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There are a large number of tablet computers available today, most of which run one of the Android variant operating systems. A large number of these are unbranded, coming from unknown manufacturers, but this Acer tablet stands head and shoulders over the crowd.
Size wise the tablet is perfectly average at 10.1 inches. However the processor is what makes it stand out-with a dual core NVIDI Tegra 2 powering it, the Acer Iconia is a powerful tablet. It handles multitasking incredibly well and the graphics are amazing. The high resolution screen displays photographs well, and online video. Unfortunately the inbuilt video player will only play MP4 files, requiring that a file conversion program be found before any other videos can be tested on it or that an alternative video program be installed. There are several available on the market that will play more formats.
This isn’t the lightest of the tablets out there, but the weight helps to make it feel sturdy, and as though there is no risk of breaking it during normal usage. When combined with the lovely metallic finish this feels like a well built device. The touch-screen also feels sturdy and responds quickly and accurately when touched.
Some of the default settings out of the box are a little annoying. Push email for instance runs around the clock and would wake us if left in the bedroom over night. Disabling push stopped this from happening. Other settings simply need adjusting to personal preference, including the wallpapers and so on.
The operating system installed on this is the 3.0 Android-known as Honeycomb. Since this is optimized for [ReviewAZON_Tooltip asin=”integrated” titlewordcount=”3″]tablets[/ReviewAZON_Tooltip], it looks fantastic on the larger screen, compared to the previous versions which just looked bigger. Apps that are designed for tablets are also notably better than those that are designed to run on phones as well, as they are designed to make full use of the larger screen.
There are two cameras built into the tablet, one front and one rear-facing. The front facing does an OK job of recording at 2MP, which is great for video chats. The rear camera records better at 5MP, and takes reasonable quality photographs. Unfortunately the microphone on this device sounds somewhat muted, and this means that in video chats the other person seems to struggle to hear the conversation.
The Micro SD slot is useful for transferring files and for playing videos, but the cover is somewhat fiddly and this can be annoying when you have to use it a lot. Thankfully it will connect to an Android smartphone as well, and read files off there. So using your phone to hold the card gives an easier way of using Micro SD storage.
Out of the box this is a nice, and usable tablet. With a little effort taken to install a range of new applications, this becomes a wonderful tablet. With its powerful processor and crystal clear screen, this is a cut above many of the [ReviewAZON_Tooltip asin=”integrated” titlewordcount=”3″]Android tablets[/ReviewAZON_Tooltip] that are currently available and it feels like it was built to last.