Acer made a bit of a splash at CES this year by announcing the Iconia B1, a $150 7″ tablet that comes equipped with Jelly Bean. Acer has their sights set squarely on the Nexus 7′s low price point and is looking to do them one better, but there might be more tablets coming down the pipe sometime soon. Linxian Lang, from Acer’s China division, said that a 8 and 10″ tablets with “aggressive pricing” should be expected from them. 

More low-cost, high-spec Android tablets are always welcomed to give the OS a better name. However, Engadget doesn’t think these tablets will be making their ways to our shores. Hopefully that tone will change once their whole lineup is announced officially.

A race to see who can produce the cheapest Android tablet isn’t necessarily a good thing, but if these devices have decent specs at a low price point what’s not to enjoy? How cheap do you think Acer can go for a 10″ quad-core Jelly Bean tablet?

Via: Engadget

Acer Exec Hints At Low-Priced, Quad-Core 8 and 10″ Tablets Coming Soon is a post from: Droid Life

According to an Acer spokesperson, the company has official made plans to roll out Jelly Bean to the Iconia Tab A110, A210 and the A510 before the end of this year. On a less happy note, they also confirmed that the A100, A200, and A500 would not receive the update most likely due to limitations in the hardware.

By the end of the year may seem like a long wait, but it’s most definitely better than never. Keep your head up, Iconia owners.

Via: TechnoBuffalo

Acer Iconia Tab A110, A210 and A510 to Receive Jelly Bean This Quarter is a post from: Droid Life

It seems like every few months there is a new Android tablet coming out with a little bit better specs than the tablet before it. It may seem like that because it’s true, which makes it very difficult for people to decide when to jump into the Android tablet game and at what price. While they may not be one of the big names in Android like Samsung or ASUS, Acer’s Iconia Tab A510 is looking to be your high-end Android tablet at the low-end price. The question is, does it deliver?

The Good:

• Speed: With every tablet or phone that we have tested that features NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 quad-core chipset, this has been at the top of our list. Acer has crammed that beast of a CPU into this tablet and boy does it fly. We have gone into the Tegra 3 in-depth many times before though so I will keep this brief, but on the A510 it made me comment to Tim while I was reviewing it: “This is how Android should run.” That being said, under heavy use like streaming video or gaming, the Tegra 3 lets you know exactly where it sits by heating up the underside of the tablet, but still runs smoothly.
• Battery: Every tablet should have a battery as big, or last as long as the A510 does. Acer didn’t pack a 9,800mAh battery in this thing for nothing. When I first unboxed the tablet, it had 65% of a charge. It lasted a full two days (pictured below) with heavy use before I decided that I should plug it back in. The weight of the tablet suffers slightly from this power pack but even then, it still only weighs in at 1.9lbs, only .6lbs more than the Transformer Pad TF300. Seeing this kind of longevity from a quad-core device is surprising and refreshing.

• Build: Buyers who obsess with the thinnest and lightest devices need not apply to the A510, but Acer has made a tablet that packs a lot of battery and still is easy on the hands. The backside of the device is covered in a soft plastic covered in dots for added grip to guard against unwanted drops. The top and bottom of the tablet have soft curves to them and make sure that you don’t get the dreaded “tablet hand” during use. The only complaint here is the right and left sides of the tablet are fairly cornered off in comparison to everything else. Overall the tablet feels very sturdy and comfortable in-hand. Oh, and you get the Olympic symbol slapped on the back as well. Do you need it? Not necessarily. Does it take anything away from the tablet? Not at all.

