Acer's 'bizarre' two-screen laptop

Acer's new Iconia 6120 laptop is one of the most boldly designed computers in recent memory. Taking a page from the iPhone, Acer has done away with the Iconia's traditional keyboard altogether, replacing it with a second 14-inch touch screen. (See a video of the Iconia in action.) The lower half can be used as either a touch-screen keyboard or a second screen. The Iconia retails for $1,200. It's an eye-catching piece of design — but does it serve a purpose?

This is completely pointless: The Iconia is "one of the most bizarre products to ever make it to production," says Sam Grobart at The New York Times. The idea of fusing two screens is "frankly, insane." Touch screens work well on iPhones and Droids primarily because those devices are small and lightweight. But adding one to the bottom half of the Iconia pushes its weight to 6.2 pounds — "making it too heavy to really serve as a laptop." Acer engineers should keep in mind that "just because something can be done, does not mean it always should be."

"Acer's Iconia is the craziest laptop of all time"

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Wait, it might actually be cool: The Iconia is "one of the weirdest computing devices I've used in recent memory," says Doug Aamoth at TIME. "But that's not necessarily a bad thing." Yes, it's not quite sure whether it wants to be a laptop or a tablet. And yet, "it's got potential (I think)." The keyboard is "not too bad," and there are a host of other intriguing features, like handwriting recognition. Ultimately, "two screens are better than one, right?"

"First look at Acer's dual screen, no keyboard 'Iconia' laptop"

You'll be surprised at how well it works: The unusual keyboard "works better than you'd expect," says Dan Ackerman at CNET. Using it is "much closer to typing on an iPad than typing on one of the many Windows tablets we've tried over the years — and that's a good thing." The Iconia also possesses enough power to get through day-to-day tasks, in contrast to some dual-screen machines. The bottom line? "Unlike a lot of other unique proof-of-concept laptops, the Acer Iconia is fun to use and largely works as advertised."

"Acer Iconia 6120 review"