A fairly balanced monitor that will allow us to enjoy the touch experience in Windows 8

The Acer UT220HQL is a 21-inch monitor with touch capability, designed fundamentally for users who purchase a computer with Windows 8 or update their equipment to this system and who want to enjoy the full functionality of this platform. Remember that when Microsoft developed this system would function as an intermediate step between traditional desktop life and much more oriented use touch interface. Although this development so far has not found much excitement in the market, includes several interesting options that streamline the media experience. With the Acer UT220HQL you can browse, use different apps or even laying the device to use it like a huge tablet. We have had the opportunity to test this model, which can be found in the market for a price of 280 euros.

The first point we would like to highlight in this computer is its design. The Acer UT220HQL is a monitor with a very slim design that combines a bottom strip of clear plastic with a metal hinge. One of the most interesting aspects of the team is the flexibility it provides this support as we can get to tilt the panel at a position close to horizontal to use the monitor as if it were a large tablet. And for the middle path to find the position best suited to use we want to make the team.

Moreover, this team has a somewhat thicker than we are used to seeing lately framework. Acer has used the lower end of the frame to put five buttons that control the display settings. It is somewhat surprising that this access to the monitor options only be done through buttons and not to make use of its touch ability to move with greater agility through these menus. The complete dimensions of Acer UT220HQL are 38.6 x 51.4 x 4.6 inches and weighs 4.7 kilos reaches. This weight is demure enough for us to carry this screen easily throughout the home.

Now the big question comes. Do you need to jump into a tactile universe? Probably, many users who have Windows 7 or are using the computer basically to perform productive tasks, will say that not. But it is also true that the multimedia content such as navigation system or viewing videos on the internet earn many points thanks to the agility that enables this feature. The advantage of this is that Acer UT220HQL monitor remains at a very competitive price that does not require a large investment to get one of these monitors.

As for the quality of the panel itself, we have a 21.5-inch IPS panel with full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and the ability to use up to ten simultaneous points of pressure on the screen. In tests the functioning of this screen has been pretty fine, the precision with which a particular point are marked both in strength and softness with which contents can be moved by dragging your finger. Just do not reach the level that we see in some of the most powerful on the market smarpthones, but neither is the objective of UT220HQL Acer monitor.

The contents are displayed with a good level of detail and quality, and a brightness of 250 nits, which runs slightly above the average of the mid-range monitors. But the most prominent aspect of betting on this technology is the fact that we can view the contents with viewing angles of 178 degrees both horizontally and vertically, allowing us great flexibility to view images. The response time of this monitor reaches an average response time of 8 milliseconds, which should be fluent enough to show most of the contents of the system or media but it may be somewhat short when faced with the most dynamic images.

Monitor installation is downright simple, although you must follow a few steps to start enjoying the touch functionality in Windows 8. Firstly, connect the monitor to your computer or laptop via a VGA cable or a cable HDMI. At this point we must bear in mind that the monitor does not include one of these HDMI cables, so we have to reuse one that we have at home or buy a new one. It is a bad habit widespread among many manufacturers and models is quite disturbing.

Once connected the monitor should start automatically see pictures in it. If we want these images only appear on the monitor (if using a laptop), we can go to the menu “Devices” on the right strip and then “Project.” To set the touch function, the cable must be connected to terminate in a USB (included with the monitor) to the PC and wait for the necessary drivers are installed. This process is done automatically after a few seconds and can begin to use this capability.

As for the monitor controls themselves, we have five physical buttons that are located on the lower center of the frame. The first button allows you to access several different types of display between Eco mode, standard mode, a custom mode, a mode for displaying graphs and finally a way for movies. The second button makes the settings automatically according to the most appropriate values to what we are seeing on the screen. The center button opens a panel General Settings. From there we can change things as contrast, brightness, and language menus and display the computer information. The fourth button is to raise and lower the volume, while the last button changes the display font.