• Specs: For $450 you are getting a tablet packed with specs that can rival anything on the market today. First off we have the aforementioned Tegra 3 quad-core processor, and that is backed up with 1GB of RAM on-board. 32GB of storage is already included and Acer went with a 5MP camera on the back for good measure. There is a microSD card slot on the side and a micro HDMI port as well, great for playing games on your big-screen TV. The A510 has all the specs to do whatever you need it to.
• Ice Cream Sandwich: What else can we say about Android 4.0 that we already haven’t said before? 4.0.3 comes pre-loaded on this tablet as compared to the other Iconia Tabs who had to wait for an update. The marriage of ICS and Tegra 3 is just something you have to feel to see.
• Custom Android Skin: I know what you’re thinking, because I felt the same way when I heard that Acer had a skin on top of ICS, but bear with me here; it isn’t terrible. To call it a skin in the first place is a bit of a misnomer, as far as skins like TouchWiz go Acer’s modifications are extremely light and for the most part: useful. The star of the show is Acer’s uninstallable ring that hangs out in ICS’s action bar that when clicked allows you shortcuts to apps and websites that you can choose. Other than that it’s almost stock ICS.

• Screen: The A510 is rocking a 1280 x 800 TFT LCD screen on the front of the device. While it may not be anything ground breaking on the display front, the display looks good overall. You have to really search for an angle where the color is affected. Colors are bright and vibrant and the display seems to work well with the Tegra 3 being the powerhouse behind it.

The Not-so-Good:

• Camera: You would have to expect this one, tablet cameras are just generally pretty bad and the A510 is no better. It has the same 5MP camera that was featured on the earlier A200 models and the pictures do the camera no favors. The tablet is capable of shooting 1080p video but video quality seems less than stellar. Let’s just say you won’t be buying the A510 for the camera, but then again who is buying tablets for the camera?

• Weight: This is a very small gripe, but at this point I am nitpicking to try and find things wrong with this tablet. In the days of “thinner is better” this tablet packs on a little more weight than it’s brethren. It makes holding it for extended periods of time noticeable but as mentioned before, the extra weight is justified in the battery.
• Proprietary Charger: One thing I noticed was that the charger for this tablet was a special cable, longer than a microUSB. The interesting part is that the tablet works with microUSB to connect to a computer. Why not just use the microUSB as a charger?

Gallery:

The Verdict:

Coming from the grandfather of all Android tablets, the Motorola XOOM, I was skeptical whether or not I would enjoy my time with the Acer Iconia Tab A510. Long story short: I really did. Sure it may not be the flashiest name or brand in the game right now, but if you are looking for an Android tablet that will do what you want it to, and do it for a long time the A510 is definitely something to look to.

Because of their similar specs and pricing, the A510 and the Transformer Pad TF300 are going to be compared. The Tegra 3 is a fantastic piece of hardware that makes both of these tablets really sing. For the specs that the A510 has and the price point of only $450, Acer seems to have hit a sweet spot for performance and affordability. Anyone looking to get their first Android tablet would do well to choose the Acer Iconia A510.

Acer Iconia A510 Review is a post from: Droid Life

Last week we learned that Acer was planning to rollout an Ice Cream Sandwich update to both the A500 and A100 by April 27. Well, it looks like they may have started 2 days early, as one of our readers received Android 4.0.3 today. If you own either the A500 or A100, be sure to cruise into Settings>About and check for the update. You may be able to pull it a few days earlier than planned. 

Cheers David!

Acer Iconia A500 Ice Cream Sandwich Update Rolling Out Now is a post from: Droid Life

Acer has placed an exact date at which they intend to pump out Ice Cream Sandwich to users of the A500 Iconia tablet, along with the A100 model. The update should be hitting both models April 27, 10 days from now, and will bring the tablet up to the Android “4.0.X.”

Via: Acer

Cheers Michael!

Acer’s Expected Date for Ice Cream Sandwich Update to Iconia Tablet is April 27 is a post from: Droid Life

Acer’s new Iconia Tab A510 was announced this morning for North America. This is their first quad-core Tegra 3 effort and will run customers $449 if interested. At that price, you get Android 4.0, a 10.1″ screen, special Olympic Games branding on the back, Polaris office suite, 12 hours of battery life, 32GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, dual cameras, and again, the power of Tegra 3. The A510 can be pre-ordered today, however, Acer has not given a specific date for when it may actually arrive in your hands or stores.

We fondled a similar tab at CES and came away impressed for the most part. The price isn’t bad for a quad-core processor and 32GB of storage, but can it steal consumers away from the iPad or Transformer Prime? 

