Vizio CA24T-A4: A looker with a few miscues

January 25, 2013

If it were all about looks, I'd say Vizio hit the nail square on the head with its $1249 CA24T-A4 All-In-One touchscreen PC. It's nearly as classy-looking as an iMac (which it mimics to a great extent), with all the components cohesively-styled in a nice, minimalist, pewter-hued design. Sadly, looks aren't everything and Vizio, a renowned TV manufacturer, lets the CA24T-A4 down by using a display that belongs in a TV, not a computer. The keyboard and performance are nothing to write home about either. Display and Input Ergonomics While the C24T-A4's 1920 by 1080, 24-inch display worked well enough with movies and general graphics, it didn't render text clearly. It's been a while since I've knocked a display, but text that's blurry and out of focus is a major impediment to serious computing. You can notice it on desktop icons and Metro tiles, but the defects really stand out when you're word processing, using spreadsheets, etc. Human input-wise, Vizio takes a slightly different path with the CA24T-A4. The display is touchscreen to allow interaction with the Windows 8 operating system via its preferred method, but Vizio opts for a Bluetooth touchpad in lieu of a mouse. It's a nice, one-piece, rocker unit, but it would be nice to have the option for a little critter. Five minutes trying to compute using a vertically-oriented touchscreen at arm's length, or a touchpad will convince you of that. Vizio also includes a Bluetooth keyboard, but it's on the small size, the layout is a bit cramped, and the feel is extremely light. It’s less useful than the keyboard in Vizio laptops, like the CA14-A2. On the plus side, there's a wireless remote that allows you to adjust the picture and view content incoming on one of the unit's two HDMI inputs--even without turning on the PC portion of the C24T. That's a nicer piece of legacy from Vizio's TV expertise. I'm a bit surprised there's no TV tuner. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2025326/vizio-ca24t-a4-a-looker-with-a-few-miscues.html