Friday, 30 December 2011

Acer Iconia A Series Touch Screen Tablet pc Review

An android tablet with a 10.1" screen - 1280x800, it performs really well and sounds good with its stereo speakers. With 3G, It’s connected all the time, so you can be entertained wherever you go on the bigger screen. It is a decent tablet with lots of potential. Android needs to address several issues to make the tablet shine. Great screen. Bright, responsive and decent viewing angle. Handles HD games pretty well.

In many ways it is easier to handle it due to the much larger screen than the android Smart phones. Setting up the wifi link with the works without a hitch in less than a minute - again, full marks

There's not much doubt that the obvious rival, the iPad, has a better and brighter screen than the Iconia, nor that it is subjectively a little more "snappy" - ie., responsive. However the 16/9 format is more suitable for playing movies and the iPad's lack of flash support, SD memory upgradeability and USB sockets made the Iconia, for some users, the only choice.

At the moment the low battery alert is set on croaking frogs and it hasn't been a good idea to have it in the bedroom at night since it croaks nearly all night. It does feel heavy compared to the ipad, and with tablets getting thinner, this tablet might have a short lifecycle.

Compare it the iPad, Xoom etc it’s not that great but it’s not trying to beat them. It’s a decent tablet. Acer's next gen Tablets will need to shed some weight to be competitive.

The main criticisms are to do with the physical layout of the unit. The power switch is unhelpfully placed right opposite the charging socket, which means that you have to be very careful not to inadvertently switch off when inserting the charging plug and bracing the Iconia at the other end. The volume control is awkward to find and use, being quite a small rocker switch - yet only too easy to hit by mistake when turning the Iconia around!

Many have commented on the weight of the Iconia, but I feel that their problem is probably more to do with its thin, rather slippery feel than the odd hundred grams over the opposition. It is not the easiest tablet to hold in position, and does try and get away from you when held at an angle or even when lying flat on anything smooth. But with a good case, hopefully the things will be a lot more usable.

If you don't fancy an iPad together with its associated Apple lock-in, then - if the touchpad doesn't give up the ghost - the Iconia is probably the best of the rest.

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