Acer Iconia Tab A510 Tablet Available in Canada; Delivers Quad Core Performance for High-End Entertainment and Productivity

MISSISSAUGA, ON–(Marketwire – Mar 22, 2012) -

Editor’s Summary:

• Acer’s first tablet with Quad Core Tegra 3 Processor
• Provides long battery life of up to 12 hours for video playback
• Pre-installed productivity solution: mobile office suite Polaris™ 3.5 and wireless printing app
• New tablet is first Acer Olympic Games Edition, exclusive design features Olympic rings
• Pre-sale starts now at $449.99 for 32GB Iconia Tab A510 in U.S. and Canada

Acer today debuts its first quad-core tablet in North America, the Acer Iconia Tab A510 with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor. It is designed to deliver outstanding performance and a visually rich experience for mobile game playing and entertainment such as enjoying video and lifestyle apps.

In addition, the new 10.1-inch tablet Acer Iconia Tab A510 goes beyond what most people expect of their tablets to enable heightened productivity. The new tablet comes with the full suite of Polaris™ Office 3.5, which is compatible with Microsoft Office and allows reading and editing of various document formats for mobile access to important information. The new Acer tablet also includes Acer Print, so customers have a convenient and seamless way to print wirelessly from their tablet.

The first rate tablet experience is heightened with Android™ 4.0 OS (Ice Cream Sandwich) which features a more intuitive interface and improved overall performance for faster browsing, better multitasking, as well as enhanced app and folder management.

“The new Acer Iconia Tab A510 will exceed the expectations of customers who are ready to embrace using their tablets for more fun, entertainment and a first-rate mobile gaming experience,” said Paul Tayar, director of product marketing for connected devices, Acer America. “Our second-generation Acer A510 builds on the success of its award-winning predecessor with notable improvements in performance, responsiveness and ease-of use, elevating it to the status of ultimate mobile companion. Plus, the tablet will really surprise people with its comprehensive suite of productivity apps that will enable them to remain productive and connected on-the-go.”

Ultimate Performance with NVIDIA Tegra™ 3 Quad Core Processor, Extended Battery Life
The Acer Iconia Tab A510 provides blazing speed and responsiveness powered by the NVIDIA Tegra™ 3 Mobile Processor and high-performance 12-Core GeForce NVIDIA GPU. This processor provides a unique Super 4-PLUS-1™ Quad Core CPU design with a fifth Battery Saver Core that allows up to four cores to be dedicated to demanding tasks such as watching video and playing the next generation of graphics-intense mobile games.

These four cores provide up to 2.6 times the performance and up to three times the graphics performance compared to previous generation processors, making the tablet incredibly responsive with life-like and crisp visuals for mobile entertainment and console-quality gaming on-the-go. The processor also provides up to four times faster web-browsing, smooth navigation, and hardware-accelerated support for Adobe Flash 11, which comes pre-installed on the tablet.

When the tablet takes on everyday tasks, the fifth Battery Saver Core becomes engaged in place of the other four cores, ultimately using less power and improving battery life. The 9800mAh battery, one of the highest capacity models in the industry, further improves battery life, so customers can enjoy their tablet for up to 12 hours⁽¹⁾ of video playback.

Productivity Suite, Printing, Make A510 Tablet a Mobile Workstation
The Acer A510 tablet is packed with a full suite of productivity apps optimized for use on a tablet that will give any road warrior a much needed boost. The anchor of the suite is Polaris™ Office 3.5, which provides customers a premium way to read and edit various popular documents while providing enhanced integration with other tablet apps. It also features Evernote, the easy-to-use personal assistant that keeps customers organized by allowing them to capture and save web pages, photos, ideas and documents and then store them to the cloud for access from other devices.

With Acer Print, customers can print wirelessly from the convenience of their Acer tablet, unlike some tablets that require confusing or costly apps that don’t support a wide range of printers. Acer Print is compatible with 87 percent of brand name printers on the current market. In addition to supporting a variety of printing formats (doc, pic and browsers), Acer Print also shows the exact print layout on the screen, no matter if it’s a spreadsheet for work or coupons for grocery shopping.

