The Mecer C22G Tablet PC from South African technology distributor Mustek is aimed at business users. It’s meant to appeal to those requiring tablet functionality in a full-blown PC.
But, at more than 1kg without its bundled keyboard/touchpad, it’s a heavy device compared to Android-based tablets, and is certainly chunky compared to the new iPad Air. It’s more PC than tablet, though, when it comes to what’s under the hood. And it runs full Windows, which means the ability to run productivity tools such as Outlook and Excel.
The tablet has a solid and sturdy feel to it, and you have to hold it properly with both hands if you’re using it in tablet mode.
Like Microsoft’s own Surface tablet PC, it comes with a built-in kickstand so you can prop it on any flat surface. There’s also the keyboard/touchpad dock, which connects magnetically. All in all, the machine has a sleek, trim and attractive look about it.
The C22G runs a third-generation 1,8GHz Intel Core i5 processor, comes preinstalled with 4GB of RAM and has a 64GB solid-state drive. It has an 11,6-inch multi-touch TFT screen with a pixel resolution of 1 366×768, a 1-megapixel front-facing camera and a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera.
Connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS. It has built-in speakers, a microphone, two USB 3 ports, a micro HDMI port and an SD card reader.
The top of the tablet houses the 3G slot, power button, earphone jack and USB ports. The USB ports are badly designed, though, as raised edges around them mean that even slightly wide USB sticks can’t be inserted.
To the right side of the device are the charging port, micro SD slot, micro HDMI port, orientation lock and volume key.
The first thing we did upon receiving the machine was patch it and then update it from Windows 8 to 8.1. The machine fan’s proved distractingly loud when performing the updates, like an overheated laptop — not something you’d expect from a tablet. The fan also kicked in noisily when browsing the hard drive, or even just waking the computer from sleep mode.
The tablet comes with two of its own “Metro”-style apps preinstalled — My Mecer My Entertainment, which pulls through information and allows bookings with movie houses Ster-Kinekor, Ster-Kinekor Nouveau and Nu Metro and with Computicket, and My Mecer My Windows 8, which offers an introduction to Microsoft’s operating system, including instructional videos on how it works.
The 2-megapixel rear-facing camera is poor, and we wonder why it was included. The standard Windows camera app — Microsoft’s fault, not Mustek’s — is disappointing, too, but it is speedy enough.
Worryingly, the Wi-Fi connection on our review unit proved unstable. We kept getting disconnected from our office wireless network at about 10 to 15 minute intervals.
The keyboard/touchpad, bundled with the device, works well enough. The Chiclet-style keyboard was a pleasure to type on, and was the right size.
If you need to work out of the office, you should be able to do it comfortably for six, seven or even eight hours with the 9 000mAh hour battery. You could prolong this further by not using the keyboard attachment — unless you’re writing a document or responding to e-mail.
At R11 549, the Mecer C22G Tablet PC is pricey for what it is. It’s hefty, too, but is better at addressing business needs than the iPad or Android equivalents. However, for the kind of money we’re talking here, and the issues we experienced, we’d still recommend getting a full-blown laptop instead. — (c) 2014 NewsCentral Media