You get HDMI and VGA ports for video output, a pair of USB 2.0 ports on the left, a USB 3.0 port on the right, headphone and microphone jacks, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and gigabit ethernet. To fit the second screen, Acer clearly had to give up some of the standard features we expect on laptops of this size. Push the system with more-intensive tasks, though, and it becomes sluggish. Everything is responsive enough when you’re just checking e-mail, browsing the Web, or writing documents. In our tests all of that added up to a ho-hum WorldBench 6 score of 109. The Iconia comes standard with 4GB of fairly slow RAM, and the 640GB hard drive is a pokier 5400-rpm model instead of a snappier 7200-rpm drive. Here, again, the newer generation of Intel processors would help a lot. The Iconia also relies on Intel’s integrated graphics, which is fine for everyday desktop productivity stuff, but a poor choice for high-def video playback or 3D gaming. Acer would get better performance and battery life from one of the newer Sandy Bridge models. The system ships with a 2.66GHz Core i5-480M that processor isn’t slow, but it is part of the previous generation of Intel Core CPUs.

You don’t actually get a whole lot of computing power for your $1199. Acer’s dual-touch implementation of a Windows laptop is about as good as you could expect it to be, but it’s just not a great idea in the first place.

Still, at that price it isn’t a very good deal, and you’re better off choosing something a little more down to earth. As high-concept products go, the Iconia is fairly affordable at $1199 (as of May 2, 2011). The standout feature, however, is its second 14-inch multitouch screen, which replaces the entire lower keyboard-and-touchpad deck. In many ways it’s a pretty ordinary 14-inch laptop. The Acer Iconia 6120 laptop is one of those marquee, “halo” products meant to draw attention to the brand as much as to satisfy everyday computing needs.

Acer iconia 6120 battery