Additionally, the Acer A510 can be taken to a meeting to deliver a presentation; it supports HDMI to VGA for quick connection to projector.

Thrilling Extras for Entertainment, Connectivity
The Acer Iconia Tab A510 highlights lifelike and compelling 720p visuals thanks to the gorgeous 10.1-inch WXGA (1280×800 resolution) HD display. The Acer A510′s 16:10 aspect ratio and wide 85-degree viewing angle ensure an optimal viewing experience that is further improved by Dolby™ Mobile 3 audio. Plus, the display is a 10-point touch capacitive screen, so it delivers a remarkable degree of accuracy and responsiveness.

In addition, customers can share video stored on Acer Iconia Tab A510 with other devices via the tablet’s built-in micro HDMI port. Blu-ray™ quality 1080p video in 30fps can be streamed from the tablet to an external display. Plus, the micro USB 2.0 port enables quick content transfers to and from the tablet. Plus, the new tablet has been enhanced with the ability to conveniently charge it from its micro USB 2.0 port via another USB 2.0 device.

The Acer A510 is packed with features customers want in a tablet. Its 1GB of RAM⁽²⁾ contributes to its fast mobile performance. The new tablet comes with an integrated 32GB of flash storage⁽²⁾for ample storage of photos, music and videos. The Acer A510 also has a Micro-SD card reader that supports up to 32GB Micro-SD cards⁽²⁾ that can access additional digital content.

The Acer Iconia Tab A510 keeps consumers connected to Wi-Fi networks with reliable Acer 802.11a/b/g/n wireless technology. Plus, the integrated Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (enhanced data rate) allows consumers to connect the tablet to a variety of other devices, such as headsets and printers.

The 1MP fixed-focused front-facing camera has an improved zoom, making it ideal for video conferencing. The 5MP rear-facing camera is auto-focusing, and provides the ability to take snapshots while recording HD video. Video clips and photos can be enhanced on the fly, stored and searched for based on various tags, and conveniently stored on Google+.™

The Acer Iconia Tab A510 is ready for hours of entertainment with popular pre-loaded apps such as Kindle™ for reading and Netflix™ for instant movie enjoyment. Google™ Music allows customers to create and enjoy their own personal playlists on their tablet. The preloaded Tegra Zone Android™ app brings customers direction to the best Android™ games that are optimized for NVIDIA Tegra powered tablets.

Intuitive Experience with Android™ 4.0 and Acer Ring, clear.fi
The Acer Iconia Tab A510 runs on Android™ 4.0 OS to deliver faster browsing, enhanced app and folder management options, more intuitive navigation, and a more polished design with enhanced holographic effects. Customers can easily customize their Acer tablet and will enjoy improved integration with Gmail™ email and calendar functions as well as improved multitasking and switching between tasks.

The Iconia Tab A510 features the unique interactive Acer Ring interface that can be customized to launch favourite apps, programs and websites. The Acer Ring one-touch button is always at the bottom of the display, so customers are always only a single touch away from what they care about most. It also features Screenshot, which can be used in any app to capture images of a web site, high score on a game, map and even a still from a video call.

Acer clear.fi is installed on the Acer Iconia Tab A510 to connect with any other DLNA-compliant device to quickly and easily share digital media. Clear.fi automatically connects all Acer devices on a network (smartphones, notebooks, desktops, HD media plays and storage devices) and gathers and organizes media files by type (video, music, photos, pre-recorded TV).

Olympic Edition Highlights Sleek, Usable Design
The Acer Iconia Tab A510 is a special Olympic Games Tablet Edition of the Acer Iconia Tab line. It features the Acer and Olympic logos on the chassis to celebrate the company’s sponsorship of the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games. The new tablet was designed with on-the-go usability in mind. The chassis’ soft-touch finish is comfortable to hold and buttons such as volume and screen lock are well-placed. It easily fits in a purse, briefcase or book bag, as it measures only 260mm(L) x 175mm(W) x 10.95mm(H) and weighs just 0.685kg.

