In the world of computing, the Acer brand is not far behind the more popular IBMs and Macs. Taking more of the middle market, Acer has proven itself as a reliable brand that delivers on what it promises despite the lack of streamlined and elegant features the best-in-class brands are known for. Despite some rumors early on in the year that the Acer Android Tablet line might not be around for much longer, Acer has made public its commitment to improving its line of tablets with updated processors and enhanced capabilities through the coming years. With an official press release coming from Acer, the company has started its launch of its latest addition to its tablet line, the new Acer Iconia Tab A200. The following are the key features of this latest Acer Android Tablet:
- Size: This new tablet sports a 10.1-inch display that has multi-touch functionality and is framed by a black bezel lined with rounded brushed aluminum silver edges. Larger than the most tablets around, the Acer Iconia Tablet is quite hefty at 1.7 pounds – not an easy load to hold on one hand for long periods of time. The viewing experience on the display is passable but is not as great as other tablets. Some users have reported that there is some cross-hatching observed while viewing the screen no matter from what angle.
- Operating System: The Acer Iconia Tablet runs on Android 3.2 Honeycomb but the manufacturer promises to have an Ice Cream Sandwich update in 2012. Acer mades some twitches to this interface with its own home screen widgets that allows for user-friendly navigation where all users can see and choose from these widgets in a convenient bookshelf type display. The Acer Iconia is also pre-loaded with Android 3.2 compatible links particularly in the multimedia and gaming section. This tablet also supports Adobe Flash 10.2 with installations and upgrades available on the Android marketplace. It has connectivity functions with WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1.
- Construction: The Acer Iconia Tablet is solidly constructed with buttons and ports placed in accessible and logical areas. Running along the right side’s upper edge are distinctly contoured volume and rotation buttons that less than nimble fingers can run through and conveniently press. The power and sleep button is also situated on the same corner with low glow that indicates power and charging status. The Acer Iconia also has a sturdy micro SD/HC card flap that can be pulled out of the tablet’s right side. It has a 2 megapixel front-facing camera, but, unlike other tablets, it does not have a rear-facing camera. The tablet can run on battery power for about 8 hours.
- Price: This Acer Android Tablet is priced a little lower than the iPad 2 at $450. Compared to the iPad 2, this tablet does not give as much as Apple’s offering but is powerful and flexible enough. Its strength comes from the openness and flexibility of the Android market even through the issues that come with the operating system. With the upgrades scheduled in the coming months, these issues are expected to be addressed with a jump-start of the native application ecosystem, making the Acer Android Tablet a strong competitor of the iPad.