card entry into our Super test. Is it a desktop?
In a way, it makes sense: touch and tablets
were made for each other, and the 10-point multi-touch allows you to make the
most of Windows 8 and that 1600x900 screen. The Tap 20 makes a further claim to
tablet-ness thanks to an internal battery that will last long enough to watch a
movie, although not much more than that.
The edges of the Tap 20’s screen may be
nicely rounded, but on the inside a few corners have been cut. It’s common to
use mobile versions of processors and graphics chips for compact devices, but
the Tap really struggles with some aspects of Windows 8, mainly thanks to its
underpowered internal graphics. The lack of an optical drive could also be a
concern if you’re still attached to your physical media.
Quirky
and cumbersome, the Tap 20 is an interesting concept but you might not want to
fork out $1,500 for the privilege.
Clearaudio tech plus a tiny but excellent
subwoofer delivers better sound than you could reasonably expect from an
all-in-one.
Connectivity isn’t great, there’s a scant
selection of ports, but a dedicated SD/Memory Stick slot might please Sony
fans.
A
white plastic case may not feel so premium, but it’s protection for a device
that’ll get rougher handling than an average desktop.
Stow it
The kickstand moves between 15-90°, or it
folds back flush so the device can be used in ‘tablet’ mode though it does
resemble some sort of ubertech balance-board.
Help me if you can
As with all Vaio products, an Assist button
brings up sage, context-specific help. Running Windows 8, you might find
yourself needing it more than you expected.
Tech Specs
·
Display 20in, 1600x900 multi-touch
·
CPU Dual-core Intel Core i5-3317U @1.7 GHz
·
GPU Intel HD 4000
·
Storage 1TB, 6GB RAM
·
Optical drive No
·
Connectivity USB3.0 (x2), SD/MS, audio-out
Acer Aspire 7600U
Price: $,2100
As far as anything with a 27in screen can
feel floaty, this all-in-one does. The clear Perspex hanging from its
edge-to-edge glass screen gives it a lightness from the front, though you’ll
find it more industrial from other angles.
Still, its 1080p screen and 10-point multi-touch
makes it ideal for Windows 8’s touch-enabled interface, and the stand rakes
between 30-80º to provide an angled touch typing surface. But take a look
around the back and you’ll find two HDMI inputs (and one HDMI-out), a socket
for the built-in TV tuner, a Blu-ray drive and an impressively svelte form that
makes the Acer look like an ideal telly replacement.
Two
HDMI inputs make the Acer the best choice if you want to hook up several
consoles or systems to a big screen.
But the 7600U’s innards are a mixed bag.
The CPU is a 2.5GHz Intel i5 mobile variant, which is just about fast enough to
run Win 8 without too many problems, and a discrete mobile graphics chip drives
the display but fan noise can occasionally be distracting.
As a TV replacement, the Aspire is
acceptable, but not brilliant. It’s thin enough to wall-mount, viewing angles
and screen performance are great, but audio is a little weak and gives way to a
rattly, raspy distortion if pushed. The Acer goes a long way, but it’s not
perfect.
The
webcam doubles as an extra user-interface bundled software sees your hand as a
mouse.
Stand on your own foot
The unusual ‘uni-stand’ also cleverly
incorporates the power connector, and it folds flat into the back panel if you
decide to wall-mount the device.
Movie time
Though the sound is a little weak, the
giant, clear and colorful Aspire screen delivers when it comes to viewing
angles, so the Blu-ray drive will come in handy.
An
integrated Freeview tuner means you’ll never be short of something to watch, as
long as you really like Bargain Hunt.
Tech Specs
·
Display 27in, 1920x1080 10-point multi-touch
·
CPU Dual-core Intel Core i5-3210M @ 2.5GHz
·
GPU GeForce GT 640M
·
Storage 1TB,8GB RAM
·
Optical drive Blu-ray
·
Connectivity HDMI-out, HDMI-in (x2), USB2.0
(x4), USB3.0 (x2), SD, TV