Available in U.S. and Canada Starting at $449.99
The new Acer Iconia Tab A510 is available for pre-sale starting today at national electronics retailers in the United States and Canada at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $449.99 USD and CAD. The premiere models in Canada are the Acer A510-10s32 (silver) and Acer A510-10k32 (black).

Customers can purchase the sleek protective case to protect the Acer A510 tablet. The snug-fitting design prevents slipping on surfaces and props it up for improved access for game-playing and typing. It also allows convenient access to the connectors and ports. It is available through Acer at a price of $39.99 CAD.

About Acer
Since its founding in 1976, Acer has achieved its goal of breaking barriers between people and technology. Globally, Acer ranks No. 2 for notebook PCs.⁽³⁾ A profitable and sustainable Channel Business Model is instrumental to the company’s continuing growth, while its multi-brand approach integrates Acer, Gateway, Packard Bell, and eMachines brands in worldwide markets. Acer designs environmentally friendly products and has established a green supply chain through collaboration with suppliers. Acer is proud to be a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Movement, including supporting the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and London 2012 Olympic Games. The Acer Group employs 8,000 people across the globe. Revenues for 2011 reached US$15.7 billion. Visit www.acer-group.com for more information.

Acer Iconia Tab A510 with Quad-core Tegra 3 Processor Available for Pre-order Today at $449 is a post from: Droid Life

It may be hard to believe, but there are devices still out there that have not received the update to Ice Cream Sandwich yet. I know, it’s unbelievable. The Toshiba Thrive and the Acer Iconia tablets are just two of the devices on that list. Well, you can now mark off the Iconia tablet, as Acer has begun to push out ICS to the A200 tablet starting last Friday. Congrats, Iconia owners.

As for the Thrive, owners have until the end of Spring to receive it on their devices, so the wait could be a couple more months. Word from Toshiba’s PR Manager is that both the 10.1″ and 7″ variations of the device will receive the Ice Cream love around that time frame. Could be worse – you could own a Thunderbolt.

Via: Computer World, PC Mag

Toshiba Thrive To Receive Ice Cream Sandwich By End Of Spring, Acer Iconia Begins Receiving Update Now is a post from: Droid Life

The Acer CES 2012 event just finished up, and while they quickly snuck their new Iconia Tab with NVIDIA’s quad-core processor on and off the stage, they did still have it on display for us to snap some quick photos. A spec sheet was missing, but they did indeed say that it is running NVIDIA’s quad-core, although we aren’t sure who else’s this device would be running.

As you will see from the pictures of the front, it’s running stock Ice Cream Sandwich. It has dual cameras, a vibrant (from a distance) screen, a thin body, and what appears to be an 8.9″ or so screen. All of that will we have to be confirmed once we get a hold of the press release though. For now, enjoy the pics!  

Quick First Look: Acer Iconia Tab with NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core Processor is a post from: Droid Life

It is now Day 6 of DL and NVIDIA’s Two Weeks of Holiday Tegra. You still have five days to win yourself a nice present this holiday season that runs on Google’s Honeycomb OS all powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 processor.

This time we’ve got the Acer Iconia Tab, a 16GB, Tegra 2, dual-camera, WiFi beast that many people have been sleeping on.  In the long list of Android tablets available on the market, the Iconia can most definitely hold its own. Who wants it? 

Update:  And the winner of the Acer Iconia Tab is…

Sasquachh says that Android has the best selection of apps, programs and gets the first updates and upgrades on the market.

Congrats!

Prize:

1 (one) Acer Iconia.

How to enter:

1.  In the comments, If someone asked you why they should switch to Android, what would you tell them?
2.  Follow @droid_life and @NVIDIATegra on Twitter.
3.  Tweet the following message:

Need a last minute X-Mas present? Win an Acer Iconia from @droid_life and @NVIDIATegra – http://goo.gl/lOE0I #android

4.  U.S. residents only.

Winner:

At 6PM Pacific, we will randomly chose a winner from the comments. This post will be updated, comments closed, and the winner notified. Prizes will be shipped at the end of the week.

