Acer went with a keyboard

Acer went with a keyboard

Welcome to a laptop battery specialist of the Dell Ac Adapter

Worse, though: think of all the pieces you'll need to carry with you if you decide to take the W700 on the road. We've already mentioned three: the tablet, cradle and kickstand. But if you're going to be using this with the cradle, you'll probably also want the Bluetooth keyboard, which comes in the box. That's four. If you're using this in desktop mode, you'll also want some sort of wireless mouse or trackpad (not included in the box, sadly). That's five pieces. The AC adapter is six. Then there's the bundled faux-leather case, which fits the tablet only. Take that and you're up to seven. It's a lot to remember, and some of the pieces (the cradle, kickstand) don't lie flat, so they'll take up more space in your bag than a device with a regular ol' keyboard dock. And really, there wouldn't have been much of a downside if Acer went with that form factor instead: you'd get the cradle and keyboard in one piece, along with a built-in battery like Dell XPS 1340 Ac Adapter, Dell XPS PP17S Ac Adapter, Dell Inspiron 13 Ac Adapter, Dell Inspiron 1318 Ac Adapter, Dell XPS M1330 Ac Adapter, Dell XPS M1350 Ac Adapter, Dell Inspiron 1470 Ac Adapter, Dell Inspiron 14Z Ac Adapter, Dell Inspiron 1570 Ac Adapter, Dell Inspiron 15Z Ac Adapter, Dell P04F001 Ac Adapter, Dell Inspiron 13ZD Ac Adapter and a smattering of ports. The only thing you wouldn't be able to do is dock the tablet in portrait mode, which is fine by us.

Fortunately, at least, the case can be folded in such a way that you can prop the tablet up (in landscape mode). That'll save you some baggage, though you won't get any additional ports, as you would on the cradle or any competitors' keyboard docks.

The Bluetooth keyboard is similar to the one that comes built into the W510's keyboard dock, in that it has white plastic keys against a gray frame. Here, though, the keys aren't squished into a keyboard dock meant to fit a 10-inch tablet; it's more expansive, with no shrunken or undersized keys. It shouldn't take you long before you're typing at your usual brisk pace. What's more, we appreciate that the keyboard has an on / off switch, which takes any potential confusion out of the pairing process (i.e., there's no need to hold down a button or anything like that).

If anything, as we said, we just wish Acer went with a keyboard dock instead of a separate cradle that you have to assemble every time you set up shop somewhere. Maybe a slightly larger (read: less cramped) version of the one that comes with the W510. We know you can do it, Acer. Maybe next time.

We feel compelled to add, too, that it would've been nice if Acer threw in a mouse, particularly since there's no trackpad area on the keyboard (hybrids with traditional keyboard docks often have a small touchpad built in). Heck, we would've been happy to have a mouse instead of a carrying case, though that leathery folio is admittedly nice to have. Seriously, though, what is one supposed to do with the tablet in desktop mode with 1080p resolution and no pointing device? Particularly on such a dense screen, it is very difficult to get around the traditional Windows desktop using your fingers. As it happens, we had Logitech's Rechargeable Trackpad lying around, though most of you will need to go out and buy something, especially if you want to pull off certain Windows 8-specific gestures, like swiping in from the left to toggle through open apps. Fortunately, at least, there's a growing body of options, so assuming you're willing to shell out an extra $50 or $60, you should be fine.