Contest: Two Weeks of Holiday Tegra #6 – Win a 16GB WiFi Acer Iconia Tablet (Updated: Winner Picked!) is a post from: Droid Life

Two weeks from today, many of you will flock to electronics and big box stores to snatch up the amazing deals that they have advertised for Black Friday. One of your stops should probably include Best Buy if tablets were one of your holiday shopping options. In their Black Friday ad that was released to just about every BF site on the planet today, it’s pretty clear that they want to move some tablet inventory.

How does an Asus Transformer for just $249 sound? The Toshiba Thrive at $279? Maybe the Acer Iconia 7 for just $189? By the end of November 25, you might have a family full of Android tablets. 

More tablets:

And a bunch of free phones:

Via:  The Black Friday

Best Buy Bringing the Tablet Heat on Black Friday: Asus Transformer for $249, Acer Iconia 7 for $189, Toshiba Thrive for $279 is a post from: Droid Life

Were you one of the unfortunate people not to win the Acer Inconia tablet we gave away a few weeks ago? Well don’t fret, eBay has them for only $380. That’s a pretty darn good deal for a 10.1″ Honeycomb boasting beast of a tablet.

Buy

Cheers Brandon and massror!

Acer Iconia Tab Going For $380 On eBay is a post from: Droid Life

Reader Appreciation Week is just getting nuttier by the day…when we announced the Asus Transformer we had almost 4,000 entries, but the Acer Iconia giveaway is a whole other beast.  We had over 5,700 entries between Twitter and comments, making this our biggest contest yet.  You guys are seriously the best.  So who won it?

Chosen randomly by number, our winner is…  

Garrett S. who had this to say about Android being in his life:

Android has taken up a chunk of my life since i spotted the OG Droid commercial late one night two years ago. I love things that are open to me tinkering with them so Android was the way to go. Now if we could only have more pure google devices.

Congrats dude!

And be sure to stick with us on Twitter and Facebook throughout the rest of the day – we’re going to start tossing out all kinds of stuff.  And then tomorrow, we open up the entry period for our final tablet giveaway, the Motorola XOOM WiFi.

And the Acer Iconia Tab Winner is… is a post from: Droid Life

Update:  Winner chosen here!

Just a quick reminder that Reader Appreciation Week is still rolling along and we have an Acer Iconia Tab to give away today at 2PM Pacific.  Be sure to enter if you haven’t already!

To enter you must do one of the following (U.S. residents only again):

1a.  Follow us on Twitter and tweet the following:

Win an Acer Iconia Tab from @droid_life! Details here – http://goo.gl/RS1wt #dlacer #android

1b.  In the comments of this post, remind us why Android is in your life.
2.  The entry period will run from May 25 until today (May 26) at 2PM Pacific.
3.  A winner will randomly be chosen and notified.  They will have 2 days to respond.

Good luck!

Reminder: Acer Iconia Tab is Up for Grabs! is a post from: Droid Life

Update:  Winner chosen here!

Day 3 of Reader Appreciation Week is here and we’re ready to give away another Honeycomb tablet to one of our amazing DL readers.  This time we’ve got the Acer Iconia Tab, a 16GB, Tegra 2, dual-camera, WiFi beast that many people have been sleeping on.  We all know that the Asus Transformer and XOOM are top notch, but the Acer hasn’t been getting enough press, which is a shame.  The device is easily rooted with Gingerbreak, is starting to build up quite the following in various forums, and should get Android 3.1 in June.  So who wants it?  

To enter you must do one of the following (U.S. residents only again):

1a.  Follow us on Twitter and tweet the following:

Win an Acer Iconia Tab from @droid_life! Details here – http://goo.gl/RS1wt #dlacer #android

1b.  In the comments, remind us why Android is in your life.
2.  The entry period will run from today (May 25) until tomorrow (May 26) at 2PM Pacific.
3.  A winner will randomly be chosen and notified.  They will have 2 days to respond.

Good luck everyone!

And be sure to keep up with all of the action Tato has going on over at the Facebook page.  We’ve got all sorts of extra goodies to continue to give away.  Three full days left of giveaway madness…everyone holding up OK?

Contest: Win an Acer Iconia 16GB WiFi Tablet! is a post from: Droid Life